Educate every child, to a very high level, in every classroom, every day.

Assessment for Action

Assessment Drives Learning

The purpose of assessments is to collect actionable data on student learning that informs lesson design and promotes student agency in their education.

 

Why is this Important?

Assessments at the secondary level take two forms: formative and summative. Summative assessments occur infrequently and are largely used for placement decisions at the end of a course. Formative assessments are used to monitor progress toward learning targets for the teacher and the student. Both types of assessments can take a multitude of forms, and results should be quickly and clearly communicated to the learner.

Key Questions

Does my department have a detailed plan for how summative assessments govern course placement?

Does the district provide appropriate training for individual staff on development and use of assessments?

Do my current assessments provide actionable data at the student level?

Can the student use the assessment data to direct their own learning?

Next Steps

  • Department teams need to determine what types of assessments will govern placement decisions and what assessments will guide short‐term learning decisions.
  • The leadership team needs to identify teacher‐specific training to support the development and utilization of different types of assessments to direct student learning.
  • Teachers need to evaluate the purpose and effectiveness of formative assessments to impact their classroom routines and learner progress.
  • Teachers need to help students understand how to interpret assessment results to guide their own learning.