Common Formative Assessments 2.0: How Teacher Teams Intentionally Align Standards, Instruction, and Assessment

Upgrade your CFAs using CFA 2.0

Common Formative Assessments 2.0 presents a powerful, research-based process for improving teaching and student learning that is applicable to all standards, all grades, and all content areas. CFA 2.0 is so much more than assessment design. It shows teachers how they can intentionally align standards, instruction, assessment, and data analysis in every unit of study. The CFA 2.0 process is not limited to assessment design only. Rather, it is a system of intentionally aligned components (standards, instruction, assessments, and data analysis) that all work together to improve student learning. 

Even a timeless process needs to remain timely. This expanded, all-new edition of the definitive guide to common formative assessments features new field research and proven strategies that will enable educators to make more accurate inferences about student understanding so they can adjust instruction to improve student learning.  

Readers will learn to

• Build the "highway" to aligned assessments
• Use the CFA 2.0 design steps to upgrade their own assessments
• Decide the learning intentions and student success criteria for a unit of study
• Evaluate and revise assessment questions for quality
• Plan the learning progressions for students to attain the learning intentions
• Create quick progress checks to coincide with the learning progressions
• Use assessment results as feedback to adjust instruction and student learning strategies
• Gain new knowledge and skills for creating, revising, and improving grade- and course-level common formative assessments

Author Larry Ainsworth provides busy educators and leaders with a practical, how-to guide filled with information, examples, and action steps to assist all K–12 grade- and course-level teams in making this completely re-envisioned process their own.

Larry Ainsworth is the author or coauthor of numerous published books, including: Common Formative Assessments 2.0 (2015), “Unwrapping” the Common Core (2014), Prioritizing the Common Core (2013), Rigorous Curriculum Design (2010), Common Formative Assessments (2006), “Unwrapping” the Standards (2003), Power Standards (2003), Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program (2000 and 2006), Student Generated Rubrics (1998), and Getting Started with Rigorous Curriculum Design: How School Districts Are Successfully Redesigning Their Curricula for the Common Core (2013). His Corwin workshop, “Learning Intentions and Success Criteria” (2016), is a step-by-step process PreK-12 educators use to bring clarity to student learning targets.

Currently an independent education author and consultant, Larry served as the Executive Director of Professional Development at The Leadership and Learning Center in Englewood, Colorado, from 1999 to 2013.  He traveled nationally and internationally to assist school systems in implementing best practices related to standards, assessment, curriculum, and instruction across all grades and content areas. Throughout his career as a professional developer, Larry has delivered keynote addresses and breakout sessions across North America and in Latin America and regularly worked onsite in school systems to assist leaders and educators in understanding and implementing powerful standards-based practices, including prioritizing and “unwrapping” state standards and Common Core standards, developing common formative assessments, designing authentic performance tasks, and creating rigorous curricular units of study in all content areas, PreK through grade 12.

Drawing upon 24 years of experience as an upper elementary and middle school classroom teacher in demographically diverse schools, Larry brings a varied background and wide range of professional experiences to each of his presentations. His primary goal is to help all educators and leaders positively impact student learning using proven practices with standards, assessment, curriculum, and instruction.

Visit Larry’s website at www.larryainsworth.com to learn how “Timeless Practices Work Together” to improve student learning.