For Teachers: Checking for Understanding

Also available as a print book.

Douglas Fisher is a professor of language and literacy education at San Diego State University and the codirector for the Center for the Advancement of Reading. He is the author of numerous articles and books including the ASCD best-seller Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for Adolescents with Gay Ivey.

Nancy Frey is an associate professor of literacy at San Diego State University. She teaches a variety of courses on elementary and secondary literacy in content-area instruction and supporting students with diverse learning needs. She has coauthored several books on literacy.

How do you know if students are with you at the beginning, middle and end of a lesson? Can formative assessment offer a key to better teaching and learning during instruction? What if you could blend different formative assessment moves in your classroom, with intention and care for all students, to help make better instructional decisions on the fly and enjoy more teachable moments?

Learn everything you need to know to implement an integrated system of assessment and grading that will enhance your teaching and your students' learning. Dr. Robert J. Marzano details the specific benefits of formative assessment--assessment that is used during instruction rather than at the end of a course or unit. He explains how to design and interpret three different types of formative assessments, how to track student progress, and how to assign meaningful grades, even if a school or district continues to use a traditional grading system. Detailed examples brings each concept to life, and exercises help reinforce the content. The second book in the Classroom Strategies Series library, this clear, highly practical guide follows the series format, first summarizing key research and then translating it into recommendations for classroom practice.BenefitsThis comprehensive guide: Identifies three types of formative classroom assessments that should be used in a comprehensive system and explains how to design them Explains the difference between "standards-based" and "standards-referenced" systems Explains why it is usually inappropriate to use the 100-point scale in conjunction with formative assessment Describes a systematic approach to the design and use of rubrics Presents four basic approaches to tracking student progress and provides reproducible grade sheets Discusses the use of technology in tracking progress and generating reports Addresses the issue of grades for teachers using formative approaches Includes an appendix that clearly explains the concept of effect size Provides exercises to help readers assess and reinforce their understanding of the new strategies ,/ul>

Middle school is a crucial time to develop the sophisticated reading skills students need to analyze literature and challenging informational texts. This handbook offers 77 simple yet effective strategies to help students develop, refine, and strengthen key comprehension skills they can apply across subject areas.
Section 1 focuses on checking for understanding.

Students say "I can do it!" -- What is effective instruction? Are some approaches better than others? -- Checking for understanding : verifying that students are learning -- Learning objective : establishing what is going to be taught -- Activating prior knowledge : connecting to what students already know -- Teaching by explaining, modeling, demonstrating : showing your thought processes -- Presenting content : conveying concepts -- Guided practice : working alongside students -- Closing the lesson : doing one final check -- Moving to independent practice : getting students to work by themselves -- Putting it all together : creating well-crafted lessons.

What is a rubric? A rubric is a coherent set of criteria for student work that describes levels of performance quality. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, rubrics are commonly misunderstood and misused.The good news is that when rubrics are created and used correctly, they are strong tools that support and enhance classroom instruction and student learning. In this comprehensive guide, author Susan M. Brookhart identifies two essential components of effective rubrics: (1) criteria that relate to the learning (not the "tasks") that students are being asked to demonstrate and (2) clear descriptions of performance across a continuum of quality. She outlines the difference between various kinds of rubrics (for example, general versus task-specific, and analytic versus holistic), explains when using each type of rubric is appropriate, and highlights examples from all grade levels and assorted content areas.

In addition, Brookhart addresses
* Common misconceptions about rubrics;
* Important differences between rubrics and other assessment tools such as checklists and rating scales, and when such alternatives can be useful; and
* How to use rubrics for formative assessment and grading, including standards-based grading and report card grades.

Intended for educators who are already familiar with rubrics as well as those who are not, this book is a complete resource for writing effective rubrics and for choosing wisely from among the many rubrics that are available on the Internet and from other sources. And it makes the case that rubrics, when used appropriately, can improve outcomes by helping teachers teach and helping students learn.

