Maksimize Learning · Book study
The Formative Assessment Action Plan
Book author(s): Nancy Frey & Douglas Fisher
"The Formative Assessment Action Plan" By Nancy Frey, PhD and Doug Fisher, PhD Thank you for joining this professional learning experience. This study plan follows the six chapters of The Formative Assessment Action Plan by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher. Each chapter explores how teachers can design and implement formative assessment practices that guide instruction, improve student learning, and build a culture of continuous feedback. Participants are encouraged to engage with the book as part of this experience. You may borrow a copy, access it in a way that works for you, or participate fully through the reflection prompts and application activities provided here. Engagement with the ideas—and thoughtful reflection on your instructional context—is what matters most. This professional learning experience centers on the idea that formative assessment is not a single event but a system of practices that helps teachers and students continuously monitor progress toward learning goals. Through clear goals, checks for understanding, meaningful feedback, and opportunities for reflection and next steps, educators can create classrooms where assessment actively supports learning rather than simply measuring it. As you move through each chapter, record insights, identify questions or tensions, and reflect on how these ideas connect to your own classroom practices. Dialogue with colleagues is encouraged as a way to deepen understanding and explore practical ways to strengthen formative assessment practices. Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can support you in any way to help you get the most out of this book study experience. I'm excited to collaborate and make this journey both meaningful and enriching for you! MikeMaksimchuk [email protected] (231) 225-5060
How This Book Study Will Work
- Make a Copy of the Reflection Journal Access the provided reflection journal and make a personal copy. Use this document to guide your thinking and responses as you progress through each chapter.
- Share Your Document for Feedback Share your completed reflection journal with me. After each chapter, create a comment and “assign” it to me. This will notify me to review your work and ensure proper documentation for SCECHs.
- Respond to Reflection Questions Thoughtfully answer the reflection prompts for each chapter based on your reading and experiences.
- Complete One Application Activity Per Chapter Choose one application activity from the list that best fits your current role or instructional context. If none are a strong fit, please reach out to collaborate on an alternative activity that meets your needs.
- Provide Artifacts and Reflections For each application activity, include links to relevant artifacts (e.g., documents, images, videos). Additionally, write a brief reflection describing:
- What you did or created
- What you experienced or learned
- How this influenced your thinking or practice
- Any changes you might make in the future based on this experience
- SCECH Scale
- Read Chapter - 30 minutes
- Chapter Reflection - 15 minutes
- Chapter Application Activity - 30 minutes
- Maximum SCECHs Possible: 7.5
Chapter 1: Creating a Formative Assessment System
Big Idea
Formative assessment works best when it is implemented as a coherent system that continuously gathers evidence of student learning and informs instructional decisions.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on how formative assessment currently functions in your classroom. Is it primarily used to monitor progress, adjust instruction, or evaluate learning outcomes?
- What evidence do you typically collect to determine whether students are learning during a lesson or unit?
- Consider how formative assessment practices in your classroom are structured. Do they occur consistently throughout instruction or mainly at the end of lessons?
- What barriers or challenges make it difficult to implement formative assessment as a continuous instructional practice?
Application Activities
- Assessment Mapping: Identify where formative assessment currently occurs within a unit or lesson sequence.
- Evidence Collection Plan: Design a plan for gathering evidence of student understanding during different stages of instruction.
- Collaborative Discussion: Work with colleagues to identify strategies that support consistent formative assessment practices.
Chapter 2: Feed-Up: Where Am I Going?
Big Idea
Students learn more effectively when they clearly understand the learning goals and success criteria that guide their work.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on how learning goals are currently communicated in your classroom. How clearly do students understand what they are expected to learn?
- Think about a recent lesson or unit. How did the learning goals shape instructional decisions and assessment tasks?
- How might unclear learning goals affect student engagement or understanding?
- What strategies might help students take greater ownership of the learning goals?
Application Activities
- Goal Clarification: Rewrite a learning objective in student-friendly language.
