On a daily basis, students need to know how they are doing and teachers need to know how to move learning forward. That is the gist of effective formative assessment practice, which is a critical component of meaningful instructional practice.

In 2015, we commissioned a study with Education First to gain a better understanding of how educators were using formative assessment practices in their classrooms. One big learn from the study was that teachers generally have positive beliefs about the importance of incorporating formative assessment practices into their regular routines. But at the same time there was a significant variation in teachers’ effectiveness as they work to implement formative assessment practice.

To address this challenge, we brought together Education First, Getting Smart, WestEd, and Brookhart Enterprises to implement the “How I Know: Designing Meaningful Formative Assessment Practice” project.

This project will:

  • Convene a network of 60 educators across three districts
  • Coach educators to understand the strengths and opportunities in their current formative assessment practice
  • Create and pilot a range of professional learning models to support teachers in becoming exemplary practitioners
  • Share lessons learned from pilot classrooms with the field

Read the full article about The How I Know project by Cheryl Niehaus at Getting Smart.