In the virtual classroom, digital tools like online polls, chat boxes, and discussion boards have become the new formative assessments. ⁣ ⁣ Here are seven smart ways to check for understanding during remote learning:⁣ ⁣ 1. Dipsticks: Quick remote check-ins, or dipsticks, give teachers a sense of how students are doing academically and emotionally. At the start of a live class, ask a general question about a prior lesson and ask kids to respond with a thumbs-up/thumbs-down in the chat box, or by holding up a sticky note to the screen. ⁣ ⁣ 2. Digital journals: As an after-class exercise, ask students to reflect on what they know, what they want to know, and what they learned in an online document. Alternatively, task them with creating interactive one-pagers or study guides about a lesson using Canva or Google Docs.⁣ ⁣ 3. Elevator pitches: Ask students to briefly synthesize a lesson’s important takeaways in a chat box or virtual message board like Padlet. Or, ask student volunteers to s...