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Best Practice: Formative Assessment Done Right

By Marsha Ratzel

Like many other concerned teachers, I’ve been reading the Obama administration’s blueprint for how educational reforms should unfold. Most of the ideas revolve around using a national curriculum that emphasizes college preparation and implementing student assessment that goes beyond the bubble tests. While there are a few references to ongoing measurements, I see very little about the role of formative assessment in improving student learning throughout the year.

Formative assessments take place during the process of teaching and learning. They’re classroom assessments designed by the teacher to help determine how much students are learning and what needs to be done next.

In some quarters of the school-reform debate, I’m beginning to hear talk about how districts, states, and the nation should standardize formative assessments so the process can benefit more students. Usually, these assessments give teachers a quick and not-so-scientific measure of learning by using a thumbs up or maybe having students write answers on whiteboard slates. The teacher glances around the room, tallies the feedback, and makes a quick expert judgment: Move onto the next idea, go back and do more instruction, or devote...