Colleagues,

A discussion list subscriber wrote to me offline: "David, I've never  
heard of formative assessment in adult basic
education.  What is it?" I think she may speak for many in the U.S.  
who are subscribed to this discussion.

I encourage those who are new to this concept -- or possibly just  
this term -- to post your questions now, to ask  Janet and our other  
guests about what formative assessment means. You might ask questions  
like "Does it mean that a teacher would......" or " ...that students  
would...." or "Does it differ from summative assessment in that....."  
or however you like.

While we await subscribers' questions, Janet could you give some more  
examples of formative assessment in adult foundation (basic) skills.

David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net