Assessment Tools and Systems: Meaningful Feedback Approaches to Promote Critical and Creative Thinking

Feedback matters for everyone committed to school improvement. Rather than tweaking flawed assessment tools, it is time to consider developing more meaningful feedback systems the impact the critical masses that make up the school community. Cultivating new assessment approaches for students, staff, as well as non-instructional staff, teacher-leaders, principals, superintendents, trustees and grant/philanthropic funders, can lead to remarkable change. The goal of learning for students should not be separate or secondary to performing well on standardized tests. Implementing feedback systems that engage and prompt critical and creative thinking should matter more in today’s schools. Assessment tools that explicitly align with expectations not only create a fair playing field, but they can enhance deep learning. Assessment Tools and Systems: Meaningful Feedback Approaches to Promote Critical and Creative Thinking presents a comprehensive compilation of constructive assessment choices grounded in educational research that emerged through 60 years of experiences as a student, teacher, principal, teacher educator, consultant, school founder, school trustee and educational philanthropist.