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What Are Formative Assessments?
On-the-spot checks while teaching.
Inform day-to-day decisions.
Why Use Formative Assessments?
Adjust instruction instantly.
Address misunderstandings early.
Keep students actively involved.
How Are Formative Assessments Used?
Used during instruction.
Check understanding and inform teaching.
Examples and Tools
Exit Tickets
What: A short task students complete at the end of a lesson (e.g., answer a question, solve a problem, or summarize learning).
Why: Gives a quick snapshot of what students understood so you can plan your next steps.
How: Give quick questions at the end of lessons to check understanding.
Exit Ticket.pdf3-2-1-Exit-Slip.pdfRainbow Back to School Exit Ticket.pdfQuick Writes
What: A brief writing activity (1–5 minutes) where students respond to a prompt, reflect, or explain a concept.
Why: Encourages thinking and helps teachers gauge depth of understanding.
How: Use short prompts during or after lessons to assess thinking.
Light Blue If I Were a Superhero Descriptive Writing Activity Worksheet.pdfThumbs Up/Down
What: A fast, non-verbal check for understanding where students show thumbs up (I get it), sideways (sort of), or down (I’m confused).
Why: Helps you see how the class is doing in real time and adjust your pacing or reteach immediately.
How: Ask questions mid-lesson and get quick, visual responses.
SBAC Teacher Tools
What: An online bank of SBAC-aligned instructional resources and formative assessment items organized by standard.
Why: Provides high-quality sample questions, tasks, and strategies to use during lessons — helps you align instruction to the SBAC.
How: Pull tasks by standard to embed in daily lessons.
NWEA Progress Checks
What: Short, skill-specific online assessments linked to NWEA MAP goals.
Why: Great for monitoring how well students are mastering a specific skill or standard between MAP testing windows.
How: Assign short skill checks in between MAP testing windows.
CFA (Common Formative Assessments)
What: Quick assessments created and agreed upon by grade-level or subject teams, typically given mid-unit or at checkpoints.
Why: Provides consistent data across classrooms so teams can plan reteaching or enrichment together.
How: Create short assessments with your team; analyze results together.
CFU (Checks for Understanding)
What: Any quick strategy (verbal, written, physical) that helps you gauge whether students are getting it during instruction.
Why: Allows you to catch confusion early and make adjustments on the spot.
How: Use in-the-moment strategies like whiteboards or hand signals to adjust teaching.
TAPPLE.pdfTapple Poster (2).pdfCopy of CFU-Data-Tracker.docxWhiteboards or Response Cards
What: Students write/show answers during a lesson (math problems, vocab, etc.)
Why: Gives immediate visual data to the teacher
How: Used during lessons. Give all students a chance to respond.
Think-Pair-Share
What: Students think about a question, discuss with a partner, then share with the class
Why: Promotes discussion and helps shy students process before answering aloud
How: Ask a question. Students think, discuss, then share out.
Kagan_Structure-Pair-Share.pdfStudent Self-Assessment
What: Students rate their own understanding or reflect on their work (e.g., traffic light, fist-to-five, reflection sentence)
Why: Builds metacognition and gives teachers insight into confidence levels
How: Students reflect on their learning. Used during or after instruction.
Assessment Feedback Self Reflection Worksheet in Greyscale Simple Minimalist Style.pdfObservational Notes / Anecdotal Records
What: Teacher records informal notes during student discussions or small groups
Why: Tracks behavior, participation, language use, or understanding over time
How: Teachers observe during learning. Record trends and student behaviors.
Anecdotal Records Booklet.pdfRubrics
What: Scoring guides that show levels of performance. Often used with writing or projects.
Why: Clarify expectations for students. Provide consistent and objective feedback.
How: Shared before and used during tasks. Guide scoring and student reflection.
Gap-Closing Instruction Rubric.docx.pdfGAP Closing instruction includes using rubrics.
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