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A few years ago, I came across "10 assessments you can perform in 90 seconds" by TeachThought and really enjoyed the formative assessment strategies they outlined. Using formative assessment strategies in class during instruction-or "simple assessments," as they call them-is easy and provides the instant feedback teachers need to identify which learners need more help and adjust their instruction and lesson plans accordingly. Visit the blog above to get more detail on the following techniques:

1. New Clothes

2. Dos and Don'ts

3. Three Common Misunderstandings

4. Yes/No Chart

5. Three Questions

6. Explain What Matters

7. Big Picture

8. Venn Diagram

9. Draw It

10. Self-Directed Response

Combining these 10 with 10 others we've blogged about in the past gives teachers 20 great formative assessment strategies for checking on student learning. Be sure to click through to learn more about these formative assessment strategies.

Want more? Here are seven more strategies you can use to elicit evidence of student learning.

1. Entrance Tickets. We've blogged about and explained the Exit Ticket, so why not have an Entrance Ticket? Here, the teacher asks a question at the start of a lesson, and students write their responses on index cards or strips of paper. Answers are used to assess initial understanding of something to be discussed in that day's lesson or as a short summary of understanding of the previous day's lesson. The teacher designs the lesson around the fact that information on student learning will be coming in at the start of the lesson and can be used to improve the teaching and learning in that lesson. Be sure to write the question so it is easily interpreted and analyzed, allows time for you and/or the students to analyze the responses, and leaves space for you to adjust the lesson, if needed.

2. Keep the Question Going. With this formative assessment strategy, you'll ask one student a question and then ask another student if that answer seems reasonable or correct. Then, ask a third student for an explanation of why there is an agreement or not. This helps keep all the students engaged because they must be prepared to either agree or disagree with the answers given and provide explanations.

3. 30-Second Share. With this strategy, students take a turn to report something learned in a lesson for up to 30 seconds each. Connections to the learning targets or success criteria are what you'll be looking for in the language used by the student. Make this a routine at the end of a lesson so all students have the opportunity to participate, share insights, and clarify what was learned.

4. Parking Lot. This is an underused strategy for students and one that can surface questions before learning, as well as during and after. This tool also offers an anonymous place for questions that may be directly related to the content or tangential to the current topic and provide insight into student thinking. Simply save a spot on your whiteboard to write down ideas or questions that aren't completely relevant in the moment but should be revisited later.

5. One-Minute Paper. This might be considered a type of exit ticket as it is typically done near the end of the day. Ask your students, either individually or with a partner, to respond in writing to a single prompt. Typical prompts include:

Most important learning from the day and why

Most surprising concept and why

Most confusing topic and why

Something I think might appear on a test or quiz and why

3-2-1. At the end of the learning, this strategy provides students a way to summarize or even question what they just learned. Three prompts are provided for students to respond to:

3 things you didn't know before

2 things that surprised you about the topic

1 thing you want to start doing with what you've learned

Assessment Reflection. This strategy is a post-assessment reflection completed individually first and then shared in a small group. After an assessment, the teacher provides a list of questions so learners can reflect on their assessment experience. During group discussion, ideas are collected as new information to support students to better prepare for and engage in future assessments. Consider the following or similar questions. You might also use strategies such as Plus, Minus, Interesting, or Plus/Delta.

How engaged were you with this assessment? Why?

What did you feel most confident about? Why?

What did you do that led to your success or confidence?

What was the most difficult part of this assessment? Why?

What would you do differently next time?

What was the most confusing? Why?

What do you know about the topic that the assessment didn't allow you to show?

Dig in

All 27 of these formative assessment strategies are simple to administer and free or inexpensive to use. They'll provide you with the evidence of student learning you need to make lesson plan adjustments and keep learning on target and moving forward. They'll also give your students valuable information so they can adjust their learning tactics and know where to focus their energies.

If you're not quite sure where to get started, the following discussion questions can help.

