Using Informal Assessment in the Classroom

Assessment plays a variety of roles in the instruction of English language learners (ELLs). One of the most important uses of assessment is informal, ongoing assessment throughout the school year (also called formative assessment) to monitor student learning and target areas of instruction. This can be as simple as asking students to show "thumbs up or thumbs down" to show their understanding or asking students to share one thing they learned on an exit slip at the end of class.

These articles, videos, and other resources offer ideas for using informal assessment with ELLs of varying proficiency levels, as well as tips on how to use what you learn through informal assessment to plan instruction.