Now more than ever, we’re aware of the importance of connection and learning together. In this spirit, we have designed new Formative Assessment Virtual Summer Institutes that will deliver unique and dynamic professional learning opportunities for teachers, coaches, and school and district leaders who are seeking to deepen their use of formative assessment to empower students to monitor and direct their own learning.
The Formative Assessment Summer Institutes will examine how evidence-based formative practices help teachers shift away from traditional instructional models toward more equitable practices that promote shared responsibility for learning between students and instructors. Drawing upon the learnings of expert teachers and leaders, all participants will gain a deeper understanding of ideas and concepts about formative assessment and how to apply them through instructional practices.
This year, the virtual Formative Assessment Summer Institutes will offer two tracks: Introductory and Advanced, explained in more detail below.
What You Will Learn
The Introductory Institute is ideal for teachers, coaches, and leaders who are new to formative assessment, having practiced or led this work for a year or less.
Participants will learn how to:
- Elicit and use evidence during learning
- Develop learning partnerships with students
- Plan and get feedback on lessons that include core formative assessment practices to guide both in-class and virtual lessons
- Integrate the roles of leaders, coaches, and teachers that nurture student agency and build collaborative learning environments
The Advanced Institute is ideal for teachers, coaches, and leaders who, for a year or more, have practiced or led formative assessment as a process focused on ongoing evidence collection by teachers and students during the course of instruction.
Participants will learn how to:
- Engage in experiential and interactive learning to explore how to support and structure student metacognition through deepening student formative assessment practices
- Explore practices such as extending thinking during discourse, student-led questioning, and peer feedback
- Self-select an area of focus to deepen expertise: leading professional learning, creating a vision for the student role in learning, using formative assessment in virtual learning, or developing effective model classrooms to support deepening formative assessment implementation at their sites
- Build community and develop a network of peers to provide support for one another in implementing formative assessment practice across schools and districts
Who Should Attend?
Districts and schools are encouraged to send teams of educators, including:
- Teachers
- Instructional Coaches
- School and District Leaders
Dates & Times
July 13–16, 2020
Format: We will host daily sessions over the course of four days for 2.5 hours through Zoom.
Track 1: Introductory Formative Assessment Institute
11:00 am – 1:30 pm ET / 8:00 am – 10:30 am PT
Track 2: Advanced Formative Assessment Institute
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm ET / 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm PT
Institute Fees:
Registration: $200
Team discount: A 10% group discount is available for teams of three or more that register at the same time.
For more information, please contact Barbara Jones at [email protected].
Participant Feedback
“What’s different about formative assessment? We’ve learned that our students can own the work. That they want to own the work. The one through-line you will see in every formative assessment classroom is that we are using formative assessment every day to create student agency, so that our students own the learning.”
– High School Teacher, Tulsa, OK
“I think the most surprising thing about formative assessment for my own instruction has been just how much more I am able to learn from it — how much more I know my students, and how much it informs my practice. I am also amazed at how much the students are using formative assessment themselves. They are more aware of their own misconceptions and of their own understanding… They are pushing themselves further than I could do on my own.”
– Elementary School Teacher, Fountaindale Elementary School
“Initially, I still saw [formative assessment] as teachers being completely responsible for learning and handing out the ‘Yes, you can do this’ or ‘No, you can’t’ message to students. And I didn’t recognize what a big impact it would have on students and the shared responsibility for [learning] and how much kids love that.”
– Molly Stewart, Principal, West Side Elementary School
“The most important considerations for leaders who are introducing formative assessment to staff? Encourage risk-taking, offer support, provide opportunities for collaboration, and build a culture where teachers can challenge each other’s thinking. And be willing to learn along the way.”
– Megan Dodd, Principal, Fountaindale Elementary School