The purpose of this quantitative, experimental study was to examine if incorporating an instructional technique called formative assessment had an impact on overall performance of students attending the Air Force Nuclear College's Nuclear Fundamentals Course at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Within the study, 49 student participants comprised the experimental group and 1,080 past students comprised the historical control group. After the experimental group received the intervention or treatment of formative assessment, results revealed a statistically significant impact on overall end of course student average scores with a mean of 93.4 % for the experimental group compared to 81% for the historical control group. A one sample t-test showed the results were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The null hypothesis was rejected. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]