Understanding Formative Assessment in the Classroom

This paper focuses on understanding formative assessment in the classroom,one effective strategy for improving student learning.I begin by explaining a basic problem facing our educational system,and suggest a potential solution.I follow with a brief overview of the background and research on formative assessment,and then present our current working model of the formative assessment process.In the next section,I discuss emerging findings from our research work with teachers and formative assessment.The paper concludes by proposing next steps in understanding formative assessment.