The next product in the education growth industry: formative assessment

Say this isn't true. Jo Scott-Coe explains formative assessment, the next education market product.

As articulated by CEOs at the 2005 Association of Test Publishers "Innovations in Testing" Conference, what test publishers mean by "formative assessment" is literally constant assessment. Via tools such as remote control, internet question banks and automated, instant online grading software programs, the formative assessment agenda seeks to break down barriers between "testing" and "curriculum" so that they literally mean the same thing. The buzzphrase for this is "integrated" testing.

Scary stuff. I can already hear the battle cry from the devoted army of testing minions: we must bridge that horrible achievement gap! We must continuously monitor achievement!

I wonder what's next. Microchips? How about a big huzzah for continuous electronic surveillance (though I already know of a few parents who wouldn't mind this of their wayward teen).