ABSTRACT
Moss and Brookhart used the metaphor of a windmill to visualize the formative assessment process and its effects. It is important for educational leaders to understand this process and to be able to effectively communicate to teachers that ongoing assessment and adjustment are integral to improving student performance. Teachers can incorporate a host of activities to check for understanding and to help students self-monitor their progress. Often these activities are broken into two categories: pre-assessment and ongoing assessment. Pre-assessment strategies can be informal or formal measures. The work frequently begins with the creation of a Common Formative Assessment (CFA). A CFA, which is an assessment or set of assessment items created collaboratively by a team of teachers responsible for the same grade or course, can be utilized for a variety of reasons. Research supports the work of building administrators engaging in periodic, short, focused, individual conversations with a teacher.
