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The findings of this research essentially indicate
that formative assessment strategies, when engaged
regularly and properly, are effective in informing
teaching practice. Furthermore, the findings
suggest that teachers who regularly collaborate
about their practice are more effective and more
likely to attempt new formative assessment
strategies in their practice. This collaboration,
within a supportive professional learning community,
affords the practice of a more guaranteed and viable
curricular experience for students as well as
reflective and improved pedagogy among the teachers
engaged in the study. Similar to the practice of
jazz musicians who collaborate in an environment
where mentoring of younger musicians helps to
nurture improvisational skills, we attempted to use
collaboration as a vehicle to nurture our practice
of formative assessment and our pedagogy as
teachers.
About the author
Dr. Todd A. Beach has been teaching for over 20 years at the middle school and high school level. He has done extensive research and practice in the field of formative assessment as well as teaching and learning for the 21st Century. Dr. Beach resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and two children.
