Use assessment as a powerful tool to inform instruction and learning! With practical, informed assessment techniques, you can increase your instructional effectiveness and demonstrate improvements in student learning. This research-based book, part of the In A Nutshell series, provides a succinct yet substantive discussion about formative assessments and how they impact the teaching/learning cycle. The authors present results-oriented methods, offer invaluable tips, and examine three types of inFormative assessments: - Routine inFormative Assessments to weave into everyday instruction - Reflective inFormative Assessments to foster self-assessment for students and teachers - Rigorous inFormative Assessments to provide continuous tools that inform teaching practices and student learning