Formative Assessment for Improving Native American Student Learning and Language Development

CRESST, as part of CSAI, has created a professional learning series on formative assessment for Native American learning and language development. This series addresses formative assessment implementation with Native students across content areas and focuses more specifically on bringing formative assessment into Native American language classrooms.

Students’ levels of prior knowledge and language development in English and their Native language vary greatly from one to another. It is important that instructors know where each student is on their learning pathway, and then target instructional experiences that are matched to their levels. With formative assessment, teachers have the tools to do this work. It is only in connecting with students where they are on the pathway, that they are able to progress towards meeting their Learning Goals.

Each professional learning module is made up of series of short videos about the different formative assessment elements intended to support teachers’ learning and application of formative assessment. These videos include practical examples from Native language classrooms. The module sections also include handouts to support formative assessment implementation and reflection, classroom video examples, and related articles. The modules can be utilized by individual learners and among professional learning communities.


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