Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide

Implementing Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) in Secondary English Language Arts

Purpose and Rationale Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) are brief, standards-aligned tools used to gauge student understanding during the learning process. Their primary purpose is to provide timely, actionable feedback that helps teachers adjust instruction before students reach summative assessments. In secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms, CFAs encourage collaboration among teachers by fostering a shared understanding of academic expectations and student proficiency. They also promote equity, ensuring that all students are assessed consistently and given opportunities to demonstrate growth. Designing Effective Writing CFAs

Writing CFAs should be directly aligned with priority standards and designed to assess specific, measurable writing skills—such as crafting a thesis, integrating evidence, organizing ideas, or using academic language. Tasks may range from short constructed responses to full multi-paragraph compositions. To ensure consistency, teachers should use shared rubrics, ideally aligned with larger assessment systems like the Utah RISE Writing Rubric. Collaborative rubric development and review help teams align expectations and improve scoring reliability across classrooms. Administering Writing CFAs

Writing CFAs should be administered in a low-pressure, supportive environment. Depending on the task, assessments may take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. Teachers are encouraged to avoid over-scaffolding during assessment to ensure they are collecting authentic evidence of student learning. However, appropriate accommodations should still be provided for multilingual learners and students with IEPs, following legal and instructional best practices. Teachers can use platforms like Google Docs, school-based learning management systems, or MagicSchool AI’s Student Writing Trends tool to facilitate digital assessment and data collection. Using CFA Data to Drive Instruction Once CFAs are administered, their true value lies in the follow-up. Teachers should analyze the results collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), identifying patterns, misconceptions, and instructional needs. Reviewing student writing samples together helps calibrate scoring and promotes the sharing of effective teaching strategies. The goal is not to assign grades but to use formative data to guide re-teaching, extension, and differentiation. CFAs should empower teachers to support student growth as writers in meaningful, responsive ways.

Last Updated May 22nd, 2025 Middle School ELA, Page 31