--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Assessment is today's means of modifying…" description: "\"Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction.\" — Carol Ann Tomlinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png" --- # Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's… ![“Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction.” quote by Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png) > “Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction.” [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assessment should be used to inform and adjust future teaching, not just to evaluate past performance. **In simple terms:** Use assessment to shape future teaching. Key Takeaway Let assessment guide instructional changes. Themes assessment instruction feedback learning teaching strategies Mood analytical optimistic Type educational pedagogical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - curriculum development Key Concepts formative assessment instructional design student-centered learning Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers ensure assessments improve instruction? - What feedback loops best support learning? A Different Perspective Assessment can be misused if not aligned with goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) [Assessment Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment-today-3502582/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Modifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modifying/) [Modifying Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modifying-tomorrow-3502584/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-means-336514/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Tomorrow Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow-instruction-3502583/) ## Related quotes > [The beautiful image today means nothing. It's worthshit. 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''](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/if-living-for-today-means-moving-past-yesterday-then-do-that/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [Coming through the years, and finding that I not only have just the fans of my day, but the young ones of today --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-fitzgerald/coming-through-the-years-and-finding-that-i-not-only-have-just-the/) [Ella Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-fitzgerald/) > [Important element is deeply understanding our curriculum. Most teachers know what they're going to cover this week or this term. Few of us can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/important-element-is-deeply-understanding-our-curriculum-most/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [I don't think that anything of any consequence is known a priori: all our knowledge is built up by modifying the lore passed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-don-t-think-that-anything-of-any-consequence-is-known-a-priori-all/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Art today is a new kind of instrument, an instrument for modifying consciousness and organizing new modes of sensibility . . . . Artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/art-today-is-a-new-kind-of-instrument-an-instrument-for-modifying/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [When people can say to themselves - "What I'm doing is justified," there is little chance of their modifying a behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanton-peele/when-people-can-say-to-themselves-what-i-m-doing-is-justified-there/) [Stanton Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanton-peele/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) ## More by Carol Ann Tomlinson > [As educators we need to understand that there is no finish line in our work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/as-educators-we-need-to-understand-that-there-is-no-finish-line-in/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [ I think \[testing\] has had a profoundly problematic impact on student learning. It must seem to students that their worth as individuals is equivalent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/i-think-testing-has-had-a-profoundly-problematic-impact-on-student/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [It is not so important to have all the answers as to be hungry for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/it-is-not-so-important-to-have-all-the-answers-as-to-be-hungry-for/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [Readiness is a student’s entry point relative to a particular understanding or skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/readiness-is-a-student-s-entry-point-relative-to-a-particular/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [We aren't quite sure what we're trying to differentiate, and therefore can't quite see how to do it other than giving some students more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/we-aren-t-quite-sure-what-we-re-trying-to-differentiate-and-therefore/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [In the field of education, educators know that they leave a lasting impact on their students for better or for worse. Trust is established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/in-the-field-of-education-educators-know-that-they-leave-a-lasting/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [ \[Students\] often have a "We can figure this out - don't just tell us" attitude. In that way, they can be less patient with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/students-often-have-a-we-can-figure-this-out-don-t-just-tell-us/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [It's important to know how to lead and manage a classroom with flexibility. Students of all ages are quite capable of learning these routines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/it-s-important-to-know-how-to-lead-and-manage-a-classroom-with/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [A teacher in a differentiated classroom does not classify herself as someone who ‘already differentiates instruction.’ Rather that teacher is fully aware that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/a-teacher-in-a-differentiated-classroom-does-not-classify-herself-as/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [The best educators I have met never stop asking questions. Some of them have taught for forty years and continue to be energized by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/the-best-educators-i-have-met-never-stop-asking-questions-some-of/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [We're teaching a generation of students who've been schooled to produce quick, right answers on demand. They are not comfortable with ambiguity. The implications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/we-re-teaching-a-generation-of-students-who-ve-been-schooled-to/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [I have find that today's students are often more tolerant of human variance than students in earlier generations might have been. On the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/i-have-find-that-today-s-students-are-often-more-tolerant-of-human/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [Teachers craft classrooms that are good matches for their teaching styles as well as for learner needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/teachers-craft-classrooms-that-are-good-matches-for-their-teaching/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin where students are, not the front of a curriculum guide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/in-differentiated-classrooms-teachers-begin-where-students-are-not/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) > [We need to develop a robust set of tools - strategies and routines - that help us address student variance. It's easy to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/we-need-to-develop-a-robust-set-of-tools-strategies-and-routines-that/) [Carol Ann Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) [Explore all 43 Carol Ann Tomlinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/) ## More Assessment quotes > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Patronizing the Arts is a brilliantly nuanced assessment of why universities must become art patrons. Learning from the twentieth-century university's embrace of Big Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-phelan/patronizing-the-arts-is-a-brilliantly-nuanced-assessment-of-why/) [Peggy Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-phelan/) > [“The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System measures accuracy, comprehension, and fluency. (There are also assessments in the system that measure phonemic awareness, phonics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/the-fountas-and-pinnell-benchmark-assessment-system-measures-accuracy/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“In fact, they’re trained in risk assessment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/in-fact-they-re-trained-in-risk-assessment/) [Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/) [Browse all 313 Assessment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carol Ann Tomlinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying-tomorrow-s-instruction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assessment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying-tomorrow-s-instruction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/carol-ann-tomlinson-15427_assessment_assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying_2808436.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Assessment is today's means of modifying tomorrow's instruction.” — Carol Ann Tomlinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carol Ann Tomlinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-tomlinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Assessment is today's means of modifying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying-tomorrow-s-instruction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-tomlinson/assessment-is-today-s-means-of-modifying-tomorrow-s-instruction/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```