This paper examines the implementation and benefits of effective school practices by using formative assessments. Contributors to the development of this paper are the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and several educational reports analyzing the impact formative assessments have on student achievement. In the articles, there are differences in implementation strategies and benefits. Doubet (2012), Fisher and Frey (2014), Hintz and Kazemi (2014), and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2017), found that fostering discussion provides an effective gauge of student understanding. On the other hand, Dirksen (2011) and Tomlinson (2014) found that by using formative assessment, teachers can plan for future lessons and form strategy groups, based on the individual student’s needs. Ducker (2014), suggested thethat the greatest benefit of implementation to beis effective and specific student feedback. The journal articles referenced in this paper support the implementation of formative data byas directly increasing student achievement.

Keywords: student achievement, formative assessment, effective feedback, background knowledge, student discussion, self-reflection, student engagement