Questions for teachers

How do you use formative assessment data to inform instructional decisions?

How can formative assessment strategies foster a learning environment of collaboration and engagement?

How do formative assessment strategies elicit evidence of student learning?

What is one strategy you could try tomorrow and why?

How do you use formative assessment data to drive school-wide instructional academic decisions?

How can you model formative assessment strategies in staff meetings, PLCs, and meetings with teachers?

What are three formative assessment strategies you could bring to your teachers and staff? Why do you feel these would be most effective at your school?

To learn more, visit the Formative Assessment Archive for Teach. Learn. Grow., and get more formative assessment tips and tricks in our e-book "Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice."

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27 Easy Formative Assessment Strategies for Gathering Evidence of Student Learning

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All 27 of these formative assessment strategies are simple to administer and free or inexpensive to use. They provide the teacher with the evidence of student learning needed to make lesson plan adjustments and keep learning on target and moving forward.

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Innovative formative assessment examples are part of what defines any modern classroom. They provide crucial information about what students understand and what they don't. These ungraded assessments are also valuable guides for students. It can help them enhance their performance. Teachers can use them to determine if further instruction is necessary.

Using innovative formative assessment consistently and effectively removes the surprises from getting final grades. When integrated into teaching and learning on an ongoing basis, students can constantly improve and excel. One important tip from our best-selling book Mindful Assessment, is that when a number is provided, the learning stops:

"... a parent teaching a child to cook would never say, "That was 74 percent." Instead, the parent would watch, demonstrate, and allow the child a chance to get better. These acts of mindful nurturing and guidance are examples of natural learning, and we perform them instinctively."

(from Mindful Assessment: The 6 Essential Fluencies of Innovative Learning)

With this in mind, think of formative assessment as not necessarily identifying what was done well or correctly. Instead, it places focus on what opportunities there are to improve.

10 Innovative Formative Assessment Examples

What follows are 10 innovative formative assessment strategies for teachers to try out. Remember that true formative assessment is assessment for learning and as learning. It's the continual cycle of feedback and improvement that makes that learning both useful and effective.

1. Analyzing Student Work

A great deal of information can be learned from students' homework, tests, and quizzes. This is especially so if the students are required to explain their thinking. When teachers take the time to analyze student work, they gain knowledge about:

A student's current knowledge, attitudes, and skills about subject matter

Strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles

Need for further, or special, assistance

This approach lets teachers modify their instruction to be more effective in the future.

2. Round Robin Charts

This strategy involves passing charts among groups to assess understanding. Each group of 4 or 5 students begins with a chart and some markers. The group records an answer to an open-ended question. They can also share knowledge they have on a topic covered in class. Once the students finish with the chart, they pass it on to the next group. Once every group has worked on every chart, responses are discussed as a class.

3. Strategic Questioning

Questioning strategies may be used with individuals, small groups, or the entire class. Effective formative assessment strategies involve asking students to answer higher-order questions such as "why" and "how." Higher-order questions require more in-depth thinking from the students. They can help the teacher discern the level and extent of the students' understanding.

4. 3-Way Summaries

The idea here is to use different modes of thinking and attention to detail. Students can work in groups or individually. In response to a question or topic inquiry, they write three different summaries:

10-15 words long

30-50 words long

75-100 words long

You can even have students use Twitter. Chances are you've got a lot of students who use it already. They'll have experience communicating messages with minimal wording and characters.

5. Think-Pair-Share

This is one of the many formative assessment strategies that is simple for teachers to use. The instructor asks a question, and students write down their answers. Students are then placed in pairs to discuss their responses. Teachers are able to move around the classroom and listen to various discussions. It lets them gain valuable insight into levels of understanding.

