Research is right, Instruction and formative assessment are indivisible. Great teachers instruct, guide and get the best from students, because their instruction is driven by formative assessment. Having access to visible learning measurement data is critical for this to happen.
Assessment of learning and assessment for learning are critical inputs and outputs in every classroom. Having this information visible and instantly accessible is how teachers save time, increase their effectiveness and drive learning outcomes. Technology needs to do a better job to facilitate learning measurement in the classroom. All of this data may one day end up as a 'Big Data set' but in the here and now of classrooms, better meeting students at their point of need is the challenge each teacher faces daily.
Formative assessment drives learning outcomes when teachers use evidence to adapt their teaching to meet student needs. This is the basis of personalizing learning and it has little to do with current learning management systems.