Though Larry Ainsworth had many accomplishments, he is best known for his expertise in assessments. Larry paved the way for the use of formative assessments by urging educators and leaders to see passed the typical summative assessment that takes time away from our precious instruction. This has allowed a way for many of us to modify our use of assessments in a way that can yield valuable feedback on student learning so that we can adjust our instruction.
Rather than giving one long, grueling test at the end of each unit, Larry and many experts agreed that numerous short assessments given over time would provide a better indication of a students’ learning. His goal was to show educators that assessments should not be given