Formative assessment plays an important role in increasing teacher quality and student learning when it's viewed as a process rather than a tool. Emphasizing the instructional side of formative assessment, this book explores in-depth the use of classroom questioning, learning intentions and success criteria, feedback, collaborative and cooperative learning, and self-regulated learning to engineer effective learning environments for students.

With new standards emphasizing higher-order thinking skills, students will have to demonstrate their ability to do far more than simply remember facts and procedures. But what's the best way for teachers to ensure that students have such skills? In this highly accessible guide, author Susan M. Brookhart shows how to do just that, by providing specific guidelines for designing targeted questions and tasks that align with standards and assess students' ability to think at higher levels.
Aided by dozens of examples across grade levels and subject areas, readers will learn how to
* Take a student perspective and view assessment questions and tasks as problems to solve.
* Design multiple-choice questions that require higher-order thinking.
* Understand the difference between open and closed questions and how to use open questions effectively.
* Vary and control the features of performance assessment tasks, including cognitive level and difficulty, to target different thinking skills.
* Manage the assessment of higher-order thinking within the larger context of teaching and learning.
Brookhart also provides an idea bank that teachers can use to jump-start their own thinking as they create assessments. Timely and practical, How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking is essential reading for 21st century teachers who want their students to excel in the classroom and beyond.

Also available as a print book.

What teacher hasn't sometimes believed that the entire class understands a lesson, even though only a few students are nodding their heads and answering questions? Later, the teacher is dismayed when many students fail a related test. Why aren't students getting it? And, just as important, why didn't the teacher recognize the problem?

In Checking for Understanding, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey show how to increase students' understanding with the help of creative formative assessments. When used regularly, these types of assessments enable every teacher to determine what students know, what they need to know, and what type of instructional interventions are effective. Fisher and Frey explore a variety of engaging activities that can build understanding, including: interactive writing, portfolios, multimedia presentations, audience response systems, interactive hand signals, public performances, and much more.

Checking for Understanding further explores how teachers can effectively use traditional tests and collaborative assessments to improve instruction and increase students' comprehension. Rubrics and charts help teachers check their own understanding as they work with students. Whether you are preparing students to read a Shakespearian sonnet or create their next science project, Checking for Understanding will help you refocus your teaching and enable all students to get the most out of their classroom experience.

Drawing on case studies from primary classrooms, this book analyzes how teachers use formative assessment to promote learning. Themes addressed include feedback; power and roles of learners and teachers; self-assessment and peer assessment; and sharing success criteria with learners. The book equips teachers, student teachers, educators, and researchers with a sophisticated grasp of issues in formative assessment and how they relate to the promotion of pupil learning.

Educators know it's important to get students to engage in "higher-order thinking." But what does higher-order thinking actually look like? And how can K-12 classroom teachers assess it across the disciplines? This practical guide to assessment can help teachers determine if students are actually displaying the kind of complex thinking that current content standards emphasize. Brookhart begins by laying out principles for assessment in general and for assessment of higher-order thinking in particular. She then defines and describes aspects of higher-order thinking according to the categories established in leading taxonomies, giving specific guidance on how to assess students in the following areas:
* Analysis, evaluation, and creation
* Logic and reasoning
* Judgment
* Problem solving
* Creativity and creative thinking
Readers will learn how to use formative assessment to improve student work and then use summative assessment for grading or scoring. Aimed at elementary, middle, and high school teachers in all subject areas, How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom provides essential background, sound advice, and thoughtful insight into an area of increasing importance for the success of students in the classroom--and in life.

This book deals with formative assessment, that is, assessment designed to inform and enhance learning, rather than simply produce test results and qualifications.

Leading, Teaching, and Learning is a resource for teachers taking action on Common Core State Standards to enhance student learning. Each chapter addresses various disciplines and grade levels with concrete examples. Chapters focus on research-based instruction, academic language development, thinking and complexity, English learners, non-proficient readers, rigor, and collaboration for ongoing professional capacity building.
Includes a section on Checking for Understanding.

