Most teachers understand the importance of having students engage in discussions and conversations with their peers about what they are learning, but many lack the knowledge and skills to make it happen in their classrooms in a productive manner. And how in the world do you go about assessing student discourse? In this session we will delve deeper into the importance and benefits of robust student discourse as well as how to conduct formative assessment during and after such student conversations. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in several student discourse strategies that are simple to implement in the classroom.