Assessment-Centered Teaching : A Reflective Practice

"Valuable for practitioners who wish to improve their teaching and their students′ learning, and for researchers concerned with putting ideas of formative assessment into teaching practice."
—Richard J. Shavelson, Margaret Jack Professor of Education
Stanford University

"Drawing from conceptual principles and empirical findings that establish the crucial role of ongoing formative assessment, the authors describe a professional development framework and program that prepares teachers to adjust their teaching to student thinking in the moment and to refine assessments to better reveal students′ understandings throughout instruction."
—Joan I. Heller, Director
Heller Research Associates

A reflective process for integrating assessment and instruction!

Because assessment and instruction are two sides of the same coin, it is critical for teachers to not only assess what students understand, but also use that information to adjust their teaching. Assessment-Centered Teaching (ACT) is a unique practice that allows teachers to gather information during instruction to uncover learning gaps and guide students toward deeper understandings of complex ideas.

Suitable for all grade levels, this resource describes how reflective practitioners can use the ACT portfolio to reflect on, modify, and improve their curriculum and instruction. The forms included on the CD-ROM guide teachers through the process. This book encourages educators to:

• Reflect on their own practice
• Systematically examine student progress toward identified learning goals over time
• Monitor instruction and assessment for continuous improvement

Assessment-Centered Teaching helps teachers, professional developers, and school teams establish quality instructional goals and implement ongoing formative assessment to promote student success.