Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Summative vs. Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment

  • Summarizes the development of learners at a particular time.
  • Given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know.
  • Means to gauge, at a particular point in time, student learning relative to content standards.
  • Can only help in evaluating certain aspects of the learning process.
  • Important for state or district programs.
  • Does not help make adjustments.

Formative Assessment

  • Part of the instructional process.
  • Provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening.
  • Informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made.
  • Adjustments help to ensure students achieve, targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time frame.
  • Think of formative assessment as "practice."
  • Do not hold students accountable in "grade book fashion" for skills and concepts they have just been introduced to or are learning.

Examples:

Summative:

  1. Standardized tests
  2. Chapter tests
  3. Midterms or Exams

Formative:

  1. Open Questioning
  2. Any practice problems
  3. Peer assessment (groupwork)
  4. Teacher to Student Discussion

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