If you're at all skeptical that "formative assessment" is just another buzzword, then here's a book that will change the way you think about the role that formative assessment can play in transforming education into a more powerful and positive process. Renowned expert W. James Popham clarifies what formative assessment really is, why it's right for your school or classroom, and how to use this approach to improve teaching, learning, classroom climate, teacher professional development, and school performance. Here's a book that finally explains: (1) What gives formative assessment the unique ability to transform the way you teach and the way students learn; (2) Why true formative assessment is about adjusting instructional decisions; and (3) How formative assessments fit into a sequence of learning progressions. Get step-by-step guidance in how to use four levels of formative assessment to: (1) Help you find out what students are and are not learning and use those discoveries to change your instruction; (2) Give students performance data that helps them adjust their learning tactics; (3) Change classroom climate from grade competition to student-teacher collaboration on reaching specific learning goals; and (4) Build schoolwide learning communities that promote teacher professional development. Whether you're already using formative assessments, just considering them, or wondering why the ones you're using aren't working, this foundational guide gives you a clear pathway and steps to using formative assessments the right way.