Chittenden Central Supervisory Union

Formative Assessment

Assessment for Learning

"The purpose of formative assessment is to provide feedback to teachers and students during the course of learning about the gap between students' current and desired performance so that action can be taken to close the gap."

                                                            Margaret Heritage, UCLA

Chittenden Central Supervisory Union recognizes the critical importance of formative assessment in ensuring that all students make continuous progress in reaching and exceeding standards. By placing an emphasis on formative assessment, or assessment for learning, CCSU works to promote classroom practices in on-going monitoring of student learning by gathering evidence of understanding and misunderstanding on concepts, content, and skills. Providing continual feedback to learners enables both students and teachers to work together to close gaps between current learning and established learning intentions.

During the 2008-2009 school year, two CCSU schools (Summit Street School and Thomas Fleming) are participating in Vermont's Formative Assessment Project. In Vermont, formative assessment is defined as the gathering of evidence of learning in the classroom to guide instruction and adapt teaching to meet student learning needs. The purpose of the Formative Assessment Project (FAP) is to develop greater capacity for teachers to frequently monitor the learning of all students and adjust instruction to better meet their needs. The Formative Assessment Project, coordinated by Ken Remsen, uses the Educational Testing Service's, Keeping Learning on Track (KLT) Program along with the formation of small sustainable teacher learning communities (TLCs) in which participants learn and refine the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement and sustain formative assessment practices in their classrooms.