In every classroom, the first and last minutes of a lesson matter more than most teachers realize.
When students enter without a clear task, instructional time is lost. When lessons end without a clear check for understanding, gaps go unnoticed.
In fact, a recent 2025 study estimates that students can lose between 16% and 25% of instructional time during the school day due to inefficiencies and off-task behavior.
High-performing classrooms solve both with two consistent routines: Do Nows and Exit Tickets, two of the most effective formative assessment strategies for improving instruction.
When used intentionally, these are not filler activities; they are formative assessments that frame the entire lesson and drive instructional decisions.
What Is a “Do Now” in the Classroom?
A Do Now is a short, independent, timed formative assessment given at the very start of class.
As a Do Now classroom strategy, it ensures students begin working immediately while giving teachers valuable insight into student thinking.
At CT3, Do Nows are intentionally structured to include:
- One review question aligned to the previous lesson
- One diagnostic (preview) question aligned to the current objective
This structure gives teachers immediate insight into what students retained from previous learning and what they already understand about the current objective.
Just as important, it ensures that instruction starts with clarity and not assumptions.
Why “Do Nows” Matter
A consistent Do Now routine does more than just start class. It sets the conditions for learning.
It:
- Activates prior knowledge
- Previews new content
- Establishes immediate engagement
- Provides real-time instructional data
Most importantly, a Do Now communicates the clear expectation that learning begins the moment students enter the room.
As a core classroom routine for engagement, the Do Now eliminates downtime and ensures every student is thinking from the first minute.
What Are Exit Tickets?
Exit Tickets in the classroom are short formative assessments given at the end of a lesson to measure mastery of the day’s objective.
Typically, exit tickets:
- Include 1–3 questions
- Align directly to the lesson objective
- Mirror or build from the Do Now diagnostic question
This alignment allows teachers to compare what students knew at the beginning of class to what they know at the end, creating a clear measure of growth.
Why Exit Tickets Are Essential
Exit tickets close the loop on learning.
They allow teachers to:
- Identify who has mastered the objective
- Spot misconceptions immediately
- Plan targeted instruction for the next lesson
Rather than guessing what students understood, teachers leave each lesson with clear, actionable data, a hallmark of strong formative assessment strategies. Over time, this creates a consistent rhythm: teach, assess, adjust.
How “Do Nows” and Exit Tickets Work Together
Do Nows and Exit Tickets are most powerful when used together as lesson “bookends.”
- The Do Now diagnoses starting points
- The Exit Ticket measures ending points
This creates a simple but powerful question for every lesson:
What did students know before, and how did they grow?
This structure closes the loop on learning, giving teachers a complete picture of student progress and making it easier to adjust instruction in real time.
Benefits of This Approach
Stronger Instructional Decisions. Teachers don’t have to wait for unit tests. These formative assessment strategies allow them to adjust instruction daily based on real-time evidence.
More Consistent Classrooms. When every class starts and ends with purpose, variability across classrooms decreases, leading to stronger school-wide outcomes.
Increased Student Agency. Students see their own growth from the beginning to the end of each lesson, reinforcing effort and progress.
Maximized Instructional Time. Clear classroom routines for engagement eliminate downtime and increase focus..
A Note for School Leaders
Strong instructional routines require consistency across classrooms.
Without clear expectations, Do Nows and Exit Tickets can quickly become:
- Inconsistent across teachers
- Disconnected from objectives
- Underused as tools for checking for understanding
Leaders play a critical role in ensuring these routines are:
- Aligned to instructional goals
- Implemented consistently
- Used to drive instructional decisions
When implemented well across a school, these routines move instruction from isolated strong classrooms to system-wide coherence.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even strong routines lose impact when implemented inconsistently.
Do Now mistakes
- Treating it as busywork instead of a formative assessment strategy
- Skipping either the review or diagnostic question
- Writing questions that are not aligned to the objective
- Collecting data but not using it to adjust instruction
Exit Ticket mistakes
- Misalignment with the lesson objective
- Not connecting it to the Do Now
- Collecting responses without analyzing them
- Using it inconsistently across lessons
Strong Lessons Start and End with Purpose
When Do Nows and Exit Tickets are implemented with clarity and consistency, they transform everyday lessons into data-driven learning cycles.
They ensure:
- Every minute is used intentionally
- Every student’s learning is visible
- Every lesson includes meaningful checking for understanding
For schools looking to implement these strategies with consistency, CT3’s Real Time Teacher Coaching® and Online Learning Portal support leaders, coaches, and teachers in turning strong strategies into daily classroom practice.
Schedule a strategy call today to learn more.
