Much has been written about the benefits of formative assessment that is, assessment that is used while instruction is occurring rather than at the end of a course or unit but most descriptions of the practice have been general. Dr. Robert Marzano provides the specifics. He explains how to design and interpret three different types of formative assessments, how to track student progress, and how to assign meaningful grades, even if a school or district continues to use a traditional grading system. He brings each concept to life with detailed examples of teachers from different subject areas applying it in their classrooms. The second book in the Classroom Strategies That Work library, this clear, highly practical guide follows the series format, first summarizing key research and then translating it into recommendations for classroom practice. In addition to the explanations and examples of assessment and grading strategies, each chapter includes helpful exercises to reinforce the reader s understanding of the content.

Although there is a mountain of research on the impact of feedback on student learning, teacher feedback is impotent unless it is accurate, timely, and designed to improve performance. With compelling evidence and practical exercises, this book builds a necessary bridge from theory to practice.

Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading is likely to join the ranks as one of those comprehensive masterworks that educators return to again and again for meticulously researched, high-impact assessment and grading practices that are fully explained and richly illustrated with relevant examples across multiple grades and content areas. There are so many important sentences, explanations, examples, quotes, supporting research, and practical exercises in this book that readers are likely to use up an entire box of highlighters trying to capture them all! Every educator and leader, new and experienced, who wants to expand his or her own assessment and grading literacy needs to move this book to the top of the must read stack.