Formative Assessment in Practice

the long version

In her book, Margaret Heritage presents a practical guide to formative assessment as a process of "inquiry and action" essential to twenty-first century learning. Heritage's approach is distinctive in that it is grounded in a "children's rights" framework--that is, the belief that assessment should be in the best interest of all students, that students should be involved in the decisions that ensue from assessment use, and that opportunities to learn, progress, and succeed will be available to all children equally. Accordingly, she addresses the students' own role in learning about themselves as learners and examines the classroom as a community of practice. The book also includes chapters on learning progressions and the policy contexts that support formative assessment.