Classroom Assessment KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Classroom Assessment KnowledgeBase is an online resource for state departments of education to use as part of their professional development efforts with districts and schools. Organized around five elements, it brings together concepts, how-to guidance, tools, and resources about classroom assessment.

Task 2: How to Use Formative Assessment

Guideline: Formative assessment is the "checking" part of the learning process. It enables teachers to determine how well students are grasping the concept or lesson and informs changes teachers may make to their teaching methods. It also shows students how well they are doing or where they need improvement. It is important for teachers to comprehend formative assessment within this context.

References

Examples of Formative Assessment in Practice

This link to the North Carolina Office of Public Instruction website provides examples of how to use formative assessment.

Formative Assessment: Helping Students Grow

This article from The Council Chronicle, published by the National Council of Teachers of English, emphasizes the feedback loop between the teacher and student and gives examples of formative assessments being used in the classroom.

Selecting and Administering Assessments

Developed with funding from The Meadows Foundation and the Texas Education Agency, Effective Instruction for Middle School Students with Reading Difficulties: The Reading Teacher's Sourcebook offers middle school reading teachers an overview of research-based instructional approaches for teaching struggling readers. Chapter Two: Selecting and Administering Assessments reviews how different assessment tools can be used in the classroom.

The Best Value in Formative Assessment

This ASCD article by Stephen Chappuis and Jan Chappuis reviews how to use formative assessment.

Using Classroom Assessment to Improve Teaching

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement's December 2006 newsletter offers an article with an overview of how to use classroom assessment to improve teaching.

Why Change Classroom Assessment?

This resource summarizes Chapter 1: Why Change Classroom Assessment from Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind. Developed by Dr. Lorna Earl and Dr. Steven Katz in collaboration with the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, it "is intended to support teachers in assessing their students effectively, efficiently and fairly, and to serve as a basis for professional learning." Chapter 1 provides a series of questions for teachers to consider when developing classroom assessments. Chapter 1 makes the case for how classroom assessment can be used to improve student learning and motivation.

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended for general reference purposes only. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.