Effective implementation of the multi-step instructional process of formative assessment shifts the focus of students to their own learning by making them more responsible for it and by using grading practices that encourage learning rather than inhibiting it. Administrators have important roles to play by supporting professional development in formative assessment, by improving school grading policies, and by using student growth data appropriately in teacher evaluations. Parent orientations by teachers should focus more on their instructional approaches and expectations of students in terms of learning, and not just on the percentages different graded pieces of student work count toward course grades.
