What Is Formative Assessment?

Ask five teachers what formative assessment is and you’re likely to get five different explanations. Confusion abounds around this teaching technique even though it’s widely used in classrooms nationwide. To bring some clarity to the topic, Education Week Associate Editor Catherine Gewertz interviews Meghan Pazmino, a math coach at Ross Elementary School in Washington, who explains what formative assessment is and how it differs from interim or summative assessments.