The Classroom Assessment Podcast Episode 11: Life and Legacy with Dylan Wiliam
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Feb 6, 2026 
Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at UCL, reflects on his shift from music to mathematics teaching and decades of work on formative assessment. He discusses scaling formative practices, the limits and coaching potential of AI, classroom-safe assessment strategies like oral checks, and designing teacher-led, practical reforms that actually improve learning.
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Teach Responsively To Boost Scores
- Do teach responsively to student needs because evidence shows it raises standardized test scores.
- Avoid assuming responsive teaching conflicts with accountability; it usually improves scores.
Responsive Teaching Is Inclusive
- Wiliam frames responsive teaching as an inclusion practice that requires hearing from all students.
- He emphasizes teachers must gather evidence of each student's thinking to decide next steps.
Start From Teachers' Goals
- Ask teachers what they want students to improve and then help them teach more responsively toward that goal.
- Stop telling teachers their goals are wrong; instead build capacity around their chosen aims.
