Formative and summative assessments are an important part of every educator’s toolkit, but they can be time-consuming to implement and scale effectively. By strategically administering these types of assessments online, teachers can engage students while saving time and resources for classroom instruction.
In this article, we look at some essential characteristics of formative and summative assessments. Then, we lay out best practices to help educators and administrators maximize the impact of their assessment strategies.
Formative assessments help educators monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback. Implemented throughout a specific learning period, these assessments give real-time insight into student needs and problem areas. They’re designed to inform both teachers and students about progress toward learning goals, allowing for adjustments in teaching and learning strategies.
Formative assessments have several key characteristics that distinguish them from other types of assessments:
Formative assessments can take many forms, depending on the subject matter and instructional goals. Some common examples include:
Like all educational strategies, formative assessments can pose challenges to educators and administrators. These include:
Formative assessments offer numerous benefits for students and educational institutions. These include:
Summative assessments are evaluations that occur at the end of an instructional period to determine the extent of student learning. These assessments are typically more formal and structured than formative assessments and are used to make final judgments about student achievement and instructional effectiveness. They also provide crucial insight into institutional efficacy and curriculum choices.
The following features characterize summative assessments:
Summative assessments provide many benefits to students and institutions, including:
Formative and summative assessments serve distinct yet complementary roles in the educational process. Understanding the differences and how they work together is essential for effective teaching and learning.
The primary differences between formative and summative assessments are their timing and frequency.
Formative assessments are conducted regularly throughout the instructional period, allowing for continuous monitoring and adjustment of the learning process.
In contrast, summative assessments occur at the end of an instructional period and provide a final evaluation of student learning.
Feedback plays a central role in formative assessments. The ongoing nature of these assessments allows for immediate feedback, which students can use to improve their performance.
On the other hand, summative assessments provide limited feedback, as their primary purpose is to evaluate final outcomes rather than guide ongoing learning.
Formative assessments directly impact learning and teaching by shaping instructional strategies and promoting student self-regulation. They help create a dynamic learning environment where real-time adjustments can be made.
While not as flexible, summative assessments provide information about the effectiveness of instruction and the extent of student learning, influencing future educational practices.
Formative and summative assessments complement each other by serving different purposes in the educational process. Formative assessments guide day-to-day instruction and support student growth, while summative assessments provide a final measure of achievement and accountability. Together, they create a comprehensive assessment system that supports immediate learning needs and long-term educational goals.
Educators can maximize the impact of their formative and summative assessments by following these best practices:
To ensure the data they collect is insightful, educators should align assessments with concrete learning objectives. That way, they will get an objective picture of student progress — and should administrators decide to scale the assessment across a school or district, the assessments will be ready to go.
When empowered by an easy-to-use analytics suite, educators can use the data from formative assessments to tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs of each student — ensuring all learners have the opportunity to succeed.
Educators should use EdTech tools that incorporate advanced security features to protect test integrity. These features include secure browser mode, randomized question order, and controlled test conditions.
Some learners may struggle to complete traditional assessments because of accessibility issues. Educators should take advantage of speech-to-text software and other accommodations to ensure all students can complete assessments.
School systems that use various assessment and learning software solutions may struggle to integrate their systems. To reduce headaches, administrators should look for software that is interoperable, meaning that it can be easily used alongside other programs.
Formative and summative assessments help educators and administrators measure student success, but they can be resource-intensive to administer and grade. For example, formative assessments, which are issued during a learning period, can take up valuable class time. Similarly, summative assessments, which occur at the end of a learning period, can be challenging to scale.
However, when implemented correctly, these assessments provide detailed insight into student achievement and institutional performance. This information can help support student growth, inform future instruction, and more.
To learn more about making assessments accessible, time-efficient, and engaging, check out these helpful guides:
Formative assessments monitor and improve learning during instruction, while summative assessments measure student achievement at the end of a unit or semester.
Yes, formative assessments can guide instructional adjustments, leading to more accurate summative evaluations.
Formative assessments provide immediate feedback for improvement; summative assessments focus on evaluating final results.