Nancy Gerzon

Overview

Nancy Gerzon is a national expert in formative assessment implementation, an instructional approach that supports teachers in developing their students’ knowledge and capacity to independently monitor their learning during daily lessons. Since 2004, when Gerzon led one of the first large-scale formative assessment implementation projects the United States, she has been at the forefront of the development of innovative, scalable professional learning to advance teacher and leader learning that leads to significant changes in the student role. 

As the Formative Insights Team Program Manager, Gerzon leads WestEd’s nationwide portfolio of projects in formative assessment, with programs designed to reenergize and empower teachers and school leaders. Key to the team’s success is their approach to listening and responding to teacher and student feedback and providing knowledge and tools that improve learning culture, increase student motivation, strengthen academic identities, and enhance the student role in learning. 

The online courses her team has developed have been used widely in over 15 states, reaching educators in over 300 school districts. A 2022 study by the Regional Education Lab West examined teacher and student practices at districts that had implemented WestEd’s formative assessment courses. The study found that when teachers used formative assessment, their students had greater use of self-regulation skills, such as setting goals, conducting self-assessment, and self-monitoring their learning. 

For the past 24 years at WestEd, Gerzon has led initiatives that blend her knowledge and experience in systems change, continuous improvement, professional learning design, and organizational development to inform strategies to guide educational change and dramatic shifts in the student role. She is committed to strengthening district, school, and classroom practices so that the skills of learning (i.e., how to set goals, self-assess, and monitor learning) are integrated into daily academic learning.  

Education

• MA in human resources and organizational change, Rivier University 
• BA in psychology, Stony Brook University 

Select Publications

Gerzon, N., & Kaminsky, C. (2024, in press). Unlocking how students learn to learn: Reshaping instruction to foster learner agency. Childhood Education Innovations. 

Browning, A., Caminsky, C., & Gerzon, N. (2022). Moving toward instructional coherence: How four popular student-centered approaches deepen Identity, agency, equity and community. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/moving-toward-instructional-coherence-student-centered-approaches-deepen-identity-agency-equity-community/ 

Gerzon, N., & Jones, B. (2021). The student role in formative assessment: Self-assessment, peer feedback and discourse. The Center for Standards, Assessment and Accountability at WestEd. https://csaa.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-Student-Role-in-Advanced-Formative-Assessment-Practice.pdf 

Gerzon, N., & Jones, B. (2020). Lessons learned about leading the implementation of formative assessment: A framework for school leaders and leadership teams. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/leading-the-implementation-of-formative-assessment/ 

Gerzon, N., & Jones, B. (2020, July). Leading formative assessment in Dallas: Toward student agency and academic achievement. WestEd.

Gerzon, N. (2015). Structuring professional learning to develop a culture of data use: Aligning knowledge from the field and research findings. Teachers College Record, 117(4), 1–28. 

Gerzon, N., & Guckenburg, S. (2015). Toolkit for a workshop on building a culture of data use. REL 2015-063. Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands. 

Gleason, S. C., & Gerzon, N. (2013). Growing into equity: Professional learning and personalization in high-achieving schools. Corwin Press. 

Trumball, E., & Gerzon, N. (2013). Professional development on formative assessment: Insights from research and practice. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/professional-development-on-formative-assessment-insights-from-research-and-practice/ 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Formative Insights was selected by HundrEd, in partnership with the Jacobs Foundation, as one of 14 top innovations leading advances in formative assessment. WestEd’s program was one of only three U.S. programs selected for the international spotlight in 2022.