Five Elements for Assessment Design and Use to Support Student Autonomy

This paper synthesizes recent research on formative assessment to elucidate its core components, then examines some new approaches currently being tried in schools. It considers the evidence for them, as well as the questions and issues they continue to raise, and takes a look at the challenges schools and school systems face in implementing both new approaches and more established models of formative assessment.

By assessing a broader set of outcomes, including deeper content understanding and critical thinking, school districts and states can have a better sense of school quality and what can be done to improve learning and instruction.

Virginia, California, and Texas are activating promising ideas, practices, and policies with an emphasis on developing new systems of assessment that focus on local participation in design and development. Taken together, these states' efforts offer important early lessons and guideposts for other states.