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ASCD's New Publications Address Assessment Techniques and Digital Tools for Educators

  • 12/09/14

Alexandria, Va. — ASCD, a global community dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading, is pleased to announce a new professional development publication about assessment techniques and a new ASCD Arias™ title about digital tools for educators. These new resources will enable educators to use formative assessment effectively and build the technology skills they need to become effective leaders.

New Professional Development Publication
In Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom, 2nd edition, coauthors Douglass Fisher and Nancy Frey reflect on the current state of formative assessment to provide new instructional strategies, such as the use of close reading and text-dependent questions, which enable teachers to determine what students know and what they still need to learn. They also show how the concepts relate to their FIT Teaching™ (Framework for Intentional and Targeted Teaching™) tool kit, which is designed to provide teachers with the resources they need based on four essential elements: school and classroom culture, establishing purpose, gradual release of responsibility, and formative and summative assessments. Read a sample chapter. ($27.95 print)

“Formative assessment is widely recognized as a key feature of effective teaching. But too often, it is confabulated with benchmark and interim assessments,” said Fisher. “Those practices are good, but not sufficient for advancing student learning. True formative assessment happens every day, and it is done with intention. This second edition has given us the opportunity to contextualize the practice of checking for understanding within the Framework for Intentional and Targeted Teaching (FIT Teaching) and to explore newer approaches for developing college- and career-ready students.”

To further expand on their instructional strategies for teachers, Fisher and Frey write a monthly video column in ASCD’s Educational Leadership magazine to help teachers apply effective teaching practices in the classroom. Educators can read their latest column, STEM for citizenship, in the December issue of EL.

New ASCD Arias Publication
An ASCD Arias publication is about 50 pages long and answers a crucial and timely "How do I . . . ?" question. Available in print and e-book formats, these titles contain original, stand-alone content that educators can read in one sitting and immediately apply to their practice. These convenient and succinct publications offer the expertise of education thought leaders, experienced practitioners, and researchers.

The Tech-Savvy Administrator: How do I use technology to be a better school leader?, by award-winning blogger and educational technology expert Steven W. Anderson, offers insight into how and why administrators should use technology to improve their leadership practice. The book guides administrators on how to use online tools to manage documents, increase collaboration, stay organized, and develop online professional learning networks. Anderson also addresses how administrators can maximize social media to stay connected with teachers, students, and the community. ($12.99 print)

Visit www.ascdarias.com to learn more about our short-format ASCD Arias publications. To learn more about our books or to read sample chapters from these and other publications, visit www.ascd.org/books. For more information about ASCD, visit www.ascd.org.

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