Professor Bill Boyle holds the chair of Educational Assessment and is Director of the centre for formative assessment studies(CFAS) in the school of Education at the University of Manchester, UK. The CFAs is the oldest research centre(founded 1988) in the UK for supporting teachers, teacher trainers, schools and policy makers in using formative teaching, learning and assessment and is involved in supporting the development of formative assessment in UK and in many countries around the globe. Professor Boyle and his co-author, Marie Charles, publish their research work in academic and practitioner journals, present at international conferences and workshops, and design and support developments in formative teaching, learning and assessment. Currently, they are work-ing with colleagues in Russia, Armenia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the USA on understanding, training and using formative strategies for more effec-tive teaching and learning. Marie Charles is a teacher, formative assessment researcher and consultant, and an author whose work demonstrates that she believes passionately in the learner (rather than measurement or grading) being at the centre of the education process - a belief that she carries into her classroom practice.