When playing video games, players are able to press the reset button when something goes wrong and realize they are missing an essential skill needed to win the game. In education, we can use formative assessment as a means for the student to press the virtual reset button. Educators can ensure that students gain the skills needed to be successful learners in their classroom.
In this book, the author provides strategies and techniques, such as the use of graphic organizers, quick writes, and journaling, to be used as formative assessments. Specific information about each tool and recommendations for data analysis and implementation are provided, helping teachers to implement formative assessment effectively and efficiently and allow their students to "preset the reset button" and master the skills they need to be successful in the classroom.

A comprehensive resource on formative assessment, covering the history and research base, data-gathering and decision-making procedures, and implications for formative assessment's role in education reform.

The purpose of Power Teaching is to change teachers' attitudes toward testing by illustrating the power that meaningful assessment brings to the art and science of teaching. The book also shares efficient and practical tools and strategies for using formative and summative assessment results to actually enhance teaching effectiveness and students' learning. Using testimonials from "power teachers," the text shows classroom teachers how they too can use assessment analyses to inform their teaching, provide motivational feedback to their students, and monitor their students' progress toward learning targets and standards. This handy reference argues that testing can be a power tool for helping teachers rather than an intrusion on academic freedom and valuable instructional time. A key distinction of the book is its coverage of using technology to collect and analyze assessment data.

Formative assessment allows teachers to identify and close gaps in student understanding and move learning forward. This research-based book helps educators develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement formative assessment in the classroom. Margaret Heritage walks readers through every step of the process and offers specific examples to illustrate the implementation of formative assessment across a range of subject areas and grade levels.
This book explains how to:
- Clearly articulate learning progressions, learning goals, and success criteria
- Select strategies for assessment and provide quality feedback
- Engage students in self-assessment and self-management
- Create a classroom environment that values feedback as part of the learning process
With guidance for school administrators who want to promote schoolwide implementation, Formative Assessment helps educators effectively target their teaching and improve learning for all students.

Formative assessment is one of the best ways to increase student learning and enhance teacher quality. But effective formative assessment is not part of most classrooms, largely because teachers misunderstand what it is and don't have the necessary skills to implement it. In this practical guide for school leaders, authors Moss and Brookhart define formative assessment as an active, continual process in which teachers and students work together--every day, every minute--to gather evidence of learning, always keeping in mind three guiding questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? What strategy or strategies can help me get to where I need to go?
Chapters focus on the six elements of formative assessment: (1) sharing learning targets and criteria for success, (2) feedback that feeds forward, (3) student goal setting, (4) student self-assessment, (5) strategic teacher questioning, and (6) engaging students in asking effective questions.
Using specific examples based on their extensive work with teachers, the authors provide
* "Strategic talking points" and "conversation starters" to address common misconceptions about formative assessment;
* Practical classroom strategies to share with teachers;
* Ways to model the elements of formative assessment in conversations with teachers about their professional learning;
* "What if" scenarios and advice for how to deal with them; and
* Questions for reflection to gauge understanding and progress.
As Moss and Brookhart emphasize, the goal is not to "do" formative assessment, but to embrace a major cultural change that moves away from teacher-led instruction to a "partnership of intentional inquiry" between student and teacher, with better teaching and learning as the outcome.

Testing expert W. James Popham cuts through the jargon and the hype to provide the definitive nuts-and-bolts introduction to formative assessment, a process with the power to completely transform teaching and learning. In his inimitable style, Popham explains the research supporting formative assessment's effectiveness and why familiarity with this research is the key to preserving both teacher sanity and district funds. You'll find step-by-step guidance on how to build frameworks for formative assessment and how to carry out each of the process's four levels: teachers' instructional adjustments, students' learning tactic adjustments, a classroom climate shift, and schoolwide implementation. This book is the place to start for educators considering formative assessment, curious about why their school system is embracing formative assessment, or wondering why the "formative assessments" they're using now aren't producing the desired results. Here, you'll learn what formative assessment is and isn't, what it can do and what it can't, and the practical way to reap its very real rewards: better teaching and better learning.