Resource Bank

Learn how to use the results of the common assessment through professional conversations to improve teaching and learning.

This article lays out a conceptual framework for interim assessments, distinguishing them from so-called "formative assessments."

This paper by Katherine Casey (iNACOL 2018) invites a reflection on adaptive change, exploring the purpose of competency-based education, the traditional beliefs and values that CBE challenges. It also explores the technical changes needed to shift culture and practice, and the systems, structures, and policies needed to support that shift.

The use of narrative reports is an ideal tool to keep parents/guardians apprised of the learning and achievement of their children. It is an important step in assuring continuity of learning. This paper describes good practice around narrative reporting—an excellent way to communicate student achievement and understanding in a meaningful manner, regardless of where learning occurs.

This site includes the national core arts standards, for Dance, Media Arts, Music Theatre and Visual Arts and Model Cornerstone Assessments based on the artistic processes of creating, performing, producing/presenting, responding and connecting. The model assessments are performance assessments.

In this white paper prepared for the Dell Foundation Formative Assessment Project, authors: Margaret Heritage, Nancy Gerzon and Marie Mancuso, describe the conditions that are necessary in a school or district to achieve successful implementation of formative assessment

This article describes mistaken and new beliefs about assessment.

In 2020 and 2021, U.S. educators were asked to adapt in unprecedented ways in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the nation. Online assessment is one area that clearly demonstrates a significant challenge posed by the pandemic for public education. In Michigan, schools are required to administer interim-benchmark assessments. Many schools have chosen to administer these assessments online in an effort to maximize the efficiency of giving these tests while also minimizing down-time from instruction. This ThinkPoint, authors James A. Gullen, Dodie Raycraft, and Ben Allen suggest the questions policy-makers and school leaders should ask about the data these tests provide and suggest ways they can maximize the quality of the data that we get in the near future.

Effective use of the formative assessment process can improve learning for all students, and it is particularly helpful for students with disabilities. And it can be especially important for distance learning, which sometimes can feel to students like an endless “to-do” list with no particular goal in mind.

This helpful document was prepared by educators in the Ottawa Area ISD to provide guidance around how a district, school, or program might think through developing a Remote Learning system for students and families.

Assessment Learning Network, 2016-17 - Event 1, Event Page

The Students at the Center series explores the role that student-centered approaches can play to deepen learning and prepare young people to meet demands of the 21st century. This paper synthesizes existing research on key components of student-centered approaches.