Formative Assignments

Instruction should walk hand-in-hand with assessment. There are really two kinds of assessments. End-of-unit assessments sum up what all the instruction leads too. Formative assessments are given along the way to let "teachers know what is needed to help students succeed" (26). These formative assessments are often different than normal tests because they tend to be more explanation-needed and allow for greater student feedback. These assessments usually do not have grades, and are used to see where students' gaps in knowledge are.
Instruction should never be unrelated to what the students are being assessed on. It does not always have to be directly related, but should always tie in. Sometimes it is just learning skills that will help in the learning process.
In "The Differential Flipped Classroom," there were suggested activities to help students to understand the material. When given other ways of engaging information, such as Frayer Diagrams or Response Journals, students can interpret and absorb information. Making connections to their life and other classes is how information sticks in students' minds.
At some point there needs to be a final assessment: a way for students to show their understanding of the material and apply it. Having an end goal of what we want students to know is how we can organize our teaching. This type of assessing matches the theory of backward teacher, looking at the end goal at the start.