Feb 3, 2026 · 21 min · 9 segments
Have you ever been shocked when your students bomb a unit test after weeks of seemingly locked-in learning? Veteran educator Jay McTighe has the ultimate research-backed solution: formative…
One, formative assessment is an ongoing process of checking for students' understanding, giving feedback and adjusting your teaching.
Jay recommends checking for understanding every time you teach something new or approximately every other class.
There's no fixed rule and as with anything in your classroom, it's important to keep things sustainable.
Two, make sure you're choosing techniques that work well for your students and your content.
For example, a concept map might be a great way to check what students have learned at the end of a unit in a science class because that content is based on hierarchy.
And at the end of a unit, students are ready to make connections among concepts they've learned.
For a language arts class, another check-in like a Socratic seminar might be a better fit.
And three, don't forget about the feedback part of the formative assessment cycle.
That's the second step that helps students understand where they're at with their learning.
And Jay suggested four rules to guide you when you're giving feedback to students.
Be specific, be timely, be understandable to the learner, aka the VAGU rule, and be actionable.
We covered three of his strategies here, but there are five others that you should definitely check out.
We also want to thank Vicki Davis and Tyler Rablin for sharing their formative assessment strategies.
She also hosts her own podcast and a show for teachers that airs on radio and TV.
And Tyler is a former high school ELA teacher who is now an instructional coach, consultant, and author.
One, formative assessment is an ongoing process of checking for students' understanding, giving feedback and adjusting your teaching.
Jay recommends checking for understanding every time you teach something new or approximately every other class.
There's no fixed rule and as with anything in your classroom, it's important to keep things sustainable.
Two, make sure you're choosing techniques that work well for your students and your content.
For example, a concept map might be a great way to check what students have learned at the end of a unit in a science class because that content is based on hierarchy.
And at the end of a unit, students are ready to make connections among concepts they've learned.
For a language arts class, another check-in like a Socratic seminar might be a better fit.
And three, don't forget about the feedback part of the formative assessment cycle.
That's the second step that helps students understand where they're at with their learning.
And Jay suggested four rules to guide you when you're giving feedback to students.
Be specific, be timely, be understandable to the learner, aka the VAGU rule, and be actionable.
We covered three of his strategies here, but there are five others that you should definitely check out.
We also want to thank Vicki Davis and Tyler Rablin for sharing their formative assessment strategies.
She also hosts her own podcast and a show for teachers that airs on radio and TV.
And Tyler is a former high school ELA teacher who is now an instructional coach, consultant, and author.
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3 of 9
Four Rules for Better Feedback
Effective feedback gives students a path forward.
Stop Grading Formative Assessments
Should classroom checks ever count toward grades?
The Wagyu Feedback Mistake
Even simple teacher comments can confuse students.
+6 more clips · 6 min 17 sec of audio in all
7 of 20
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