Summative and Formative Assessment

Topic 3: Topic 3: Summative and Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment

When teachers use assessment for formative purposes, they assess students during the period of instruction. They use ongoing opportunities during the lesson to monitor student learning and provide feedback to help students improve. Some of these opportunities may take place while students are engaged in an activity. For example, a teacher may hear a student's incorrect answer and decide to explain a grammar point again. Some opportunities may occur a bit later. For example, in the writing lesson described earlier, the students who provided feedback to each other using a rubric were using assessment for a formative purpose to help their fellow students improve their learning.

Other examples include:

observations during activities

peer assessment

practice tests

daily journal entries

teacher feedback on drafts

Formative assessment should be a part of every class. It can help teachers support student learning by providing feedback while students are still working on the development of their skills. For example, if a teacher sees that most students cannot perform a particular skill, the teacher may decide to reteach that skill or teach it in a different way. Teachers can then give students more practice with the skill before they have to take a final test. and Formative Assessment

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Formative Assessment

When teachers use assessment for formative purposes, they assess students during the period of instruction. They use ongoing opportunities during the lesson to monitor student learning and provide feedback to help students improve. Some of these opportunities may take place while students are engaged in an activity. For example, a teacher may hear a student's incorrect answer and decide to explain a grammar point again. Some opportunities may occur a bit later. For example, in the writing lesson described earlier, the students who provided feedback to each other using a rubric were using assessment for a formative purpose to help their fellow students improve their learning.

Other examples include:

observations during activities

peer assessment

practice tests

daily journal entries

teacher feedback on drafts

Formative assessment should be a part of every class. It can help teachers support student learning by providing feedback while students are still working on the development of their skills. For example, if a teacher sees that most students cannot perform a particular skill, the teacher may decide to reteach that skill or teach it in a different way. Teachers can then give students more practice with the skill before they have to take a final test.