Formative Assessment: Imposters or Imperative?

We’re continuing our exploration of educational practices that lack empirical support - yet continue to be mainstays in our profession. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out the book Why Are We Still Doing That? by Persida and William Himmele, which inspired this season’s focus. It’s a quick and thought-provoking read! One of the chapters focuses on formative assessment. Now, we definitely NOT saying that formative assessment is something we should turn our backs on - in fact, the authors of this book assert that the research on formative assessment suggests there is no better way to accelerate student growth. BUT there are some things we may do that SEEM like formative assessment, and in fact are not really all that helpful at all. Today we talk about what we can do to have a clear understanding of student success - and how to know with confidence when they have reached it. About Our Guest: Jarred Zapolnik is a middle school principal in Massillon City Schools, adjunct professor at Ashland University, and doctoral candidate in Education Leadership at Kent State. He is also active in the conference circuit, presenting on leadership, depth of knowledge, culturally inclusive practices, and many other topics focused on improving the field of education.