Formative assessment strategies.

Some ideas for techniques to integrate formative assessment into your classroom:

1. Quick Writes: Give students two or three minutes to write about what they heard or learned in class.
2. 3-2-1: Jot down three ideas, two examples of uses of the idea, and one unresolved question.
3. Muddiest Point: Student disclose the least clear or "muddiest point" in the lesson.
4. Quick Check: Use whiteboards or index cards to have ALL students write down answers. Have students hold up answers all at once to gauge understanding.
5. Idea Wave: Have students list three to five ideas, then go down the line like a "wave" at sporting games and collect ideas until you have enough to work with.
6. Tickets: Ask a specific question about the lesson. Have students respond and give the response before they leave class or before they enter class the next time.

Source: AFT's Educational Issues Department: American Educator, Vol. 37, No. 3.