Assessment Strategies and Formative Assessment

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment

• Purpose: to monitor student progress, provide feedback, and inform instruction
• Occurs during the learning process
• Focuses on improving student learning and understanding
• Examples:
  • Quizzes
  • Class discussions
  • Concept checks
  • Self-assessment
  • Peer review
• Characteristics:
  • Ongoing
  • Informal
  • Criterion-referenced (measures student performance against specific criteria)
  • Diagnostic (identifies areas of strength and weakness)

Summative Assessment

• Purpose: to evaluate student learning at the end of a lesson, unit, or course
• Occurs at the end of the learning process
• Focuses on measuring student achievement and grade assignment
• Examples:
  • Unit tests
  • Finals
  • Projects
  • Research papers
  • Standardized tests
• Characteristics:
  • Periodic
  • Formal
  • Norm-referenced (compares student performance to that of peers)
  • Evaluative (determines student grade or ranking)

Note: Both formative and summative assessments are essential for effective teaching and learning. While formative assessments inform instruction and guide student learning, summative assessments measure student achievement and accountability.

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment

• Monitors student progress, provides feedback, and informs instruction
• Occurs during the learning process to improve student learning and understanding
• Examples include quizzes, class discussions, concept checks, self-assessment, and peer review
• Characterized as ongoing, informal, criterion-referenced, and diagnostic

Summative Assessment

• Evaluates student learning at the end of a lesson, unit, or course
• Occurs at the end of the learning process to measure student achievement and assign grades
• Examples include unit tests, finals, projects, research papers, and standardized tests
• Characterized as periodic, formal, norm-referenced, and evaluative

Importance of Both Assessments

• Both formative and summative assessments are essential for effective teaching and learning
• Formative assessments guide instruction and student learning, while summative assessments measure student achievement and accountability