Effective teaching involves checking and responding in the moment to learning, as you discover which students are getting it and which ones need more support. But how do you make decisions on the fly based on information gleaned during class?
In this handy playbook, Sackstein and McDowell help you collect formative assessment data in real-time, and then they provide step-by-step flowcharts and images to demonstrate how best to proceed once you have the data you need. They offer set plays for secondary students below, at, and above standards. They also provide specific instructional advice for when the challenges occur at the beginning, middle, and end of lessons, or in full group or small group settings. And finally, they cover ways to shift instruction based on student needs, engagement, and metacognitive opportunities.
With this helpful resource, you'll have a plethora of instructional moves that work in different situations, so you can continually adjust to where students are and help them truly grow in their learning.
Table of Contents:
Part 1: Laying the Foundation 1. Understanding the Formative Assessment Process 2. Overview of Clarity and Effective Assessment Design Part 2: Breaking Down the Phases 3. Assessing and Responding to Where Students Are at the Beginning of Learning in a Lesson or Unit 4. Assessing Throughout the Learning in the Moment 5. Assessing Depth of Understanding at the End of a Lesson or Unit 6. Building Assessment into Learning Systems
About the Author :
Michael McDowell, Ed.D., is an internationally recognized author and educational leader, known for helping schools design rigorous, equitable, and sustainable learning systems. He is a former teacher, principal, and superintendent, and has served as national faculty for the Buck Institute for Education, adjunct professor at San Francisco State University, and advisor to organizations advancing student agency and instructional excellence. His books and professional learning frameworks are used worldwide to help educators create the conditions for every student to thrive.
Starr Sackstein is an assessment reform advocate and education consultant transforming teaching practices. With 16 years as a high school English/journalism teacher and leadership in humanities education, she champions standards-based learning that emphasizes metacognition and feedback over grades. She partners with institutions to empower teachers, engage students, and leverage data for growth. A prolific author and speaker committed to reshaping global assessment practices, Starr is also a dedicated parent, partner, animal enthusiast, and adventurer seeking new challenges.
Review :
"This book is ultimately about trust: trust in evidence, trust in teachers, and trust in students’ capacity to grow when instruction responds intelligently to need. McDowell and Sackstein translate decades of research into clear, disciplined instructional moves that respect teacher expertise while sharpening its impact. They bring complex ideas to life through a shared professional language—in-the-moment growth, backward fading, rotating questions, stuck in motion, the obstacle as the opportunity, and the reminder that learning isn’t a straight line—all in service of developing consistency and precision of practice. This is assessment as professional judgment, exercised in real time, positioning educators as adaptive experts who can read the room, respond to evidence, and guide students forward without abandoning rigor or coherence."
—Professor John Hattie, University of Melbourne, Australia. A global authority on education effectiveness, his extensive research is the world’s largest evidence base on what works best in schools to improve learning.
