When MƒA Chief Operating Officer Michael Driskill was a teacher, people used to ask him what the hardest part of the job was. His answer? Figuring out what students know about a topic and using that information to make in-the-moment decisions about how to teach.

In a new column for SmartBrief, Driskill writes about building teachers’ capacity for formative assessment by offering professional development that gives them sufficient time to reflect on their practice in deep and meaningful ways.

“We need to grow opportunities for teachers to build formative assessment skills in schools and districts nationwide. It should be common in teaching to spend lots of time reflecting on practice, just as in surgery and professional athletics. In doing so we will treat teachers like the professionals they are, which is the best way to advance the field.”

Read Driskill’s full column in SmartBrief.