Common Formative Assessments

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Why it works

Common formative assessments, assessments that a team designs together, administers at a common time, and scores against agreed criteria, are central to effective PLCs. They answer the second PLC question with shared evidence, let teachers learn from colleagues whose students did better on a standard, and make a coordinated response possible. The value is in the shared design and agreement, not just giving the same test.

The research: DuFour and colleagues on common formative assessments in PLCs.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: design a common formative assessment

Teams leave with a common assessment designed and proficiency agreed.

With your team, agree on the essential standard to assess.
Design or select aligned, quality items together.
Agree on what proficiency looks like, a shared rubric or answer key.
Plan the common point to give it and how you will bring results together.

Shared design, shared proficiencyThe power is not in giving the same test, it is in designing it together, agreeing what proficient means, and responding as a team.

Facilitator notes

Agree the essential standards and design items together.
Agree proficiency, and give at a common point.
Bring results together to respond.

The same test is not a common assessmentHanding out identical questions without agreeing on essentials and proficiency misses the point. The shared design and agreement are what make it work.

Adapt it

Elementary: grade-team common checks on key skills.
Secondary: course-team common assessments by standard.
All teams: agreed essentials and proficiency.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Common Formative Assessments: design it together

Shared evidence: agreed essentials, aligned items, agreed proficiency, a common point, results brought together.

The essential standard to assess:
Our aligned, quality items:
Our agreed definition of proficiency:
The common point to give it:
How we bring results together:

Make it stick

Design together, agree proficiency:

Design common assessments together.
Agree proficiency.
Bring a common assessment that guided response to the team.

Common questions

How is a common formative assessment different from data-driven instruction?

The common assessment is the shared instrument the team designs and agrees on; data-driven instruction is the cycle of analyzing and responding. CFAs give a PLC comparable, shared evidence to analyze together.

Doesn't a common assessment mean teaching to the test?

No, if it is well-designed and formative. It checks whether students learned the agreed essentials, so the team can respond, and it is not the high-stakes end point.

What makes a good common assessment?

Agreement on what it assesses (the essential standards), aligned and quality items, a shared understanding of proficiency, and a common point to give it.