6. 3-2-1 Countdown

This is a true test of relevant and meaningful learning. When students learn something they find useful, they're likely to want to use that learning in some way. Have students end the day with this one. Give them cards to write on, or they can respond orally. They are required to respond to three separate statements:

3 things you didn't know before

2 things that surprised you about this topic

1 thing you want to start doing with what you've learned

You can also ask them different kinds of questions. These are suggestions, so feel free to make up your own.

7. Classroom Polls

Polls let students give responses quickly and accurately. A silent poll is perfect for those "shy" students who have trouble speaking up. These are also a quick way to check understanding using mobile technology. Try tools like Poll Everywhere or SurveyPlanet.

8. Exit/Admit Tickets

A simple but effective formative assessment is the exit ticket. Exit tickets are small pieces of paper or cards that students deposit as they leave the classroom. Students write down an accurate interpretation of the main idea behind the lesson taught that day. Next, they provide more detail about the topic.

Admit tickets are done at the very beginning of the class. Students may respond to questions about homework, or on the lesson taught the day before.

9. One-Minute Papers

One-minute papers are usually done at the end of the day. Students can work individually or in groups here. They must answer a brief question in writing. Typical questions posed by teachers center around:

Main point

Most surprising concept

Questions not answered

Most confusing area of topic

What question from the topic might appear on the next test

Without formative assessments, the first indication that a student doesn't grasp the material is when they fail a quiz or a test. An innovative formative assessment strategy like this can take failure out of the classroom.

10. Creative Extension Projects

Students can create a large scope of projects to demonstrate comprehension. Quick projects help them apply the higher-order levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. These don't have to be big and complicated. They can take a day, a half-day, or even an hour. Here are some extension ideas for quick projects:

Create a poster or collage illustrating the subject matter

Record a rehearsed skit or podcast discussing the topics covered

Build a diorama about the subject and create a narrative behind it

Let students design their own flashcards to test each other with

Keynote presentations made by students on the topic

Additional Reading

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10 Innovative Formative Assessment Examples for Teachers to Know

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Innovative formative assessment examples are part of what defines any modern classroom. They provide crucial information about what students understand and what they don't. These ungraded assessments are also valuable guides for students. It can help them enhance their performance. Teachers can use them to determine if further instruction is necessary.

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Dice needed. Roll dice twice, use the tow numbers to land on a square and answer the question reflecting on the lesson or setting targets. Can be done in pairs, groups or as class discussion. ...

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Digital Task cards on Google Classroom are differentiated, engaging, and utilize all of the benefits of the platform. Lyndsey from the blog Lit with Lyns shares how she uses Digital Task cards in her classroom. She offers some great ideas on how to have students collaborate and a genius work around for differentiating group assignments on Google Classroom too!

As many schools move more towards 1:1 classrooms or adding additional computer labs when possible, it only seems natural to begin finding ways to integrate the traditional lessons we have found to be effective by making them
digital. With this in mind, I started thinking about what it is that my students love to do in class. Over the last couple of years, task cards have become my go-to activity. The kids absolutely love them and sort of look at them as a game. What else do kids love, almost more than life itself...technology! So it was a no-brainer when I decided to incorporate the two and create digital task cards.

What are digital task cards?

In my classroom, they're just like the printable version, but they're uploaded on a program such as Google Classroom, Edmodo, or whatever program you choose. Before assigning through Google Classroom, I first go to Google Slides and upload the task cards that I want my students to complete. By uploading them to Google Slides, this automatically saves the task cards to my Google Drive. Then, once I'm logged into Google Classroom, I can create and assign the activity, directly from my Google Drive.

For step-by-step directions on creating assignments in Google Classroom, click here.

Next, I decide whether or not I want all students to complete each task, am I going to differentiate by assigning certain kids certain tasks, or do I want to put students into groups and have each group complete certain task cards. It all depends on the skill we're working on, but my students personal preference is to work in groups.

One of their favorite digital group activities was the Digital ELA Test Prep Task Cards. This includes 20 point of view, 14 text structure, and 36 vocabulary task cards. You can access a FREE printable sample of this item here.

