How to Use Formative Assessment Like an Expert Teacher

2026-02-03

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Have you ever been shocked when your students bomb a unit test after weeks of seemingly locked-in learning? Veteran educator Jay McTighe has the ultimate research-backed solution: formative assessment. In the best-case scenario, it’s frequent, quick, and highly attuned to the content and your students. “You don’t want to wait till the end to find out, ‘Gosh, I didn’t realize the kids never understood this concept or had this continued skill error,’” says McTighe, an author and assessment expert. “Whatever you’r...

Have you ever been shocked when your students bomb a unit test after weeks of seemingly locked-in learning?

Veteran educator Jay McTighe has the ultimate research-backed solution: formative assessment. In the best-case scenario, it’s frequent, quick, and highly attuned to the content and your students.

“You don’t want to wait till the end to find out, ‘Gosh, I didn’t realize the kids never understood this concept or had this continued skill error,’” says McTighe, an author and assessment expert. “Whatever you’re teaching, you should always be doing very quick checks to see how it’s working.”

Frequent pulse checks midstream are “potentially one of a classroom educator’s most powerful tools to enhance student learning,” according to David Marzano, a leading researcher. They’re also important tools for students to gauge their own progress. The key to getting the best outcomes is *how* you deploy them.

In this episode of School of Practice, we chat with McTighe about how to get the most out of formative assessments, how to choose the right technique for your content and students, how to insert them seamlessly into the flow of instruction, and whether or not they should be graded. Plus, Jay shares his “Vagoo Rule,” a mysterious yet very important tip that you won’t want to miss.

Related resources:

8 Quick Checks for Understanding
Building SEL Skills Through Formative Assessment
7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment
13 Super-Quick Formative Assessments
Research: The Impact of Formative Assessment on K-12 Learning: A Meta-Analysis
Assessing Student Learning by Design: Principles and Practices for Teachers and School Leaders
Research: The Effectiveness and Features of Formative Assessment in US K-12 Education: A Systematic Review
Seven Keys to Effective Feedback
Research: Formative Assessment Is an Essential Component of Classroom Work and Can Raise Student Achievement
Hacking Student Motivation
The 10 Minute Teacher Podcast