Formative VS. Summative Assessment
Summative Assessments
Assessments given periodically to determine what is known and unknown about a particular topic.
Formative Assessment
Assessments that provide information needed to adjust the teaching methods of educators and student learning opportunities as they are happening.
Goals of Formative Assessment
to monitor student learning; to provide ongoing feedback; to help students identify strengths and weaknesses; and, to help faculty improve their instruction
Summative
Accountability measure used as part of the grading process.
Formative
"what did you learn about a student today and what did you do with that knowledge?".
Student-led conference
A form of parent-teacher conferences but with students taking the lead role.
Summative
A midterm exam, final project, or paper.
Formative
A range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.
Formative
Allows students to observe their own progress.
Formative
Checkpoint assessments done frequently. Provide ongoing and helpful feedback.
Formative
Create 5 words/sentences using the given character(s).
Formative Assessment - Self-/Peer-Assessment
Creates a learning community within a learning community; students who self-assess are involved in their learning; peer-evaluation allows students to view each other as resources for quality work.
Formative
Emphasizes what students can improve on.
Formative assessment - Criteria and goal setting
Engage students in instructional design and in the learning process by creating clear expectations. (using exemplars of what is expected to help students understand where they are, where they need to be, and an effective process for getting there).
Summative
Everything in the unit's objectives or understandings should be accounted for in this type of assessment.
Examples of Formative Assessment
Exit/Entrance Tickets, Quick-Writes, Fist to Five, Thumbs Up/Down, Green-Yellow-Red (Stop/Go) cards, Plickers
Summative
Given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know.
Formative
Information is used to adapt teaching and learning to meet student needs.
Summative
Make a travel plan in the target language.
Formative
Part of the instructional process. Gives teachers the chance to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening.
Formative
Submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
Formative Assessment - Student Record Keeping
Supports students in developing a portfolio so as to understand their own learning evidenced through the history of their classroom work.
Examples of Summative Assessments
TSI Assessment, Interim (Benchmark) Assessments, End-of-Unit/Chapter Tests, Midterms/Final Exams, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), SAT/ACT Scores, End-of-Course/STAAR Exams
Summative
These assessments reflect most, if not all, of the essential and enduring knowledge.
Formative
This form of testing is for practice.
Summative
Used at the end of a lesson to gauge student understanding and student learning relative to content standards.
Summative
Used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period.
Formative
Used while students are learning new content.
Summative
Write an essay describing the major focuses of a civilization.
Formative Assessment - Observations
assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional planning as well as to provide feedback for students about their learning.
Feedback
provided by educators in an ongoing basis.
Formative Assessment - Questioning strategies
providing learners an opportunity to deepen thinking by answering effective questions; applications of Costa's Levels of Questioning or Blooms with the learner designing and responding to questions; inquiry.