Formative and Summative Assessment

Pencil with check marks

Formative and summative assessments are formal terms to describe how we help to ensure our students are learning.  This can either be at the end of a course through a test (summative) or throughout the learning experience (formative).  Many individuals "freeze" when they take tests and end up not performing in a class as successfully as they could.  Integrating a variety of assessments throughout a course is a way to help the learner be successful and demonstrate their acquiring of knowledge.

Video

Please watch the following video.

YouTube, Rick Wormeli: Formative and Summative Assessment. (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Published on November 30, 2010. Retrieved on 08/21/2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4

Activity

Please complete the following activity.

 

 

What were the three most important points Rick made in his video?

   

 

Articles

Read the following articles about Formative and Summative Assessments.

Article One

alternative accessible content

Edudemic, Katie Lepi. The Key Differences Between Summative and Formative Assessments.

(CC BY-SA 3.0). Published on February 13, 2014. Retrieved on 08/21/2014.

http://www.edudemic.com/summative-and-formative-assessments/

 

Article Two

alternative accessible content

Wikipedia, Formative Assessment. (CC BY-SA 3.0). Retrieved on 08/21/2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formative_assessment

 

Article Three

alternative accessible content

Wikipedia, Summative Assessment. (CC BY-SA 3.0). Retrieved on 08/21/2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summative_assessment

 

Activity

Please complete the following activity.

 

 

Match the items.

The task is to match the lettered items with the correct numbered items. Appearing below is a list of lettered items. Following that is a list of numbered items. Each numbered item is followed by a drop-down. Select the letter in the drop down that best matches the numbered item with the lettered alternatives.

a. A range of formal and informal assessment procedures employed by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.

b. The assessment of participants, and summarizes their development at a particular time. The focus is on the outcome of a program.

 

 

 

Best Practices for Formative and Summative Assessment

Blue bracelet

Unfortunately, many faculty are not aligned or consistent with how they are assessing student learning.  This does not mean that we must all follow the same pattern of assessment.  What it does mean is that we should be incorporating a variety of assessment strategies and best practices into our process for assessment.

Article

Please read the following article.

alternative accessible content

Emory University, Best Practices for Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Retrieved on 08/21/2014. http://www.oirpe.emory.edu/Assessment/Best%20Practices.html

Activity

Please complete the following activity.

 

 

What specific assessment strategies are you already doing well…what could you be doing more of? 200 words or less.

   

 


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