The following slides share the steps in the Short-Cycle Formative Assessment.

At this step students engage in a worthwhile task or address a probing question.

In examining student work, the teacher listens to student responses or observes student to student conversations or analyzes the student's work.

Here the the teacher draws upon his/her vast knowledge of content and pedagogy. This is used with the learning goals of the lesson to create a plan in real time.

Feedback is provided in the form of probing questions, comment and/or suggestions, or the teacher provides an additional learning experience tailored directly to the students' learning needs.

After the cycle has been completed, it is repeated using newly gathered data on student thinking to guide instruction.