The Westwood Regional School District recognizes the value of using assessment to drive instruction.  Assessments provide students with opportunities to practice skills and demonstrate understanding of content, and provide teachers with valuable information regarding student progress that can be used to address issues and raise student achievement.  Some assessments are formal, such as tests, quizzes, projects, and standardized assessments, while some are informal, such as class participation, discussion, and student surveys.  Moreover, there is an important distinction between formative assessments, which enable teachers to closely monitor student progress, and summative assessments, which enable students to demonstrate their learning of a particular subject matter.