Product Review

In this follow-up to the best-selling Transformative Assessment, W. James Popham takes you inside the classrooms—and inside the heads—of teachers who are using the formative assessment process to improve student learning.

Instead of providing yet another collection of data-gathering techniques, Popham focuses on the real challenge of formative assessment: the decisions involved in its planning and implementation. When does it make the most sense to gather assessment data for the purpose of adjusting teaching and learning? What are the various ways in which the formative assessment process can be applied? How much and what kinds of preparation does formative assessment require? How does it fit into existing unit and lesson plans? How does it fit into preparation for high-stakes testing? And how can teachers best ensure that their formative assessment efforts will really make a difference?

According to the author, until the formative assessment process is used in every classroom, students will not be taught as well as they could be—as well as they should be. This book, which includes chapter-specific reflection questions perfect for professional learning communities, provides the practical guidance and models you need to turn “formative assessment talk” into “formative assessment action.”