The Importance of Summative and Formative Assessments
Summative Assessment
Summative assessments are given periodically to determine a particular
point in time what students know and do not know. Some examples of summative
assessments are state assessments, district benchmark or interim assessments, end-of-unit
or chapter tests, end-of-term or semester exams, and scores that are used for
accountability for schools such as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results and student’s report card grades. Summative assessment
gauge, at a particular point in time, student learning that is relative to
content standards, but they are spread out and occur after instruction every few weeks, months, or once a year,
summative assessments are tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of programs,
school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in
specific programs. Summative assessments happen too far down the learning path
to provide information at the classroom level and to make instructional
adjustments and interventions during
the learning process. It takes formative assessment to accomplish this.
Formative Assessments
Formative
assessments are part of the
instructional process. When incorporated into classroom practice, it provides
the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are
happening. In this sense, formative assessment informs both teachers and
students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be
made. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve targeted
standards-based learning goals within a set time frame. Although formative
assessment strategies appear in a variety of formats, there are some distinct
ways to distinguish them from summative assessments. One distinction is to
think of formative assessment as "practice." We do not hold students
accountable in "grade book fashion" for skills and concepts they have
just been introduced to or are learning. We must allow for practice. Formative
assessment helps teachers determine what steps to take next during the learning
process as the instruction approaches the summative assessment of student
learning. Another distinction that underpins formative assessment is student
involvement. If students are not involved in the assessment process, formative
assessment is not practiced or implemented to its full effectiveness. Students
need to be involved both as assessors of their own learning and as resources to
other students. There are numerous strategies teachers can implement to engage
students. Student ownership of their work increases students' motivation to
learn. This does not mean the absence of teacher involvement. To the contrary,
teachers are critical in identifying learning goals, setting clear criteria for
success, and designing assessment tasks that provide evidence of student learning.
One of the key components of engaging students in the assessment of their own
learning is providing them with descriptive feedback as they learn. Descriptive
feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well,
links to classroom learning, and gives specific input on how to reach the next
step in the learning progression. In other words, descriptive feedback is not a
grade, a sticker, or "good job!"
Some of the instructional strategies
that can be used formatively include the following:
- Criteria
and goal setting with
students engages them in instruction and the learning process by creating
clear expectations. In order to be successful, students need to understand
and know the learning target/goal and the criteria for reaching it.
Establishing and defining quality work together, asking students to
participate in establishing norm behaviors for classroom culture, and
determining what should be included in criteria for success are all
examples of this strategy. Using student work, classroom tests, or examples
of what is expected helps students understand where they are, where they
need to be, and an effective process for getting there.
- Observations go beyond walking around the room to
see if students are on task or need clarification. Observations assist
teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional
planning. This evidence can be recorded and used as feedback for students
about their learning or as anecdotal data shared with them during
conferences.
- Questioning
strategies should be
embedded in lesson/unit planning. Asking better questions allows an
opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant
insight into the degree and depth of understanding. Questions of this
nature engage students in classroom dialogue that both uncovers and
expands learning. An "exit slip" at the end of a class period to
determine students' understanding of the day's lesson or quick checks
during instruction such as "thumbs up/down" or
"red/green" (stop/go) cards are also examples of questioning
strategies that elicit immediate information about student learning.
Helping students ask better questions is another aspect of this formative
assessment strategy.
- Self
and peer assessment helps
to create a learning community within a classroom. Students who can
reflect while engaged in meta-cognitive thinking are involved in their
learning. When students have been involved in criteria and goal setting,
self-evaluation is a logical step in the learning process. With peer
evaluation, students see each other as resources for understanding and
checking for quality work against previously established criteria.
- Student
record keeping helps
students better understand their own learning as evidenced by their
classroom work. This process of students keeping ongoing records of their
work not only engages students, it also helps them, beyond a
"grade," to see where they started and the progress they are
making toward the learning goal.
Balancing Assessment
As teachers gather information/data about student learning, several categories
may be included. In order to better understand student learning, teachers need
to consider information about the products (paper or otherwise) students create
and tests they take, observational notes, and reflections on the communication
that occurs between teacher and student or among students. When a comprehensive
assessment program at the classroom level balances formative and summative
student learning/achievement information, a clear picture emerges of where a
student is relative to learning targets and standards. Students should be able
to articulate this shared information about their own learning. When this
happens, student-led conferences, a formative assessment strategy, are valid.
The more we know about individual students as they engage in the learning
process, the better we can adjust instruction to ensure that all students
continue to achieve by moving forward in their learning.
http://www.amle.org/publications/webexclusive/assessment/tabid/1120/default.aspx
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