Formative and Summative Assessment

Assessment is the process of gathering data. More specifically, assessment is

the ways instructors gather data about their teaching and their students’ learning (Hanna &
Dettmer, 2004).

The data provide a picture of a range of activities using different forms of assessment
such as: pre-tests, observations, and examinations. Once these data are gathered, you can then
evaluate the student’s performance. Evaluation, therefore, draws on one’s judgment to determine
the overall value of an outcome based on the assessment data. It is in the decision-
making process then, where we design ways to improve the recognized weaknesses, gaps, or
deficiencies.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional

process, while learning is taking place, and while learning is occurring. Formative assessment
measures student progress but it can also assess your own progress as an instructor. For example,
when implementing a new activity in class, you can, through observation and/or surveying the
students, determine whether or not the activity should be used again (or modified). A primary
focus of formative assessment is to identify areas that may need improvement. These
assessments typically are not graded and act as a gauge to students’ learning progress and to
determine teaching effectiveness (implementing appropriate methods and activities).

A primary focus of formative assessment is to identify areas that may need improvement.

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing

feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve
their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:
o help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
o help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems
immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means that they have low or no
point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:
o draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
o submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
o turn in a research proposal for early feedback
Types Of Formative Assessment

 Observations during in-class activities; of students non-verbal feedback during lecture

 Homework exercises as review for exams and class discussions)
 Reflections journals that are reviewed periodically during the semester
 Question and answer sessions, both formal—planned and informal—spontaneous
 Conferences between the instructor and student at various points in the semester
 In-class activities where students informally present their results
 Student feedback collected by periodically answering specific question about the
instruction and their self-evaluation of performance and progress

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment takes place after the learning has been completed and provides
information and feedback that sums up the teaching and learning process. Typically, no more
formal learning is taking place at this stage, other than incidental learning which might take place
through the completion of projects and assignments.

Rubrics, often developed around a set of standards or expectations, can be used for
summative assessment. Rubrics can be given to students before they begin working on a
particular project so they know what is expected of them (precisely what they have to do) for
each of the criteria. Rubrics also can help you to be more objective when deriving a final,
summative grade by following the same criteria students used to complete the project.

Rubrics also can help you to be more objective when deriving a final, summative grade
by following the same criteria students used to complete the project.
High-stakes summative assessments typically are given to students at the end of a set
point during or at the end of the semester to assess what has been learned and how well it was
learned. Grades are usually an outcome of summative assessment: they indicate whether the
student has an acceptable level of knowledge-gain—is the student able to effectively progress to
the next part of the class? To the next course in the curriculum? To the next level of academic
standing? See the section “Grading” for further information on grading and its affect on student
achievement.

Summative assessment is more product-oriented and assesses the final product, whereas
formative assessment focuses on the process toward completing the product. Once the project is
completed, no further revisions can be made. If, however, students are allowed to make
revisions, the assessment becomes formative, where students can take advantage of the
opportunity to improve.

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an

instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.
 Summative assessments are often high stakes, which means that they have a high point
value. Examples of summative assessments include:
o a midterm exam
o a final project
o a paper
o a senior recital

Types Of Summative Assessment

 Examinations (major, high-stakes exams)

 Final examination (a truly summative assessment)
 Term papers (drafts submitted throughout the semester would be a formative assessment)
 Projects (project phases submitted at various completion points could be formatively
assessed)
 Portfolios (could also be assessed during it’s development as a formative assessment)
 Performances
 Student evaluation of the course (teaching effectiveness)
 Instructor self-evaluation

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Summative And Formative Evaluation

Advantages Disadvantages

Summative Necessary for determining Tendency for overreliance on

evaluations faculty effectiveness
teaching online
Promotes instructor,
department, and college
accountability
Provides a means of
evaluating the impact or
value of instructional
activities
Monitors instructor’s
adherence to institutional
expectations for online
summative measures
Does not provide information for
correcting errors during the teaching
and learning process
Fails to capture improvements or gains
in instructional ability
May be inappropriate to apply equally
to all instructors because of differences
in experience, discipline, or
instructional goals
 teaching

Formative Enables the identification May be difficult to motivate voluntary

evaluations and correction of inclusion or use (if not required)
ineffective instructional
practices Requires acknowledgement, inclusion,
or revision based on feedback
Promotes active reflection
on the effectiveness of Often dependent on individual faculty
instruction for effective inclusion

