I'm not going to lie - as aesthetically pleasing as my weekly assessments are, they are quite laborious to create. I have to frontload the first five weeks of skill-based instruction (to ensure that students are set up for success for the remainder of the year). Occasionally, a knowledge gap presents itself that I didn't anticipate, and I need to pivot my assessment strategy - it isn't fair to assess students on something that they aren't ready to be assessed on. Using low-prep/high-impact assessments can afford me the flexibility to respond to issues in real time; the quick implementation ensures that no precious instructional time is lost, and the assessment applies to a real-time issue that students are actively working through in the rehearsal process. The immediacy of this type of assessment lets me know whether I'm good to move on to the next portion of the instructional sequence.

I'm hoping that this PD opportunity will help me become more flexible and adaptable, as I work to find more opportunities to center students in the learning process.

I also think it benefits students by being a low stakes assessment. Most times formative assessments are not taken for grades and that can take the pressure off students to feel the need for perfection and they can just perform and share what they know. Also, if the assessment is gameified, it often taps into students' competitive nature and then they are more engaged and willing to participate in the activity.

Teachers benefit from these fast and effective assessments by gaining an understanding of whether their students are grasping what they are learning. If they are, the lesson can move forward, and if they are not, the teacher knows what topics need to be covered again in greater detail. As others have mentioned, preparing and implementing these assessments does not take a lot of time at all, so they can be used without missing very much class time. I have had lots of good experiences with online tools like GimKit, Quizizz, and Kahoot!, as well as more traditional methods of assessment like having students write a paragraph on or draw a diagram of a topic that we covered in class that day.

For students, it provides immediate feedback on what they know and what they don't, or thought they understood. It would be terrible for a student to realize they didn't understand a concept when there is a Summative Assessment. Students can seek extra help for concepts they don't understand, or if they do, maybe it will provide confidence so they can participate more in class or help classmates as well.

Using the released questions allows me adjust instruction and use questions from other grade levels as appropriate. I use these questions as review and exit tickets. My students enjoy working a vertical whiteboards which allows me to quickly assess understanding of the skills.

There are some online assessments that are helpful. I find they have to be used with caution as students may just pick answers (multiple choice) which makes it difficult to determine if there is an understanding of the skills and concepts. Years ago I used Castle Learning as a cumulative review. Unfortunately we do not have that program any longer. I am always on the look out for a good online assessment as I do think there are benefits for students in terms of immediate feedback.

Students can also benefit from some of these low prep formative assessments. Throughout a given unit I will have some Gimkits or Blookets made for students to play. While they think they are playing a game, which they enjoy, it allows me to see who is understanding the topic and who is still struggling.

As shown in the video, formative assessment is all about adjusting teaching and learning in the moment. These types of assessments fit perfectly into that cycle ... especially when we use them to see what students are thinking as they work and take action based on that evidence.

The infographic highlights that these assessments require minimal setup and align directly with learning goals. That makes them easy to fit into daily routines without taking away from instructional time. They’re also flexible and student driven, encouraging self reflection and peer collaboration, which helps my students take more ownership of their learning. Most importantly, they help me identify misconceptions early and adjust instruction right away, so no one falls behind.

The infographic is super helpful because it provides 6 key characteristics of low-prep high impact assessments. My takeaway from this is that that are clear, quick, immediate, flexible, and student driven. I will certainly use this reference when thinking about formative assessments with my students.

For students these forms of assessment are great for providing quick feedback and adjustments to learning. Students become responsible for being engaged, and checking for their own understanding. I think the biggest benefit for students is the lack of terms like "quiz" or "test" that a longer, formative assessment has. These assessments can often induce stress and Be doing a low prep assessment like a Blookit or Kahoot engages students in an assessment while "playing" a game.

From the teacher perspective, these assessments are designed to be quick to implement and require minimal setup. That alone makes them easy to integrate without disrupting the flow of instruction or adding hours of prep. More importantly, they provide immediate feedback and clear, focused insights that directly inform my next steps. I’ve always appreciated tools that let me respond in real time to what students need, and these strategies are flexible and adaptable enough to work across different content areas and class dynamics.

For students, the benefits go deeper than just checking for understanding. These assessments are student-driven, encouraging reflection, self-assessment, peer collaboration, and a sense of ownership over their learning. I like that they push students beyond rote memorization and into higher-order thinking—analyzing, applying, and synthesizing ideas. When assessments are built into the learning process like this, students feel more involved, less anxious, and more motivated to engage with the content.

I like the data driven feedback for the students, so they are able to gauge their learning and see their own progress. This will assist them in making goals and tracking their progress. Since this is a life skill as much as it is a career skill I really value this.

My students feel less pressure when I utilize this form of assessment because the stakes feel lower due to the amount of information being assessed and the frequency at which I assess in this manner. They know that there is room for error, quick feedback, and reflection/reprocessing when they have these more informal assessments.

These on the go reflections not only benefit the student to recieve quick feedback but it can also provide a boost in confidence when they are assessed in their core academic classrooms.