Common Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work

In Common Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work, authors Kim Bailey and Chris Jakicic argue that real improvement in student achievement can begin when teams tackle the task of writing and implementing common formative assessments. They assert that teams that [...]
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In Common Formative Assessment: A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities at Work, authors Kim Bailey and Chris Jakicic argue that real improvement in student achievement can begin when teams tackle the task of writing and implementing common formative assessments. They assert that teams that are engaged in designing, using, and responding to common formative assessments become more knowledgeable about their standards, more assessment literate, and able to develop more strategies for helping all students learn. The authors use a comfortable, conversational tone to describe how to create and incorporate common formative assessments into the practices of a PLC to monitor and enhance student learning. They provide numerous accessible tools and templates for teams to adjust to suit their own needs and offer protocols with clearly listed steps educators can take to facilitate the formative assessment process. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the purpose, structure, and workings of a professional learning community. The authors provide an explanation of how common formative assessments fit into the work of teams. Chapter 2 defines common formative assessments and explains where they along with other types of assessments fit in a balanced assessment system and provides schools with guidelines for designing these systems using assessment data effectively and efficiently. Chapter 3 explains how teams can approach the foundational work of identifying and using power standards as the starting point for creating common formative assessments. Chapter 4 guides teams through the process of unwrapping their power standards to reveal clear learning targets for instruction and formative assessment. Using a seven-step process, chapter 5 focuses on how to develop and design assessments for learning targets in a way that will provide accurate data and clear information to teachers and students. Chapter 6 provides tools and outlines steps for creating pacing guides and designing unit plans that respond to and incorporate assessments. Chapter 7 contains protocols teams can use to gather, organize, and analyze data in a way that will best enable them to identify students' needs. Chapter 8 explores ways that teachers can involve students in the assessment process and encourage students to assume ownership of their own learning. Chapter 9 addresses how teams can continue to improve, stay motivated, and sustain their efforts.