Using formative assessments to differentiate instruction

摘要

Formative assessment is an important tool in every teacher's toolbox, particularly because it can help you meet the needs of all students. Formative assessments are informal assessments that can be used to check for student understanding and to differentiate future instruction (Alber 2011). Although there are many different types of formative assessment, it is important to not only assess your students, but also use the assessment data for making future instructional decisions. Formative assessments should be used to inform both teacher and student about progress being made with the assessed should not be graded because they are usually viewed as "practice" with the assessed skill. Regardless, make sure your formative assessment methods are not only informative, but also engaging, to maximize student participation and performance.