Differentiating Digital Task Cards

With Google Classroom, there isn't a way to assign particular students a specific assignment without everyone seeing it in their 'stream.' This meant that I couldn't assign each group a different assignment, without it coming up as an
assignment that was due for each student in the class.

The way I worked around this was to assign each student to a specific group, and on the assignment title line, I would state the group #, as well as the members' names that were in this particular group. That way, students knew that if their name wasn't listed, they didn't have to turn this assignment in. That also allowed them to see who their other group members were:

Once students got into groups, they chose a group leader, who then collected all of their group members' emails and added them as collaborators for the group assignment. To add collaborators, all the leader has to do is click on the blue "share" button:

Then they will enter each group members' email and choose "Can edit" in the drop down menu:

This allows them to work on the activity at the same time, and they can see what each member is writing. If they didn't agree on the answer of one of the members, they can post a comment directly onto the page, in order for them to discuss this. This also is helpful if you want to prevent students from sharing answers out load, allowing other students to hear.

Instant Feedback with Digital Task Cards

In addition, the teacher is able to access students' work in "real" time, while they're working on the assignment; therefore, if you notice a group that seems to be having issues or is off task, you can comment directly onto the document they're working in, and provide immediate feedback to help them move forward:

Once the group leader has added the other members as collaborators, then they are ready to begin working on the task cards. I had students complete approx. 4-8 task cards a day. For example, on the first day, group 1 would begin by working on the first set of task cards-task cards 1-8, group 2 would begin with task cards 9-16, group 3 w/ task cards 17-24, and so on. Then on the second day, group 1 would do task cards 9-16, which is where group 2 started on the first day.

In other words, if students completed all the task cards that were assigned to their group, then they would move on to the task cards assigned to the next group. Of course, if at any time a group didn't complete all of the assigned task cards, then they could have a few minutes on the following day to finish these, or they could work on this for homework. After they had finished their assigned task cards, then they would each turn the assignment in through Google Classroom and this allowed me to see exactly who had completed the assignment and who had not:

Task Cards and Google Classroom have definitely became a game-changer in my classroom. I would love to hear how you have used digital task cards and/or Google Classroom with your students. Please tell me all about it in the comments.

About the author

I am Lyndsey from the blog Lit with Lyns, as well as the TPT store by the same name. I have developed a passion for creating and sharing activities that integrate technology and promote active and engaged learners. I have been teaching middle school E/LA for the past 13 years. In my spare time, you will most likely find me at the baseball field, where both of my sons play throughout the majority of the year.

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DIGITAL TASK CARDS ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM - Erintegration

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Digital Task cards on Google Classroom are differentiated, engaging, and utilize all of the benefits of the platform. Lyndsey from the blog Lit with Lyns shares how she uses Digital Task cards in her classroom. She offers some great ideas on how to have students collaborate and a genius work around for differentiating group assignments on Google Classroom too!

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What are Formative Assessment Strategies and Why do We Use Them?

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What are Formative Assessment Strategies and Why do We Use Them?

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If you are already registered on our website, you can sign in by selecting your partner organization below, then entering your email address and password on the next screen.

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Top Five Formative Assessment Strategies for Math Coaches and Supervisors

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The Top Five Formative Assessment Strategies for Math Coaches and Supervisors

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If you want to learn formative assessment strategies that can positively impact teacher performance and student achievement, then this webinar is right for you. We will highlight a range of practical tools for math coaches and supervisors to support the successful implementation of formative assessment with your teachers.

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mathematics formative assessment system (mfas). this system includes 230 formative assessment tasks for grades k-3

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2 professional development programs and 4 modules

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Mathematics Formative Assessment System (MFAS)

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Mathematics Formative Assessment System (MFAS). This system includes hundreds of formative assessment tasks for grades K-8, professional development programs and modules, and lesson study resource kits.

