Imagine this: you’ve just finished grading a set of quizzes, the scores are logged, and your students eagerly check their results. Some celebrate, others sigh, and the moment passes as you move on to the next topic. But what if those scores could do more than just reflect what your students know? What if they could shape your next lesson, reveal hidden misconceptions, and drive real learning?

“Data without Dialogue and Decisions is Dead!”

Hi, I’m Mike Maksimchuk, the new Assessment Consultant at Kent ISD. I’m here to help you turn those quizzes, tests, and check-ins into powerful learning tools, pushing beyond the scores to truly understand and respond to your students’ needs.

Assessment OF Learning vs. Assessment FOR Learning

Assessment of learning, such as summative assessments (e.g., end-of-unit tests), is designed to give a snapshot of what students have mastered (Biggs et al., 2011; Shavelson, 2018). These assessments help us understand overall student achievement (Chappuis, 2009). However, because they occur at the end of learning, there’s no opportunity to make changes that impact student understanding at that moment (Moss & Brookhart, 2009).

In contrast, assessment for learning, or formative assessment, occurs during learning. These assessments allow us to gather feedback and make real-time adjustments, creating opportunities to address misunderstandings before it’s too late (Biggs et al., 2011; Ozturk, 2017).

Why INformative Assessments Are Game-Changers

After a quiz or activity, take a moment to dig into the data instead of just moving on. Analyze it on your own to tweak your teaching approach, or better yet, involve your students. Encourage them to reflect on their results—what worked, what didn’t, and what they can do differently (Bailey, 2019; Brookhart, 2013). This isn’t just about grades; it’s about fostering metacognition—thinking about thinking—and building a continuous improvement mindset (Moss & Brookhart, 2009; Ozturk, 2017).

Research shows that when we use assessments formatively, we’re not just measuring learning but actively driving it (Biggs et al., 2011; Ozturk, 2017). These assessments give us real-time insights, allowing us to adjust instruction to meet students where they are.

Ready to Dive Deeper into Assessment?

To enhance your assessment skills, consider joining our upcoming 9-week book study, “Understanding Instructionally Useful Assessment” by Dr. Carla Evans and Dr. Scott Marion. This PD opportunity is designed with your busy schedule in mind, with sessions held in the evenings.

Dates: 2/20/2025 – 5/1/2025 (Wednesdays)
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Credits: 13.5 SCECHs
Register Now!

Gain practical strategies for designing assessments that inform instruction, align with learning goals, and engage students in the process. Let’s turn data into actionable insights together.

My Role and How I Can Support You

I’m Mike Maksimchuk, your Assessment Consultant at Kent ISD, and I’m here to help make assessments work for you and your students. With a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, an Administrator’s Certification, and 15 years of teaching secondary Science, I’m here to partner with you in making assessments work for you and your students.

Here’s how I can help:

• Collaborating on Assessments: Whether it’s formative or summative, I can work with you to create assessments that are aligned to standards, reflect the appropriate depth of knowledge, and truly measure what you need them to.
• Data Analysis Support: Let’s turn your assessment data into action. I’ll guide you in analyzing results, spotting trends, and identifying learning gaps so you can tailor your instruction accordingly.
• Curricular Revisions: On the summative side, I can assist in reviewing assessment data to inform curriculum adjustments, ensuring we always aim for continuous improvement.

I’m eager to learn more about your needs and how I can best support your district. Please take a moment to complete this survey to share your insights with me. Whether you’re just starting your teaching journey or a seasoned pro, I’m here to support you. Let’s transform those numbers into stories of growth and learning.

Bringing Data to Life

Remember: Data is just numbers until we breathe life into them through dialogue and decisions. When we take time to reflect on what our assessments tell us and make changes based on that data, we’re not just teaching—we’re responding to our students’ needs in real-time.

So, don’t just move on next time you give a quiz. Take five minutes to look at the results, find one key insight, and think about how you can adjust your next lesson. It might be a small change, but those little tweaks can lead to big gains in student understanding.

Let’s Get Started!

If our shared mission is to foster student learning and growth, we can’t afford to overlook the power of using assessment data to guide our teaching. Ready to get started? Want to learn more? I’d love to hear from you! You can reach out at mikemaksimchuk@kentisd.org or call me at 616-447-5667. Let’s discuss making assessments more meaningful and impactful in your classroom.

#AssessmentForLearning #EdLeadership #FormativeAssessment #InnovativeAssessment #WeLeadLearning #KentISDpd

This blog post was written by Mike Maksimchuk, Assessment Consultant for Kent ISD and edited by Amanda Walma, T/L Marketing and Communications Specialist for Kent ISD.

References (AKA “Great Reads”!)

• Bailey, K. (2019, March 18). The Power of Common Formative Assessments | All Things Assessment. https://allthingsassessment.info/2019/03/18/the-power-of-common-formative-assessments/
• Biggs, H., Breen, C., Slotow, R., Freitag, S., & Hockings, M. (2011). How assessment and reflection relate to more effective learning in adaptive management. Koedoe, 53(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v53i2.1001
• Brookhart, S. M. (2013). How to create and use rubrics for formative assessment and grading. ASCD.
• Chappuis, J. (2009). Seven strategies of assessment for learning. Allyn & Bacon : Pearson.
• McLeskey, J., Maheady, L., Billingsley, B. S., Brownell, M. T., & Lewis, T. J. (Eds.). (2023). High leverage practices for intensive interventions. Routledge.
• Moss, C. M., & Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing formative assessment in every classroom: A guide for instructional leaders. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Ozturk, N. (2017). Assessing Metacognition: Theory and Practices. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 134–134. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.298299
• Shavelson, R. J. (2018). Methodological Perspectives: Standardized (Summative) or Contextualized (Formative) Evaluation? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 26(48). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1176517
• Spector, J. M., Ifenthaler, D., Sampson, D., Warusavitarana, A., Dona, K. L., Eichhorn, K., Fluck, A., Huang, R., Bridges, S., Lu, J., Ren, Y., Gui, X., Deneen, C. C., Diego, J. S., & Gibson, D. C. (2016). Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment for 21st Century Learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(3), 58–71.