Encourages feedback that

enhances quality of online
teaching

Low-stakes nature
encourages feedback-
revision-improvement
cycle

Formative as Measure of Teaching

Learning Effectiveness

Formative Assessment Ideally, formative assessment strategies improve teaching and

learning simultaneously. Instructors can help students grow as learners by actively encouraging
them to self-assess their own skills and knowledge retention, and by giving clear instructions and
feedback. Seven principles (adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2007 with additions) can
guide instructor strategies:

 Keep clear criteria for what defines good performance - Instructors can explain
criteria for A-F graded papers, and encourage student discussion and reflection about
these criteria (this can be accomplished though office hours, rubrics, post-grade peer
review, or exam/assignment. Instructors may also hold class-wide conversations on
performance criteria at strategic moments throughout a term.
 Encourage students’ self-reflection - Instructors can ask students to utilize course
criteria to evaluate their own or a peer’s work, and to share what kinds of feedback
they find most valuable. In addition, instructors can ask students to describe the
qualities of their best work, either through writing or group discussion.
  Give students detailed, actionable feedback - Instructors can consistently provide
specific feedback tied to predefined criteria, with opportunities to revise or apply
feedback before final submission. Feedback may be corrective and forward-looking,
rather than just evaluative. Examples include comments on multiple paper drafts,
criterion discussions during 1-on-1 conferences, and regular online quizzes.
 Encourage teacher and peer dialogue around learning - Instructors can invite
students to discuss the formative learning process together. This practice primarily
revolves around mid-semester feedback and small group feedback sessions, where
students reflect on the course and instructors respond to student concerns. Students
can also identify examples of feedback comments they found useful and explain how
they helped. A particularly useful strategy, instructors can invite students to discuss
learning goals and assignment criteria, and weave student hopes into the syllabus.
 Promote positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem - Students will be more
motivated and engaged when they are assured that an instructor cares for their
development. Instructors can allow for rewrites/resubmissions to signal that an
assignment is designed to promote development of learning. These rewrites might
utilize low-stakes assessments, or even automated online testing that is anonymous,
and (if appropriate) allows for unlimited resubmissions.
 Provide opportunities to close the gap between current and desired
performance - Related to the above, instructors can improve student motivation and
engagement by making visible any opportunities to close gaps between current and
desired performance. Examples include opportunities for resubmission, specific
action points for writing or task-based assignments, and sharing study or process
strategies that an instructor would use in order to succeed.
 Collect information which can be used to help shape teaching - Instructors can
feel free to collect useful information from students in order to provide targeted
feedback and instruction. Students can identify where they are having difficulties,
either on an assignment or test, or in written submissions. This approach also
promotes metacognition, as students are asked to think about their own learning.

Summative As Measure Of Learning At The End Of Instruction

Summative Assessment Because summative assessments are usually higher-stakes than

formative assessments, it is especially important to ensure that the assessment aligns with the
goals and expected outcomes of the instruction.
  Use a Rubric or Table of Specifications - Instructors can use a rubric to lay out
expected performance criteria for a range of grades. Rubrics will describe what an
ideal assignment looks like, and “summarize” expected performance at the beginning
of term, providing students with a trajectory and sense of completion.
 Design Clear, Effective Questions - If designing essay questions, instructors can
ensure that questions meet criteria while allowing students freedom to express their
knowledge creatively and in ways that honor how they digested, constructed, or
mastered meaning. Instructors can read about ways to design effective multiple
choice questions.
 Assess Comprehensiveness - Effective summative assessments provide an
opportunity for students to consider the totality of a course’s content, making broad
connections, demonstrating synthesized skills, and exploring deeper concepts that
drive or found a course’s ideas and content.
 Make Parameters Clear - When approaching a final assessment, instructors can
ensure that parameters are well defined (length of assessment, depth of response,
time and date, grading standards); knowledge assessed relates clearly to content
covered in course; and students with disabilities are provided required space and
support.
 Consider Blind Grading - Instructors may wish to know whose work they grade, in
order to provide feedback that speaks to a student’s term-long trajectory. If
instructors wish to provide truly unbiased summative assessment, they can also
consider a variety of blind grading techniques.

Reference:
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html
https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1623
https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/formative-and-summative-
assessment.shtml
https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/Formative-Summative-Assessments
Prepared by:

Mr. Kent E. Garcia, LPT

Subject Instructor