Formative Assessment in the Middle School

Transform your classroom and the educational journey of your students by consistently using formative assessments.  They take many shapes, and teachers must develop their own style.  Formative assessment includes oral language and questions, projects or performance assessments, written components, movement and gesture activities, technology tools, and more.  The practice of using formative assessment allows a teacher to reward students for their competency and skills, and it highlights those students in need of extra help in their learning journey.  The teacher, with feedback, can make decisions about the next instructional step.  

Besides the teacher having valuable data on their students' understanding, formative assessments aid the students by empowering them to take ownership in their learning journey.  They can gauge their own level of understanding and seek further assistance with this knowledge.  Students can increase their capacity for success.  As the students feel a part of their own learning process, it becomes more meaningful and relevant to them.

Great teachers know their students, make adjustments, and empower their students to participate in the educational process.  That creates a truly transformational journey for everyone.

I was born and raised in Dallas, and I graduated from Texas A&M University in 1985.  Two years later, I married my husband, Pete Fitzgerald.  We have three boys, Dale, Curt, and Luke.  After living in College Station for sixteen years, we moved back to this area in order to be closer to family.  I have been in Sunnyvale since 2091, and I feel like this is home.  

Laura Fitzgerald