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Think time

Formative assessment empowers teachers to try new practices

By Teresa Egan, Beth Cobb and Marion Anastasia
August 2009
All of the students waited patiently while a classmate focused on the problem he was trying to solve on the board. He attempted one solution and realized it didn’t work, then haltingly tried another. His classmates watched intently, apparently all thinking through their own solutions. Many of them referred to their writings on individual whiteboards in front of them. No one snickered. No one sighed impatiently. Eventually, the teacher offered the student the option to request help from a classmate. The classmate respectfully suggested he adjust his strategy slightly, and in doing so, both worked together to find a solution. The teacher then asked other students to offer alternate solutions, with several appropriate ideas proposed and accepted by the class. ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING IN THE

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References

Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998a). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7-74.

Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998b, October). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139–144.

Ciofalo, J.F. & Wylie, E.C. (2006, January 10). Using diagnostic classroom assessment: One question at a time. Teachers College Record. Available at www.tcrecord.org/ content.asp?contentid=12285.

Coburn, C. (2003). Rethinking scale: Moving beyond numbers to deep and lasting change. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3-12.

Educational Testing Service. (2007). Keeping Learning on Track: TLC leader kits. Princeton, NJ: Author.

Leahy, S., Lyon, C., Thompson, M., & Wiliam, D. (2005, November). Classroom assessment: Minute by minute, day by day. Educational Leadership, 63(3), 18-24.

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