AbstractJust as students undergo “learning progressions” in moving from naivety to mastery of biochemical topics, faculty experience “teaching progressions” as they experiment with pedagogy, listen to students' feedback, and become members of a community of educators. An important element of both teaching and learning is assessment. Good assessment tools reflect the value we place on thoughtful instruction and in‐depth thinking. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(5):493–497, 2019.