- Success Criteria Development: Develop clear success criteria that describe what mastery of the learning goal looks like.
- Student Reflection: Ask students to explain the learning goal and how they know when they have achieved it.
Chapter 3: Checking for Understanding: Where Am I Now?
Big Idea
Frequent checks for understanding allow teachers and students to identify learning progress and misconceptions during instruction.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on the strategies you currently use to check for understanding during lessons. How effectively do they reveal student thinking?
- Think about a time when a misconception became apparent later in the learning process. How might earlier checks for understanding have prevented that situation?
- What strategies could help ensure that all students participate in checks for understanding?
- How might quick formative assessment strategies help you adjust instruction more effectively?
Application Activities
- Exit Ticket: Implement a brief exit ticket to assess understanding at the end of a lesson.
- Participation Strategy: Use mini whiteboards, digital polls, or think-pair-share to quickly assess understanding.
- Instructional Adjustment: Modify a lesson based on evidence gathered during a check-for-understanding activity.
Chapter 4: Feedback: How Am I Doing?
Big Idea
Effective feedback provides students with clear information about their progress and helps them understand how to improve.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on the types of feedback you typically provide to students. How specific and actionable is that feedback?
- Think about how students respond to feedback. Do they use it to improve their work, or do they move on to the next assignment?
- How might feedback practices influence student motivation and confidence?
- What strategies might help students engage more actively with feedback?
Application Activities
- Focused Feedback: Provide feedback that addresses one or two specific learning goals.
- Peer Feedback: Implement structured peer review using clear criteria.
- Feedback Reflection: Ask students to write a brief response explaining how they will apply feedback.
Chapter 5: Feed-Forward: Where Am I Going Next?
Big Idea
Feed-forward strategies help students apply feedback and plan their next steps for improvement.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on how students currently use feedback to guide their next steps in learning.
- Think about how often students revise work after receiving feedback. What structures support or limit revision opportunities?
- How might feed-forward practices help students develop stronger learning habits?
- What strategies might help students identify their own next steps for improvement?
Application Activities
- Revision Opportunity: Allow students to revise work after feedback.
- Goal Setting: Ask students to set learning goals based on feedback received.
- Progress Monitoring: Have students track their learning progress across multiple assignments.
Chapter 6: Building a Formative Assessment System
Big Idea
A strong formative assessment system integrates learning goals, checks for understanding, feedback, and next steps into everyday teaching practices.
Reflection Questions
- Reflect on the formative assessment practices you have explored throughout this book study. Which strategies appear most promising for your classroom?
- How might the different elements of formative assessment (feed-up, checking for understanding, feedback, and feed-forward) work together in your instruction?
- What challenges might arise when implementing a more comprehensive formative assessment system?
- What supports or resources might help sustain formative assessment practices in your classroom or school?
Application Activities
- System Design: Develop a plan that integrates formative assessment strategies across a unit of instruction.
- PLC Collaboration: Share your formative assessment plan with colleagues and gather feedback.
- Instructional Reflection: Implement a formative assessment strategy and reflect on its impact on student learning. 🏁 Final Reflection & Action Plan
Final Reflection and Action Plan
Synthesis
Formative assessment is most powerful when it is embedded within everyday teaching and learning practices. By clearly communicating learning goals, regularly checking for understanding, providing meaningful feedback, and helping students identify next steps, teachers create classrooms where assessment supports continuous growth. When students understand where they are going, where they are now, and how to move forward, assessment becomes a process that strengthens both learning and motivation.
Personal Reflection and Action Plan
- What are my three most important takeaways from this book study?
- Which formative assessment practices already align with my teaching?
- Which strategies represent the greatest opportunity for improvement?
- What specific change will I implement in my formative assessment practices?
- What evidence will show that this change is improving student learning?
- Who will support or hold me accountable for implementing this change?
- What is my timeline for implementing and reviewing this change?
Next Steps
Participants are encouraged to develop a brief Formative Assessment Commitment Statement outlining the practices they will implement to strengthen formative assessment in their classrooms.