Episode 2: Amplifying Student Agency with Formative Assessment
“At the heart of formative assessment is a belief in the students and the communities that we partner with and their ability as a system to learn and grow. This idea that learning is for all of us is something that’s central to our belief system. That learning is something that we share as humanity — a desire to learn, a desire to grow, and a desire to learn from one another.”
In this episode, Nancy Gerzon, Franchesca Warren, and Cali Kaminsky, all experts with WestEd’s Formative Insights, discuss how schools and districts can amplify student agency and identity through formative assessment policies and practices.
Nancy Gerzon is Project Director for WestEd’s Formative Insights team. She has been at the forefront of developing scalable approaches to teacher-led learning and formative assessment. Professional Learning Specialist Franchesca Warren leads work that builds teacher and student capacity for strategic impact and increased agency. Senior Program Associate Cali Kaminsky supports large-scale projects that grow teacher and leader agency through formative assessment.
With host Danny Torres, they explore:
- What is formative assessment and how it relates to student agency
- The research behind formative assessment policies and practices
- How formative assessment looks in the classroom
- The importance of diversity of thought in the learning process
- Implementation barriers
- The crucial role of education leaders
- The importance of culturally responsive and sustainable education
Learn more about WestEd’s Formative Insights services.
Supporting Resources for This Episode
- Formative Insights Website and Video Collection
- Ambitious Teaching and Equitable Assessment: A Vision for Prioritizing Learning, Not Testing
By Lorrie A. Shepard (American Educator, Fall 2021) - Defining Formative Assessment (Brief)
- The Power of Evidence Use in Formative Assessment (Brief)
- Amplifying Student Agency Through Formative Assessment (Blog)
- Digital Learning Modules and Courses (Online Resource)
- Formative Insights Named a Top Education Innovation in Formative Assessment (News)
Follow the Formative Insights Team on Twitter: @FormativInsight
Listen to more Leading Voices Podcast episodes.
Featured Guests
As a Project Director for the Formative Insights team at WestEd, Nancy provides national leadership in formative assessment implementation, with a focus on implementing formative assessment at scale.
Franchesa Warren
Franchesca is a Professional Learning Specialist on the Formative Insights team at WestEd. She has extensive experience in leading cross-functional teams, delivering professional learning for district and state partners.
Cali Kaminsky
Cali is Senior Program Associate for the Formative Insights team at WestEd. Cali leads state and district technical assistance and professional learning to support large-scale projects that expand and deepen teacher and leader agency through formative assessment.
Resource Details
Format: Podcast
Minutes: 40
Publisher: WestEd
Related Resources
-
Ambitious Teaching and Formative Assessment: Creating Conditions for Equity
This recorded session features WestEd's Nancy Gerzon and Barbara Jones in conversation with Lorrie Shepard, University Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education.
-
Seizing the Opportunity to Promote Student Agency Through Online Learning in a High-Poverty School District
This recorded session features WestEd's Nancy Gerzon and Barbara Jones in conversation with Steve Holmes, Superintendent of the Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona.
-
An Ecological View of Assessment for Learning
This recorded session features WestEd's Nancy Gerzon and Barbara Jones in conversation with Professor Bronwen Cowie, Associate Dean of Research in the Division of Education, at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
Related Services
- Formative Insights: Assessment for Learning
Learn to use formative assessment to improve instruction, while also developing new practices and cultural norms that help students gain the skill and will to monitor and advance their own learning toward better outcomes.