---
title: "Using Assessment Results to Adjust Teaching"
artifact: "summary"
resource_person: "Dylan Wiliam"
resource_person_role: "Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL"
vertical: "assessment"
module: "Feedback and Feedforward"
lesson: "Using Assessment Results to Adjust Teaching"
lesson_key: "using-assessment-results-to-adjust-teaching"
source: "curated"
source_channel: "Education Scotland"
---
# Using Assessment Results to Adjust Teaching

**Resource person:** Dylan Wiliam - Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL

**Curated from:** Education Scotland

## Summary

Dylan Wiliam defines formative assessment through its use: evidence about achievement is elicited, interpreted, and used to make better decisions about the next steps in instruction. A test or question has no formative power on its own. The change in teaching or learning completes the process.

Useful evidence represents the whole class. A single volunteer can hide the distribution of understanding, so teachers may use all-student responses, short written prompts, polls, or carefully sampled work. Interpretation then looks for patterns: a misconception shared by many, a prerequisite gap affecting a smaller group, or students who are ready for extension.

The response should match the pattern. The teacher might revisit a model, choose a contrasting example, change the grouping, provide targeted practice, or move on while supporting a few learners. A second check tests the decision. This tight cycle keeps assessment close to teaching and turns results into a practical plan.