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"Rick Stiggins has done an amazing job capturing in plain language what so many organizations, think tanks, school districts, and others have been struggling to articulate. That is, the importance of cultivating student self-efficacy through transparency, ongoing feedback, and quality assessment methods. We have spent the past 20 years testing students as if they owe us data that proves they’re proficiency and growth.

"With a career that has consistently challenged our traditional thinking about assessment, Rick Stiggins lays out a compelling vision for assessment with students at the center of the action. The core of the is assessment FOR learning, where the student monitors and manages their own understanding and growth, not the just the teacher. This student-centered, holistic approach to assessment positions the teacher as a partner on the student’s learning journey towards self-awareness and self-actualization.

"Last year Dr. Stiggins conducted a professional development seminar at the district. I attended
that session and later received a draft of his upcoming book “Give Students the Gift Of Confidence: A Silver Lining Playbook for Teacher/Parent Teams”. I was very impressed by Dr. Stiggins’ presentation and book.

"There is no greater way to achieve a sense of confidence than understanding one’s scenario or situation.  For students, confidence comes from understanding what you are required to know and be able to do to master the standards being taught.  Formative assessments FOR learning, as Rick defines them, can give them that understanding. This puts a student in control of their learning.  I have been a teacher, school administrator, district director of transformation schools, assistant superintendent, regional superintendent and now as a current sitting Superintendent trying to accelerate s

"This playbook is a must-have for parents, teachers, intervention teams, school leaders, and educational policy makers to align and create the definition of and path to success for our children and students.

"Throughout my life, I had always considered the process of learning to be a natural and desired process that was similar for everyone and I’ve thoughts that one’s achievement was simply the result of effort and intelligence. It was the diagnosis of dyslexia in two grandsons that spurred my interest in HOW each of us learns and the challenges so many students must overcome in their quest for knowledge. I was, therefore, thrilled when Rick sought my comments on this manuscript.

"The results of large-scale educational assessments are typically quantified and presented as 'data' while classroom assessments lead to letter grades. While seemingly objective, these impersonal numbers and letters can obscure the underlying emotional impacts they have on learners.

"It is a rare book that is simultaneously inspirational and practical. Give Our Students the Gift of Confidence meets that challenge in a profound and personal way. Rick Stiggins brings us back to the essence of student learning—authentic engagement of students in their own learning. He reminds us that students neither succeed through authoritarian demands, threats, and intimidation nor with false assurances that failure is fine as long as students feel good about themselves.

"When asked if the message of Rick’s book is important for school leaders and, more specifically, as supplementary reading in programs preparing those who will become school leaders, my answer is an emphatic YES. I firmly believe it is an excellent resource for practicing and aspiring school leaders and teachers. I wholeheartedly agree with Rick’s assertion that, regardless of their rate of attainment, all children need to master essential lifelong learner competencies and become academically self-confident in the process. His good news is that we know how to do this.