Diagnostic assessment and learning

One of the issues we are tracking as a part of a "value-added" approach to educational improvement is the role of diagnostic assessments. There is surprisingly little written about the role of interim/formative/diagnostic assessments other than as useful markers for identifying gaps in student knowledge that need to be addressed in order improve performance on high stakes assessments. However, diagnostic assessments also provide feedback to teachers about how well they are doing implementing their curriculum - providing ongoing professional development.

Chris