Chapters International

Using assessments to improve student learning involves more than simply regular “formative” assessments. It requires teachers to make well-designed assessments an integral part of the instructional process. This program describes how teachers can gather useful information on students’ performance, offer effective feedback to guide improvements in teaching and learning, and then accurately document students’ learning progress. Participants will learn how to use classroom assessments as effective learning tools, how to integrate performance assessments with more traditional assessment methods, how to avoid classic mistakes with “redo” or “re-assessment” policies, and how to better meet the needs of diverse learners.

Part 1. Building a Foundation for Success
This session will focus on establishing assessment priorities, using assessments as learning tools that inform improvements in teaching and learning, and the effective use of both traditional and alternative assessment formats.

Part 2. Aligning Assessment with Learning Goals
This session will address when and when not to use pre-assessments, ensuring the alignment of assessments with learning goals, the necessary conditions for student motivation, and the foundational elements of mastery learning.

Thomas Guskey

Thomas Guskey is professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. He began his career as a middle school teacher and school administrator in Chicago Public Schools. He later became the first director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center.

Guskey served on the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future and the task force to develop National Standards for Staff Development, has been named a fellow in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and was awarded AERA's prestigious Relating Research to Practice Award. He was also named the 2010 Jason Millman Scholar by the Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teaching Effectiveness (CREATE). He is author or editor of 24 books and more than 250 book chapters and articles.