Agent skill

Formative Assessment Loop Designer

by GarethManning in GarethManning/education-agent-skills

Design an adaptive assessment loop where each student response triggers the next instructional move.

Custom licenceAuto-check passedEducation

Install Formative Assessment Loop Designer

skills CLI
$ npx skills add GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill formative-assessment-loop-designer -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install GarethManning/education-agent-skills formative-assessment-loop-designer --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/GarethManning/education-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/ai-learning-science/formative-assessment-loop-designer .claude/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
formative-assessment-loop-designer
GitHub stars
837
Token cost
~7.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
2,754 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
160
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Custom licence

At a glance

Design an adaptive assessment loop where each student response triggers the next instructional move.

  • Works in 3 steps: Pre-post comparison on identification… → Transfer test. After the AI sequence,… → Delayed test. Two weeks after the AI…
  • The next instructional move
  • SKILL.md covers What This Skill Does, Evidence Foundation, Input Schema and Prompt, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Formative Assessment Loop Designer is an agent skill from GarethManning/education-agent-skills. Design an adaptive assessment loop where each student response triggers the next instructional move. Use when building technology-enhanced formative assessment cycles.

Its SKILL.md is about 7.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Education. The repository describes itself as: 165 evidence-grounded AI skills for teachers, school leaders and EdTech builders—pedagogy, learning science, curriculum, assessment and regeneration. Claude, Codex and Hermes.

When your agent uses it

  • The next instructional move
  • Building technology-enhanced formative assessment cycles

Example prompts

  • “/formative-assessment-loop-designer”

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Pre-post comparison on identification tasks. Before the AI loop begins, give a 5-question identification-only quiz (no calculation). After…
  2. Transfer test. After the AI sequence, give a novel problem type that the AI didn't use (e.g., estimating whether a piece of wrapping paper…
  3. Delayed test. Two weeks after the AI sequence, give the same identification quiz. If scores have dropped significantly, the loop produced…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 6bbbce4. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Formative Assessment Loop Designer loads about 7.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 51 tokens; SKILL.md has 2,754 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~51
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~7.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

Its licence (Custom licence) doesn't allow us to republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 2,754 words (~7,097 tokens).

“Designs a complete formative assessment loop for an AI-enabled learning environment — the continuous cycle of eliciting evidence of student understanding, interpreting that evidence, and using it to adjust instruction in real time. Black & Wiliam's (1998) seminal meta-analysis demonstrated…”

— opening of SKILL.md by GarethManning, Custom licence
name
formative-assessment-loop-designer
disable-model-invocation
false
user-invocable
true
effort
medium
skill_id
ai-learning-science/formative-assessment-loop-designer
skill_name
Formative Assessment Loop Designer for AI Systems
domain
ai-learning-science
version
1.0
evidence_strength
strong
evidence_sources
Black & Wiliam (1998) — Assessment and classroom learning (seminal meta-analysis), Black & Wiliam (2009) — Developing the theory of formative assessment…
output_schema.type
object

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/ai-learning-science/formative-assessment-loop-designer of GarethManning/education-agent-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 6bbbce4

Compare with similar skills

Formative Assessment Loop Designer next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Formative Assessment Loop Designer compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Formative Assessment Loop Designer this skillGarethManning/education-agent-skills837—~7.1kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
DeepTutor CLIHKUDS/DeepTutor41k—~2.8kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
AI Engineering Placement Quizrohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch66k—~2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Deep Reading Analystginobefun/deep-reading-analyst-skill3534 repos~3.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
OpenMAIC Setup and ExtensionTHU-MAIC/OpenMAIC40k—~1.7kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Codebase to Coursezarazhangrui/codebase-to-course5.7k—~4.4kAutomated safety check: PassNone

Similar skills

  • DeepTutor CLI

    HKUDS/DeepTutor

    Teaches the agent to set up and run DeepTutor from the command line: chat and capabilities, knowledge bases, partners, memory, sessions, notebooks and the server or Web app.

    41k GitHub stars~2.8k tokensUpdated yesterday
    EducationAuto-check passed
  • AI Engineering Placement Quiz

    rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch

    Runs a 10-question quiz across five areas to place a learner in the AI Engineering from Scratch curriculum, so they skip what they already know.

