Acknowledgments

Our journey to understand the power of common formative assessment practices that improve student achievement has been significantly influenced by the fortunate opportunity to learn from and work with Rick and Becky DuFour and Bob Eaker. We are most grateful to them for sharing not only their thinking and expertise but also their commitment to quality education on behalf of students. As authors and coaches in this work, we strive to continue your legacy. We also thank the people at Solution Tree for guiding us throughout the process of writing from start to finish and for giving us the opportunity to look back and update this book’s content in this second edition. We appreciate your expertise, creativity, and perseverance.

—Kim Bailey and Chris Jakicic

Throughout my years as an educator, I’ve been blessed to learn from many along the way who graciously shared their expertise and supported my personal and professional growth. From masterful teachers to inspirational leaders, they shared pearls of wisdom that helped shape my passion for this work. At this point, I could open a necklace factory based on these gifts of knowledge. In particular, I’d like to thank Chris Jakicic—an individual who has become not only my collaborator in this work but also a close friend in the process. Thank you for showing me trust and patience as I worked through some crazy ideas, for always stretching my thinking, and for continuously focusing on excellence. Finally, I want to thank my entire family for their love, support, and patience throughout this project, especially my husband, Randy, who inspires me on a daily basis, and without whom any accomplishment would be meaningless.

—Kim Bailey

Learning about common formative assessments and how to make them work for students as well as teachers has been a journey for me. I started learning from the terrific teachers at Woodlawn Middle School in Long Grove, Illinois. My journey continued as I worked with hundreds of teachers across the United States, designing and using assessments to make a difference for the students in their schools. I thank them all for allowing me to work beside them as we learned together how to make these practices work in real school settings. I’ve especially enjoyed debating and discussing “our passion” with my good friend and coauthor, Kim Bailey. In writing this second edition, we were able to revisit our first experience as coauthors and to see how far we’ve come in this journey. I know you’ll appreciate, as I do, Kim’s ability to display her ideas through a sketch that captures her thinking and makes the complex simple. You’ll find lots of examples in this edition! Finally, I need to acknowledge my husband, John, who understands why I love doing this work and encourages me to continue my journey in this profession that is so satisfying.

—Chris Jakicic

Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:

Connie Debes

Kindergarten Teacher

Lincoln Consolidated Schools

Lincoln, Arkansas

Shavon Jackson

Principal

Crawford Elementary, Russellville School District

Russellville, Arkansas

Janet Nuzzie

District Intervention Specialist, K–12 Mathematics

Pasadena ISD

Pasadena, Texas

Anthony Stamm

Elementary Math and Science Coordinator

Ann Arbor Public Schools

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Barbara Tasber

Director of Learning & Continuous Improvement

Windsor Central School District

Windsor, New York