Summative & Formative Assessments

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Summative Assessment

The National Foundation for Educational Research defines summative assessment as what pupils achieve at the end of a period of time, in relation to national standards and learning aims.

Examples of summative assessment

Examples of summative assessment in schools:
- An end of year test reported on with a grade.
- A pupil presentation at the end of a topic.
- A completed portfolio of pupil work.
- National tests. Eg. SATs, GCSEs, A Levels.
- Baseline tests at the start of a course/year.
Note that summative assessments are used to measure what a pupil has learned over a specific time period.

Uses of summative data

The data obtained from summative assessments are used to:
- Report to parents and other stakeholders.
- Teacher accountability.
- Compare pupil performance over time.
- Compare with other pupils (within a school and/or nationally).
- School accountability. E.g. national league tables.
- Evaluate the quality/implementation of a scheme of work/program of study.

Problems with summative assessment

Summative assessments have a few problems, such as:
- It can lead to inaccurate inferences about learning.
- Tracking and data collection can take time.
- Misunderstandings about cumulative summative assessment results.
- Where data flight paths are used, data is misused by assuming progress is linear.
- Accountability measures influence the validity of the data it can produce
- Teachers need to be cautious comparing the results of different summative assessments.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is the day-to day practice of checking what pupils have learned and then adapting teaching to address the key issues.

Engagement

According to Wiliam (2007), using formative assessment leads to greater engagement in class and higher achievements. It also makes teachers find more professional fulfilment in their work.
Formative assessment is closely linked to feedback on assessments.
Some assessments can be formative and summative, such as tests that generate grades but also provide teachers with information about their pupils' strengths and weaknesses.

Examples

Examples of how formative assessments are used in schools:
- Giving a test and identifying what pupils need to improve on.
- Using feedback strategies, such comment only marking and whole class feedback.
- Use of ‘hinge’ questions that accurately diagnose if a pupil knows and understands a key concept.
- Quizzes where correct/incorrect answers are analysed.
- Oral feedback to pupils whilst they are working in class.

Use of formative assessment

For Wiliam and Thompson (2007), formative assessment can be used to:
- Establish where the learners are in their learning.
- Establish where they are going.
- Establish how to get there.
Actions need to be taken after the formative assessment diagnose areas for improvement. E.g:
- Teachers plan their lessons to address misconceptions or mistakes.
- The pupil improves their work by addressing their weaker areas according to feedback received.

Making plans

For NFER, it is easier to plan the next steps if both the teacher and the students understand what has been achieved so far.
As the learning goes on, more formative assessments will indicate whether teaching plans should be amended to extend or reinforce learning.

Problems

Formative assessment can have a few problems, such as:
- Variation when defining formative assessments.
- It can take significant teacher time to implement.
- Needs to go beyond identification and include further actions.
- When linked to feedback, does a pupil truly understand how they can improve?
- When feedback is given, time needs to be allocated to help the pupil improve.