Summative and Formative Assessment

 

Formative assessment is "self-reflective process that intends to promote student attainment."  Formative assessment is done during the educational process to assess student learning and adapt teaching to meet student needs.  One aspect of formative assessment is that students are more involved in the assessment process (Garrison).  As students become more skilled in the learning environment, they will ideally become more self-reflective about their own work, constantly assessing themselves and taking an active role in their own learning.  Students and teachers can benefit from formative assessment.

 

Formative assessment can could be a mid-unit quiz asking students if the topic being covered makes sense.   A common formative assessment used in project-based courses provides feedback through informal conversation or through more formal means such as, an interview between teacher and student.

 

 

The summative assessment is the culminating assessment for a certain period of time.  The assessment should draw upon the skills and abilities the student has learned over that period of time.  As a result, the summative assessment is closely aligned with the goals or objectives of the course.  Summative assessments occur much more infrequently than formative assessments, which may make them ineffective for mid-class course corrections.  However, summative assessments are useful for establishing the overall effectiveness of the course and that course's alignment with state and national standards.

 

Cassady, Jerrell and Betty E. Gridley.  The Effects of Online Formative and Summative Assessment on Test Anxiety and Performance.  Retrieved 10/15/08 from http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol4/1/.

 

"Formative Assessment".  Wikipedia.  Retrieved 10/15/08 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formative_assessment.

 

Garrison, Catherine & Michael Ehringhaus. Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom.  Retrived 10/13/08 from http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx"