Classroom formative assessments are created by individual teachers and given daily or after lessons to provide feedback on student comprehension and progress. The results are used to determine next steps for reteaching or regrouping students. Common formative assessments are created by teacher teams and given quarterly to analyze instructional strategies and collaboratively plan program-wide improvements. They assess mastery of essential standards and allow comparison of student results to identify best practices.

1. Formative Assessments
Classroom Formative Vs. Common Formative
Adapted from Dufour, Solution Tree
Teachers use on–going formative assessments to provide feedback to students about their progress and to guide the
teachers decisions on instruction and next steps.
Classroom Formative Common Formative
Assessments Assessments
The assessment is created or the individual teacher. a collaborative team of teachers.
chosen by…
The assessment is given to daily or after each lesson. two to three times per quarter.
students…
The assessment provides describes the student’s comprehension of helps teachers or teams of teachers to
feedback that… the lesson and informs students of their analyze and improve their instructional
progress. strategies.
The assessment results are determine what to re-teach and/or how to collaboratively plan and implement
used by the teacher(s) to… re-group students and to guide decisions program-wide instructional improvement.
about next steps in the learning process
The assessment data is to describe each individual student’s to compare students’ results and identify
used… attainment of skill. best practices.
The assessment shows mastery of the lesson objectives. mastery of the essential standards.
whether or not the student
demonstrates…
Translated into easy-to-use- language by: Michelle Walker-Wade and colleagues K Barroso and K Burnett – Sep 2011

2. Formative Assessments
Classroom Formative Vs. Common Formative
Adapted from Dufour, Solution Tree
Classroom Formative Common Formative
Assessments Assessments
The assessment is created
or chosen by…
The assessment is given
to students…
The assessment provides
feedback that…
The assessment results
are used by the teacher(s)
to…
The assessment data is
used…
The assessment shows
whether or not the student
demonstrates…
Teachers use on– going formative assessments to provide feedback to students about their
progress and to guide decisions on instruction and next steps.

3. the individual
teacher.

4. daily or after
each lesson.

5. describes the student’s
comprehension of the
lesson and informs
students of their
progress.

6. determine what to re-teach
and/or how to re-group
students and to guide
decisions about next steps
in the learning process

7. to describe each
individual
student’s
attainment of skill.

8. mastery of the
lesson
objectives.

9. a collaborative
team of
teachers.

10. two to three
times per
quarter.

11. helps teachers or
teams of teachers to
analyze and improve
their instructional
strategies.

12. collaboratively plan
and implement
program-wide
instructional
improvement.

13. to compare
students’ results
and identify best
practices.

14. mastery of the
essential
standards.