Teaching observation protocols serve purposes beyond research, such as providing formative feedback for teachers' growth in their practice. Such observation tool usage requires different approaches for validation. For this reason, we developed the formative teaching evaluation framework adapted from the student-assessment literature. We used this…

The current wave of science education reforms emphasizes more equitable opportunities for students as they learn disciplinary core ideas and apply crosscutting concepts by engaging in the practices of scientists. Formative assessment--the assessment teachers and students conduct while learning is in progress--also needs to shift to support this…

This report outlines the approaches that state education agencies (SEAs) have taken in defining and using formative assessment practices, including practices to explicitly support students with disabilities. At the state level, there have been efforts to develop or adopt formal definitions of formative assessment practices that guide how these…

Nebraska's educators know the state's long-term competitiveness depends on continually improving student learning and outcomes for our 300,000+ K-12 students. That's why what they teach in classrooms all over the state is tied closely to content area standards--standards developed by Nebraska educators, approved by the State Board, and reviewed…

Background: Formative assessment has been reported to improve learners' learning in affluent contexts. However, very few studies have reported the impact of formative assessment on teachers' knowledge and understanding in no-fee public schools located in a low socioeconomic context. Aim: This article investigates the impact of the Assessment for…

This paper reports on a multiple case study classroom observation investigating the types and qualities of teachers' AfL strategies among three English teachers across three distinct types of secondary schools in Indonesia. The study found that while teachers are integrating several AfL strategies, the quality issues persist. The study highlights…

Most institutional practices to evaluate teaching are inadequate, inaccurate, neither improve teaching directly, nor incentivize teaching improvement. This is often because effective teaching is difficult to assess and most tools do not adequately or accurately do so and are often without established standards. Because of this, faculty may be…

Chemistry faculty instructors (FIs) and graduate student instructors (GSIs) regularly engage in the evaluation and grading of student responses in formal formative and summative assessments. In this study, we identified dimensions of variation in these instructors' approaches to the evaluation and grading of students' answers. Using qualitative…

This article describes a professional development project that sought to increase active engagement in higher education classrooms. Flipped pedagogy was the focus of the professional development, as research suggested that flipped instruction allows for increased active engagement in the classroom. The authors describe how they guided faculty in…

In response to existing anecdotal evidence on faculty development in first-year experience program, this paper provides both a model and an adaptable heuristic for using assessment data to shape faculty development. The author argues that using a mixed method methods approach to assess FYE students' critical thinking provided unique data on…

Why is formative assessment -- a proven powerful instructional practice -- so elusive in classrooms? As a regional professional learning provider for several years, Amy Burton rarely observed the use of formative assessment, even though, when asked, teachers could define it -- a quick check, during instruction, of what all students understand so…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the assessment literacy of Virginia principals and describe how principals with varying levels of assessment literacy integrate assessment leadership practices that support assessment for learning. This study investigated the differences in assessment literacy between elementary and secondary principals…

This paper presents a rationale for and description of the professional development system designed to help teachers understand and use the Birthday Party (BP) Mathematics Assessment, a standardized assessment with child-friendly birthday party themed tasks, and ultimately to leverage their learning from the BP to conduct their own meaningful…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the effect of formative assessment strategies on second grade students' singing accuracy and to examine how music educators planned for and enacted these practices. Student participants (n = 63) were divided into three groups over a six-week period: (a) a partial treatment group where the…

Our featured leaders saw big gains when their teachers began using formative assessment practice to guide student growth minute-by-minute. Read the fourth article in our five-part series for the scoop on how committing to this high-impact instructional practice paid off for a regional agency, district, and school. Learn: (1) why our featured…