Rick Wormeli on Formative Assessment

This is the sixth post in a series of short YouTube videos by Rick Wormeli, author of the book Fair Isn’t Always Equal.  This episode focuses on the power of frequent formative assessments and tying that into a standards based grading system.  I wish I had learned about the power of formative assessments and a standards based approach to grading when I was teaching…  Might you take what @RickWormeli has to offer and implement it in your classroom tomorrow??

Topic #6:

Formative and Summative Assessments:

So what would a classroom look like if students knew the objectives and took multiple formative assessments along the way to make sure they were on track?  How would collaborative conversations between teachers look and sound different if those assessments were common formative assessments?  It makes me think my years coaching soccer and of how my own kids approach mastering a video game – a never-ending series of formative assessments that they want to beat!

Check out Rick Wormeli’s new website stocked full of great articles, links, clips, and other resources!!

So how will you focus more on formative assessments and less on summative ones?  How will you give your students multiple chances to demonstrate mastery?  As you plan units of instruction in your collaborative teams, might you start with developing your common formative assessments and then use your creativity to help students learn and practice?