One way to begin untangling the lexical conundrum created by distinguishing among tests, assessment, teaching, and other related concepts is to distinguish between informal and formal assessment. Informal assessment can take a number of forms, starting with incidental, unplanned comments and responses, along with coaching and other impromptu feedback to the student. Examples include saying "Nice job!"; "Good work!"; " Did you say can or can't?"; "I think you meant to say you broke the glass, not you break the glass"; or putting a smiley face on some homework.
Informal assessment does not stop there. A good deal of a teacher's informal assessment is embedded in classroom tasks designed to elicit performance without