Summative and formative

Summative Assessment (Assessment

OF learning

T h e p u r p o s e o f s u m m a t i v e

assessment in the traditional sense is to

evaluate learner performance usually at the

end of the quarter, term, or year. It provides

the teacher an understanding of how the

learners fare against the set standards in the

curriculum.Summative assessments are usually

the basis for grades of learners or teachers.

Common summative tests are:

- Periodic/Quarterly examinations

- Final project or creative portfolio

- Final performance, demonstration, or report

- Chapter tests or end-of-unit tests

- Standardized Tests (NAT, NCAE, and others)Formative Assessment

Unlike summative assessment where the

objective is to evaluate student performance to

be graded, and which is normally formal,

formative assessments are designed around the

aim to determine what the learners know as they

are in the process of learning. It is used mainly to

gather information about learner performance,

and use that to make informed decision on future

instruction.In a way, formative assessment does

not refer to the assessment itself, but rather

to the function that evidence from the

assessment ser ves. It can be cal led

informative assessment as it provides

i n f o r m a ti o n t o t h e t e a c h e r o n t h e

performance of the learners as they go

through the learning experience.For effective implementation of

formative assessment in the classroom, it

has to be planned and be strategic. By the

very nature of formative assessment, it is an

ongoing assessment of learner performance

and should provide the teacher with valuable

information about their progress. As they are

usually not graded, formative assessment

s trategi es are mainl y us ed to guide

instruction.A formative assessment system to be

used in the classroom tries to answer the

following questions:

Where am I going?

Learners must be able to know what

the learning objectives are or what the

general goal of the lesson is to give them an

idea of what is expected of them in the

lesson or unit.The learning obj ecti ves mus t

describe the knowledge, ski l ls, and

understandings that the learners will learn

and aim for in the lesson. The teacher

should also describe the criteria that would

indicate mastery of the competency. They

could be worded in the view of the learner

for them to a have a sense of ownership of

itWhere am I now?

This should be able to give the

learners an idea where they are in reaching

the learning objective and they should be

given regular checks on progress on their

w a y . T h e s e c h e c k t h e l e a r n e r s ’

understanding and let the teacher glimpse

at the progress of the learners.These checks need not be formal

nor should be left at the end of the unit,

lesson, or year. Though common pen and

paper quizzes are useful in checking the

understanding of the learners, the teacher

could be more creative in implementing

more formative assessment strategies.

Some of these could include:Oral recitation



Questioning



Project outputs



Surveys



Raising hands or thumps



Writing activitiesWhere am I now?

Writing could be an excellent formative

assessment strategy because of the very

nature of the activity as a complex

process. It helps provide an idea on how

learners think. This is where good writing

prompts will go along the way to help the

teacher gather information.As important as gathering information

to the learners’ progress is providing them

with FEEDBACK to let them determine how

they are faring. This is where the essence

of feedback comes in, as feedback

provides the learners with a picture about

their success and needs in order to

improve their performance.