What Is Formative Assessment?

Ask five teachers what formative assessment is and you’re likely to get five different explanations. Confusion abounds around this teaching technique even though it’s widely used in classrooms nationwide. To bring some clarity to the topic, Education Week Associate Editor Catherine Gewertz interviews Meghan Pazmino, a math coach at Ross Elementary School in Washington, who explains what formative assessment is and how it differs from interim or summative assessments. Want more stories about schools across the nation, including the latest news and unique perspectives on education issues? Visit www.edweek.org. About Education Week: Education Week is America’s most trusted source of independent K-12 education news, analysis, and opinion. Our work serves to raise the level of understanding and discourse about education among school and district leaders, policymakers, researchers, teachers, and the public. Published by the nonprofit organization Editorial Projects in Education, Education Week has been providing award-winning coverage of the field for over 35 years. Follow Education Week: To license video footage from Editorial Projects in Education please contact the Education Week Library at library@epe.org.