Formative Assessments to Heighten Engagement, Guide Instruction, and Improve Learning – Online Professional Development Course
This 1-credit online course provides strategies for using formative assessments to quickly evaluate students’ knowledge and thinking.
LAUSD Course Code: NA-11-122
UMass Global University Course Code: EDDU 9972
Course Description
Every day in your classroom, are your students fully understanding the concepts that you’re teaching? Even you seem to be teaching something perfectly, are your students really getting it? Thanks to formative assessments, it’s easy enough to gauge the effectiveness of your lessons and to make changes on the fly. In this online class, you’ll learn how to use formative assessments to get instant feedback on your teaching practices and to enhance student engagement and learning.
This professional development course for teachers focuses on how to use fun and quick formative assessments, techniques that go far beyond the KWL chart (Know, Want to Know, Learned). You’ll discover easy, practical strategies that you can begin using with your students immediately.
If you’ve felt burdened by the mandates of your school or district, this online class can provide a fresh perspective – helping you focus on meaningful assessments that address your students’ needs and improve your teaching practices.
Designed for all types of teachers, this online professional development course on formative assessments covers a variety of topics, including:
- an overview of formative assessment
- the purpose of formative assessments
- supporting research on the effectiveness of formative assessments
- key characteristics for success in using formative assessments
- formative assessment and classroom culture
- formative assessment and equity for students
- quick formative assessment strategies
- technology, tools, and resources to facilitate formative assessments
- aligning formative assessments and summative assessments
As part of this online professional development course, you’ll create a portfolio of 8 formative assessment strategies, specific to your teaching environment and students.
This 1-credit online course is approved by LAUSD for salary points and by other districts in California for professional development credits or graduate-level credits available through University of Massachusetts Global. You can check with your school district to find out which professional development credit type you need.
The course is comprised of 6 units. For each unit, you’ll read a lesson, watch a video, take a quiz, and complete an assignment. Throughout the professional development course, you’ll post your responses in an online discussion forum, for interaction with other teachers who are taking the online course.
Reviews
 “As a classroom teacher it is easy to get bogged down in district mandates. This course reminded me about what is important and redirected me back to meaningful assessment and instruction.“ |
| “I have learned many fun strategies for formative assessment that I am already using with my students. They love it!” |
| “I really enjoyed this course and it directly effected my teaching practices. I was able to integrate the techniques I learned right away.” |
| “I received numerous ways of assessing my students to see if they truly understand the concept. Formative assessment gives me the opportunity to make changes when needed. I will be utilizing formative assessments throughout my lessons.” |
| “I use formative assessments to guide my teaching instruction to help my students learning. This course helped give me new effective strategies to better address students needs. It also really helped me see how important formative assessments are to improve student achievement.” |
Learning Outcomes
In this online course, you’ll learn how to use fun and quick assessments to evaluate your students’ knowledge and thinking, as well as how to use different teaching modalities to promote student learning.
Number of Professional Development Credits / Salary Points
Teachers throughout California and the U.S. can earn 1 professional development credit by completing this online course or 1 graduate level credit (awarded through University of Massachusetts Global, formerly known as Brandman University). This course is also worth 1 salary point awarded by the LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District), depending on the credit type you choose.
Target Audience
This course is designed for all types of Pre-K through 12th grade teachers, including: early childhood education teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, high school teachers, special education teachers, staff, and administrators.
NA-11-122 is the LAUSD course code for Formative Assessments which you’ll need to use to get credit for salary points from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
Additional Information/Questions
Here’s additional information about the Formative Assessments online professional development course:
- This course is 100% online – the coursework and interaction.
- You’ll have six months to complete all of your coursework from the date that you purchase this online course.
- Once you’ve successfully completed the Formative Assessments course, you’ll earn 1 LAUSD salary point, 1 professional development credit, or 1 graduate-level professional development credit.
If you have any questions about the Formative Assessments course, or any of our other professional development online courses, please email help@education4equity.com.
Related Courses
If you’re interested in Formative Assessments you might also like these related online courses:
- Personalizing Learning (3 credits / LAUSD Salary Points)
- Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) Math (1 credit / LAUSD Salary Point)
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This online professional development class has been approved by the LAUSD and UTLA Joint Salary Point Credit Committee. Please note, however, that the LAUSD does not endorse this online class provider over any other.