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Recently, Teaching Channel brought you into classrooms where teachers and students are using formative assessment to adjust ongoing teaching and learning strategies to improve student learning:

While these videos take a deep dive into formative assessment, we also want to provide you with some quick tips and resources. These are some of our favorites:

Try These Today

These strategies are so simple and easy to do, you could try them today.

Hand Signals: Quickly gauge student understanding with hand signals by asking students for a thumbs up, sideways, or down to indicate their level of understanding. Another popular hand signal is Fist to Five, where you ask students for a 1 to 5 rating of their understanding.

Four Corners: In four corners, you ask a question and students move to a labeled corner of the room in response. Once students are in their corner, you can either use it to get a sense of the class's understanding, or have the students stay in their corners for further discussion. While many teachers already use four corners for debates, by changing the type of question asked you can make this activity about assessment.

Exit Tickets: Exit Tickets are a great way to assess student learning. Students hand you a "ticket," which could be an answer to a question or a more complicated set of problems to complete. As a middle school teacher, I loved using quick writes as exit tickets. Before the end of a lesson, I would think about a concept that my students may have struggled with, ask a related question, and give them two to three minutes to answer it on an index card. Check out the first few minutes of Julie Manley's eighth grade classroom to see a quick write used as a pre-assessment.

Take notes! Note taking is a great way to keep track of student progress. You can take informal notes about common student misconceptions, great student thinking, or anything else you want to take into consideration. Keep it simple and use a notebook or a clipboard as Audra McPhillips does in her classroom, or try one of these note taking apps.

Try These Tomorrow

These formative assessment strategies are as easy to use as the ideas above, but they may take a little practice.

My Favorite No: Leah Alcala's My Favorite No Strategy is similar to an exit ticket, but you look at the student work in the moment and use your favorite "no" (wrong answer) to clear up misconceptions.

The Stoplight Method: This is a fun and effective way to collect data on student learning and instructional decisions. Students post what they learned (green light), their ideas and questions (yellow light), and if anything stopped their learning (red light).

Use Journals: Instead of you taking the notes on student thinking, get the students to write down their thoughts. Use journal time to take a quick glance at the writing - as well as check in with students - giving you a chance to adjust instruction as needed. Watch Math Journals: A Record for Students and Teachers to see how Ms. Lassiter uses them in her classroom.

Try These Next Week

There are so many awesome tech tools to use in the classroom. Here are some ideas for how technology can help with formative assessment.

Video: Normally thought of for flipping your classroom, video can be used to create pre and post assessments if you add questions about the concept. Students usually love watching video, and you'll be able to collect and analyze data. One free and fairly easy way to do this is with Google forms, where you can add YouTube videos. Here is a good list of other options to try.

Polling: Polling can be used to engage students while collecting data on student learning. While many teachers buy clickers, Sarah Brown Wessling embraces her students' cell phones by using Poll Everywhere for text message polling. ( Watch Sarah use Poll Everywhere with her students.) Or look for options that can be used on multiple platforms such as as Socrative, a tool Jim Sherred uses in his physics classroom.

Quizzing: If you really love interactive quizzes, take a look at Quia (Quintessential Instructional Archive), which provides a variety of tools, templates, feedback systems and shared activities and quizzes.

This list is certainly not exhaustive; a quick internet search will lead you to many resources on formative assessment. And, I'm sure you have a ton of ideas to share! Let's keep this list going - please add your great ideas in the comments section below.
Gretchen Vierstra taught middle school for ten years in the San Francisco Bay Area. During her 15+ years in education, she's also been a department chair, new teacher coach, curriculum developer, and policy analyst. She is an Education Content Manager at Teaching Channel.

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Recently, Teaching Channel brought you into classrooms where teachers and students are using formative assessment to adjust ongoing teaching and learning strategies to improve student learning: While these videos take a deep dive into formative assessment, we also want to provide you with some quick tips and resources.

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Check out what Formative can do for your classroom!