43: Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom

Our English Department chose this book to read as our summer reading assignment...and from me it receives all positive reviews, except for just one thought.   The book was written for instructional leaders, not teachers.  As a teacher, I was offended, often expecting the word imbecile to pop off the page in reference to the leader in the classroom.  (Felt this most strongly in the last chapter, so if you are a teacher, you might consider just ending the book at chapter 7.) My problem with these authors and others who support such subtle suggestions is that these people have forgotten that they are simply support staff for the true leaders in any school district. I wish our thinking on the chain of command were not so skewed, but it is.  Now with that side note...okay, fore-note aside, I would love to share the nuggets that I, just a teacher, gleaned from this book.

The authors Connie Moss and Susan Bookhart are ever-encouraging student involvement in their learning...and this I love!  (I will be the first to admit that I need be LESS the sage on the stage and MORE of the guide on the side.)  They promote the students being involved in setting goals, self-assessing, and asking effective questions.  They promote the teachers being involved in sharing learning targets, providing feedback that informs and "feeds forward"  (formative assessments = "assessments for learning rather than assessment of learning"),and asking strategic questions.

I especially appreciated the discussions about...

1. having students create an assignment's rubric,
2. utilizing formative assessments (and, no, I do not already use these...or at least not enough!), and,
3. asking questions (both from the teacher and the students).

Yes, this was a good read to finish...just one day until school starts...a good read from which I truly hope to implement that nuggets listed above.