    66k GitHub stars~2k tokensUpdated today
    EducationAuto-check passed
  • Deep Reading Analyst

    ginobefun/deep-reading-analyst-skill

    Comprehensive framework for deep analysis of articles, papers, and long-form content using 10+ thinking models (SCQA, 5W2H, critical thinking, inversion, mental models, first principles, systems…

    353 GitHub starsUsed in 4 repos~3.6k tokens
    EducationAuto-check passed
  • Guides setup, classroom generation and secondary development for OpenMAIC, the multi-agent interactive classroom, one confirmed phase at a time.

    40k GitHub stars~1.7k tokensUpdated today
    EducationAuto-check: notes
  • Codebase to Course

    zarazhangrui/codebase-to-course

    Turns a codebase into an interactive single-page HTML course for non-technical learners, with scroll modules, animated diagrams, quizzes and plain-English code translations.

    5.7k GitHub stars~4.4k tokensUpdated 6 mo ago
    EducationAuto-check passed
  • Zhang Xuefeng Perspective

    alchaincyf/zhangxuefeng-skill

    Answers education and career questions in the voice of Zhang Xuefeng, looking up current employment and admissions data before giving a direct verdict.

    10k GitHub stars~2.6k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    EducationAuto-check passed

More from GarethManning/education-agent-skills

All 160 skills in this repo
  • Academic Language Sentence Frame Generator

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Generate tiered sentence frames for academic tasks that scaffold language production across proficiency levels.

    837 GitHub stars~5.1k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Adaptive Hint Sequence Designer

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Generate a cascading hint sequence for a problem type, revealing progressively without giving answers.

    837 GitHub stars~5.4k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Agency Circles For Systems Action

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Map control, influence, and concern after systems analysis. An agent skill from GarethManning/education-agent-skills.

    837 GitHub stars~2.3k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • Agency Scaffold Generator

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Generate scaffolds that gradually increase student choice, voice, and ownership within a learning task.

    837 GitHub stars~5.6k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • AI Expertise Interrogation Designer

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Design a Funhouse Mirror activity where students use their own domain expertise to detect AI distortions, omissions, and overconfidence.

    837 GitHub stars~5.8k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed
  • AI Feedback Design Principles

    GarethManning/education-agent-skills

    Audit and redesign AI-generated feedback for pedagogical quality, timing, and learning impact.

    837 GitHub stars~5.8k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Auto-check passed

Categories

Questions about Formative Assessment Loop Designer

What does Formative Assessment Loop Designer do?

Design an adaptive assessment loop where each student response triggers the next instructional move. Formative Assessment Loop Designer is an agent skill from GarethManning/education-agent-skills. Design an adaptive assessment loop where each student response triggers the next instructional move.

When should I use Formative Assessment Loop Designer?

Formative Assessment Loop Designer fits situations like: the next instructional move; building technology-enhanced formative assessment cycles.

How do I install Formative Assessment Loop Designer in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill formative-assessment-loop-designer -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/ai-learning-science/formative-assessment-loop-designer in GarethManning/education-agent-skills) into .claude/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Formative Assessment Loop Designer in Codex?

Run `npx skills add GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill formative-assessment-loop-designer -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/ai-learning-science/formative-assessment-loop-designer in GarethManning/education-agent-skills) into .agents/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Formative Assessment Loop Designer in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill formative-assessment-loop-designer -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer, .gemini/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer, .github/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer and .opencode/skills/formative-assessment-loop-designer in your project.

What does Formative Assessment Loop Designer need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Formative Assessment Loop Designer is instructions for the agent only.

Does Formative Assessment Loop Designer access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Formative Assessment Loop Designer safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Formative Assessment Loop Designer use?

Formative Assessment Loop Designer has a licence file (the repository's licence) that doesn't match a standard licence. Read it on GitHub before reusing the skill.

How many tokens does Formative Assessment Loop Designer use?

About 7.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 28k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Formative Assessment Loop Designer?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Formative Assessment Loop Designer: DeepTutor CLI (HKUDS/DeepTutor, 41k stars), AI Engineering Placement Quiz (rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch, 66k stars), Deep Reading Analyst (ginobefun/deep-reading-analyst-skill, 353 stars) and OpenMAIC Setup and Extension (THU-MAIC/OpenMAIC, 40k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Formative Assessment Loop Designer?

GarethManning (a GitHub user) maintains it in GarethManning/education-agent-skills, which has 837 GitHub stars. The repository holds 160 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 28, 2026.

Source: GarethManning/education-agent-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.