Formative assessments are the heartbeat of effective instruction—they tell us, in real time, whether learning actually happened.
For instructional coaches and administrators, AI offers a powerful way to help teachers gather those insights faster and more effectively. By leveraging tools that make exit tickets, bell ringers, and small-group quick checks easy to create and analyze, we can help teachers adjust instruction, boost engagement, and ensure every student leaves the lesson with understanding.
AI doesn’t replace the professional judgment of a teacher—it amplifies it. With just a few clicks, AI can generate aligned formative questions, analyze patterns in responses, and surface which students need more support or challenge.

Formative assessments are more than just quick quizzes—they’re the engine of student growth. When used consistently, they:

• Provide teachers with instant feedback on instructional effectiveness.
  
• Encourage students to take ownership of their learning through reflection and self-checks.
  
• Allow leaders and coaches to support data-driven conversations about teaching and learning.
  

By introducing AI-powered formative tools, coaches and administrators can help teachers move from guessing to knowing—how many students truly understood today’s concept? Which small group needs reteaching? What patterns do we see across classrooms or grade levels?

Step 1: Choose one formative assessment focus area to model with your team:

• Bell Ringer – Kick off the lesson with an AI-generated review question.
• Exit Ticket – Use AI to create reflection or comprehension checks.
• Small-Group Quick Check – Generate targeted questions aligned to today’s mini-lesson.

Step 2: Explore one of these AI tools and model how it can support teachers:

1. Brisk – Generate and analyze writing feedback instantly.
2. SchoolAI – Create formative checks and analyze learning data.
3. Conker – Build quick comprehension or quiz checks in minutes.
4. Curipod – Turn formative assessments into interactive class polls.
5. QuestionWell – Generate tiered questions and exit ticket prompts.
6. Khanmigo – Support formative reasoning and questioning within lessons.

This week, challenge your teachers to test one AI-powered formative assessment in class.

At your next PLC, review together:
✅ Which format worked best (bell ringer, exit ticket, or quick check)?
✅ What did the data reveal about student understanding?
✅ How can those insights shape tomorrow’s instruction?

Formative assessments don’t have to be time-consuming—they just have to be consistent.

With the right AI tools, teachers can check for understanding every day, ensuring no student slips through the cracks.

​Grab a copy of the AI In the Classroom Starter Kit to Learn More. 

During coaching sessions, I often hear teachers say,
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“I want to differentiate more, but I just don’t have time to create multiple versions of every activity.”

It’s a common challenge—and completely understandable. Differentiation is powerful, but it’s also time-consuming. Designing leveled texts, creating tiered assignments, and developing scaffolds for struggling learners or enrichment opportunities for advanced students can quickly become overwhelming.

Differentiation isn’t just a teaching best practice—it’s the key to helping every student thrive. But let’s be honest: it takes time. A lot of it.
Teachers often spend hours trying to:

• Rewrite texts at different reading levels
• Add visuals, sentence stems, or glossaries for emerging readers or multilingual learners
• Design extension tasks for advanced students who are ready to go further
• Personalize pacing or product choices to match student readiness

Goal: Use AI to create leveled versions of a lesson or activity to meet diverse student needs.
Steps:

1. Choose one upcoming lesson, reading passage, or activity.
2. Use an AI tool (Diffit, MagicSchool, ChatGPT, or Gemini) to create two or more leveled versions of your activity. Add them to your AI Toolkit—more suggested tools are listed in the Day Five download.
3. Post your differentiated activity or a screenshot in the community using #Kish30DayAIChallenge.

💡 Pro Tip: Save your AI-generated versions in a shared folder—you’ll build a ready-to-use library of differentiated resources in no time.

Welcome back to Day 3 of the 30-Day AI in the Classroom Challenge! 

Today, we’re tackling one of the simplest and most powerful classroom routines: exit tickets. These short, reflective prompts help you check for understanding, guide tomorrow’s instruction, and give students a voice in their own learning — all in just a few minutes.

While working with teachers, I’ve seen firsthand how formative assessments like exit tickets can transform teaching. Last week, I watched a team of middle school ELA teachers use exit tickets during their small group lessons on author’s purpose. After the small group lesson wrapped up, students completed an exit ticket before transitioning back into their learning studios. The data rolled in quickly — and it showed just how effective the small group instruction had been.

Step 1: Generate the Questions with AI. Use your Day 3 challenge prompt in ChatGPT, Gemini, or MagicSchool:
Prompt:
“Generate three exit ticket questions based on [insert today’s topic or standard]. Include a mix of question types (multiple choice, short answer, emoji scale, and reflection) and provide options for three different reading levels.”

💡 Pro Tip: Copy the questions into a doc first so you can quickly paste them in groups by level.

Step 2: Build a Google Form

​💡 To differentiate, create three sections in the form: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3. You can send each group their link or use branching logic.

Over the past few months, I had the incredible opportunity to partner with the passionate educators at Emery Elementaryfor a four-part professional development series focused on one powerful goal: using data to drive instruction that truly meets student needs.
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This Data-Driven Instruction Workshop Series was designed to go beyond simply looking at numbers—we aimed to equip teachers with the tools, strategies, and confidence to turn their MAP, formative, and summative data into actionable instructional plans. 

🔍 October Workshop : Diving Into the DataWe began our series by exploring the wide range of reports available through MAP and other assessment tools. Teachers learned how to interpret key metrics, identify student trends, and spot opportunities for instructional impact. It wasn’t just about finding gaps—it was about uncovering potential.

🤖 February Workshop: Differentiating with AI & Winter Data PointsWith updated winter data in hand, we explored how AI tools and edtech resources can support differentiation. Teachers experimented with tools that help tailor assignments, generate leveled content, and scaffold learning—all with the goal of meeting students exactly where they are.

🎯 March Workshop: Creating End-of-Year Projects Based on Student DataTo cap it all off, we used everything we learned to design differentiated end-of-year projects. These projects were not only aligned to grade-level standards, but also personalized based on student strengths, needs, and growth data. The result? Authentic assessments that reflect both mastery and creativity.

💬 What Teachers Had to SayHere’s what some of the educators at Emery Elementary shared about their experience:
“This was by far the most practical PD I’ve attended in years. I left each session with strategies I could implement the next day.”
— 5th Grade Teacher

“The workshop helped me feel more confident using MAP reports and knowing what to do with the information. I now have a plan for how to respond to student needs in real time.”
— 3rd Grade Teacher​