Edited by Edward A. Silver and Valerie L. Mills

Chapter authors are Caroline B. Ebby and Marjorie Petit

This is a non-refundable PDF of Chapter 6 called “Using Learning Trajectories to Elicit, Interpret, and Respond to Student Thinking” from A Fresh Look at Formative Assessment in Mathematics Teaching.

Formative assessment is a powerful pedagogical tool that is frequently overlooked and often misunderstood. Mathematics teacher educators and professional development specialists will find that this book explicates the role of formative assessment in effective mathematics teaching and learning, what it looks like in practice, and how teachers can be assisted in developing the knowledge and skills needed for successful implementation.

Chapter 6, “Using Learning Trajectories to Elicit, Interpret, and Respond to Student Thinking” demonstrates how learning trajectories can enhance the formative assessment process in ways that help teachers interpret the evidence that they collect to make informed instructional decisions that can impact student learning. The authors illustrate this through an example of a set of learning trajectory-based tools and routines that have been developed for classroom use by the Ongoing Assessment Project (OGAP). They show how using these formative assessment tools and routines can help teachers go beyond merely identifying which students need extra help to adapting instruction to meet students’ diverse needs, thereby ensuring both access and

equity (NCTM, 2014). Additionally, they describe examples of professional learning activities that develop instructional practices around linking learning trajectories with the use of formative assessment in classroom settings.