Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K-12 Classrooms (Paperback)

This clear, practical guide for teachers centers on practical formative assessment techniques for implementing five key strategies in the classroom.

Effective classroom formative assessment helps educators make minute-by-minute, day-by-day instructional decisions. This clear, practical guide for teachers centres on five key instructional strategies, along with an overview of each strategy and practical formative assessment techniques for implementing it in the classroom:
Clarifying, sharing, and understanding learning intentions and success criteria.

Engineering productive discussion and activities that elicit evidence of learning.

Providing feedback that moves learners forward.

Activating students as learning resources for each other.

Activating students as owners of their own learning.

Reviews

“Loaded with real-world advice, Embedding Formative Assessment offers bulls-eye guidelines about how to make formative assessment sizzle.” —W. James Popham, author of Classroom Assessment, Professor Emeritus

“Wiliam and Leahy have done it again! In this highly readable book, they present five formative assessment strategies, a compelling explanation of why each is important, and scores of practical techniques and tips for how to implement them in your classroom.” —Susan M. Brookhart, author of Performance Assessment, Senior Research Associate

“Embedding Formative Assessment offers almost unlimited potential for increasing student learning and achievement. Wiliam and Leahy present formative assessment as a dynamic partnership between teachers and students, blending guiding principles with practical activities that demonstrate how best to match instructional purpose with tools and techniques.” —Jackie Walsh Educational Consultant, coauthor of Quality Questioning

“Any teacher interested in formative assessment will find a wealth of ideas contained in this engaging and practical book!” —Margaret Heritage, author of Formative Assessment in Practice, Assistant Director for Professional Development

About the Author

Dylan Wiliam is one of the world’s foremost education authorities. He has helped to successfully implement classroom formative assessment in thousands of schools all over the world, including the United States, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom. A two-part BBC series, The Classroom Experiment, tracked Dr. Wiliam’s work at one British middle school, showing how formative assessment strategies empower students, significantly increase engagement, and shift classroom responsibility from teachers to their students so that students become agents of and collaborators in their own learning.

Siobhán Leahy, MS, was a principal of three secondary schools for 17 years. She has practical experience with embedding classroom formative assessment through implementation of teacher learning communities. She is co-author and developer, with Dylan Wiliam on several publications. She received her Master of Science from South Bank University, London, and her Bachelor of Science in Management Sciences from the University of Warwick, UK.