Formative Assessments – Part of ATI’s Comprehensive Assessment System – on exhibit during March in Arizona, Missouri, and Washington

The Common Core State Standards initiative set by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) was created to develop - in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts - a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and for the workforce.

The goal of preparing our children for success in college and in the workforce can be most easily achieved when valid and reliable information is used to inform education decisions. These decisions greatly influence the learning opportunities made available to our children. The reliable data we so heavily rely on can come from a complete standards-based comprehensive assessment system. Many types of assessments make up a comprehensive assessment system, one of which is formative assessment.

Formative assessments, like benchmarks, are designed to provide information to guide instruction. They may include minute-by-minute teaching adjustments based on assessments that are a part of the instructional process. They may also include quizzes designed to measure the mastery of standards currently targeted for instruction in the classroom. Or they may even include short, common assessments directed at specific standards selected for instruction in a large-scale intervention. The bottom line: Formative assessments can provide the data you are looking for when making decisions to inform instruction.

There are a number of ways to learn first-hand about the ways formative assessments can provide the data you need. You can visit the Assessment Technology Incorporated website, participate in an online demonstration by visiting the site or by calling 1.877.442.5453, or you can visit us at any one of many events during the year. The next few events ATI will be attending are the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) Annual Spring Conference March 12 through the 14 at the Tan-Tar-A-Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri; the Microcomputers in Education (MEC) 2011 Conference March 14 through the 16 at the Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona; or the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) March 14 and 15 at the Wenatchee Convention Center in Wenatchee, Washington.

We look forward to communicating with you online, over the phone, or at an upcoming event.