Recent legislative and local school accountability efforts have placed a premium on the collection, analysis, and use of student
assessment data for educational improvement. As a result, schools have sought assessments that will provide additional information
about student performance. In response, a burgeoning boon industry formed—formative educational assessment systems. In this
study we
... [Show full abstract] describe how districts search for and acquire formative assessment systems to meet their needs. We focus on three
school districts that adopted three different formative assessment systems. Our findings suggest the fit between a system’s
characteristics and a school district’s intended use is the most important consideration in instituting a successful formative
assessment system that will have a positive impact on teacher education and student learning.
KeywordsFormative assessment-Case study-Assessment system characteristics-Assessment use