Great resource for formative assessments

Formative Assessment. A big phrase in today's education profession. But what is a formative assessment, what makes a good one, and how do you make a good series of formative assessments in your classroom? Knowing the answer to these three questions can make your teaching not only more effective, but more enjoyable....for your students, and for you.

Most of us know the basics: formative assessments work best when they happen at least twice per week, when they ask questions with right/wrong answers to assess learning, and when you keep track of each individual student's performance over time.

But even if you know the basics, you're still a long way from successfully implementing formative assessments in your classrooms.

While I was perusing the Web, I came across this handy table, from a group called the WIDA Consortium, of the University of Wisconsin. It summarizes the broad spectrum of goals and features of a good formative assessment program. If you're serious about getting a handle on your students' learning, this table might be a good place to start. It's certainly an interesting thing to read, for any teacher, even those who don't plan to use frequent, "short cycle" formative assessments.

I don't know WIDA - but I really liked this table. It's a little long, and there are some funny typos, but overall the information is presents is good food for thought. 

Check it out here!

- Isaac