Less effective formative assessment was characterized by teachers' actions, even if they were doing student activities, and typically answered the question "How many of my students have 'got it'?" For students who did not "get it," teachers assigned a review. More effective formative assessment was characterized by teachers asking what students were thinking in relation to learning goals, interpreting the strengths and problem areas in their thinking, and then designing feedback or additional learning experiences for students to target those diagnosed needs.
