One way to increase student engagement is to use structures that illicit a response from all students and provide teachers formative data on student learning. In order to meet a variety of students' needs, educators should work to also incorporate the use of a variety of multiple intelligences in their classrooms.

Here are my top three low-tech and low-prep strategies to increase student engagement and provide teachers real-time data to adjust and differentiate instruction. All three assessment strategies are quick, inexpensive and easy to teach.

1. Signal-response cards

Create a set of cards labeled A,B,C and D. Laminate them and provide students with a bag or envelope with the signal-response cards. Ask students a multiple-choice question and have them indicate their answer by holding up their card. I like to color-code cards so I can quickly scan the classroom and determine student understanding.

This structure also supports flexible grouping because teachers can quickly see which students need extension or remediation. This data-gathering process is quick but extremely informative. Check out the Teaching Channel to see video of a teacher using self-assessment in action.

2. Dry-erase boards

Our students process information at different paces. After posing a question, dry-erase boards allow for students to get quick feedback to either continue and go to the next problem or fix and rework their current answer. Therefore, students are not waiting to move on to another problem or question, and teachers can support those students who need further reteaching.

Solo plates or clear projector are a great alternative to dry-erase boards. Dry-erase boards support nonlinguistic representations, have students draw an image that explains their thinking or provides an answer to a question.

3. Numbered heads together

This cooperative-learning strategy holds each student accountable for learning and makes student thinking visible while also encouraging student discourse.

How can you make it happen? Divide students into heterogeneous groups, and number each student 1-4. Then, pose a question or problem to the class.

Have students in the groups record their response in their designated box. After students have responded to their question individually, have students gather together and come to an agreement and record their response in the center circle. Have students discuss the answer, making sure everyone in the group can share the answer.

Then, call out a random number (1-4). Have the students you called stand up. For example, all number 1's from each group stand up. Teachers can choose to call on individual students that are standing or ask for a choral response.

Check out the YouTube video below for a visual explanation: