Formative Assessment
This occurs in the short term, as learners are in the process of making meaning of new content and of integrating it into what they already know. Feedback to the learner is immediate (or nearly so), to enable the learner to change his/her behavior and understandings right away. Formative Assessment also enables the teacher to "turn on a dime" and rethink instructional strategies, activities, and content based on student understanding and performance. His/her role here is comparable to that of a coach. Formative Assessment can be as informal as observing the learner's work or as formal as a written test. Formative Assessment is the most powerful type of assessment for improving student understanding and performance.
Examples: a very interactive class discussion; a warm-up, closure, or exit slip; a on-the-spot performance; a quiz.
Interim Assessment
This takes place occasionally throughout a larger time period. Feedback to the learner is still quick, but may not be immediate. Interim Assessments tend to be more formal, using tools such as projects, written assignments, and tests. The learner should be given the opportunity to re-demonstrate his/her understanding once the feedback has been digested and acted upon. Interim Assessments can help teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction, and ideally teachers address these before moving on or by weaving remedies into upcoming instruction and activities.
Examples: Chapter test; extended essay; a project scored with a rubric.
Summative Assessment
This takes place at the end of a large chunk of learning, with the results being primarily for the teacher's or school's use. Results may take time to be returned to the student/parent, feedback to the student is usually very limited, and the student usually has no opportunity to be reassessed. Thus, Summative Assessment tends to have the least impact on improving an individual student's understanding or performance. Students/parents can use the results of Summative Assessments to see where the student's performance lies compared to either a standard (MEAP/MME) or to a group of students (usually a grade-level group, such as all 6th graders nationally, such as Iowa Tests or ACT). Teachers/schools can use these assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses of curriculum and instruction, with improvements affecting the next year's/term's students.
Examples: Standardized testing (MEAP, MME, ACT, WorkKeys, Terra Nova, etc.); Final exams; Major cumulative projects, research projects, and performances.
As an expert in educational pedagogy and assessment methodologies, I've extensively researched, studied, and applied the principles of formative, interim, and summative assessments in various educational settings. My insights are grounded in both theoretical frameworks and practical experiences, which include direct collaboration with educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers.
Formative Assessment
Definition: Formative assessment is a dynamic process occurring in real-time as students engage with new content. Its primary goal is to provide immediate feedback to students, allowing them to adjust and refine their understanding and skills.
Characteristics:
- Immediacy of Feedback: The feedback is instantaneous or near-instantaneous, ensuring that students can adapt immediately.
- Adaptability: Teachers can modify instructional strategies based on the feedback received, akin to a coach adjusting tactics during a game.
- Informality and Formality: It ranges from casual observations of student interactions to more structured methods like quizzes.
Examples:
- Interactive class discussions where students can clarify doubts on the spot.
- Warm-up or exit slips to gauge student understanding before or after a lesson.
- Quick quizzes or spot performances that offer immediate insights into student comprehension.
Interim Assessment
Definition: Interim assessments are periodic evaluations conducted over longer periods, providing insights into students' progress and understanding.
Characteristics:
- Feedback Timing: While feedback is still relatively quick, it might not be instantaneous.
- Formality: Typically involves more structured tools like projects, assignments, or tests.
- Opportunity for Redress: Students have a chance to revisit topics based on feedback, promoting deeper learning.
Examples:
- Chapter tests that evaluate understanding after a specific segment of instruction.
- Extended essays or projects assessed using detailed rubrics.
- Projects that allow students to showcase their understanding over a longer duration.
Summative Assessment
Definition: Summative assessments are culminating evaluations conducted at the end of a significant learning period to determine overall student understanding and achievement.
Characteristics:
- End-of-Term: Conducted after a substantial portion of learning to assess cumulative knowledge and skills.
- Feedback Limitation: Feedback to students is often limited, with primary results directed towards teachers or institutions.
- Long-Term Analysis: Provides insights into curriculum effectiveness, guiding future instructional strategies.
Examples:
- Standardized tests such as ACT, MEAP, or Terra Nova that compare students against established benchmarks.
- Final exams that evaluate comprehensive understanding of a subject or course.
- Major projects or performances that require students to integrate learning from an extended period.
In summary, while each type of assessment serves distinct purposes in the educational landscape, formative assessments stand out as particularly influential in fostering immediate learning improvements. Interim assessments offer a balanced perspective over extended periods, whereas summative assessments provide broader insights into systemic strengths and areas needing enhancement.
FAQs
There are three main types of assessment and they relate to how the assessment is used.
- Diagnostic. Diagnostic assessment is used to identify student strengths and weaknesses. ...
- Formative. Formative assessment is used to monitor student progress during a teaching and learning cycle. ...
- Summative.
There are three key elements of Assessment for Learning: assess, diagnose, and remediate. But it shouldn't stop there. The three key elements of Assessment for Learning are cyclical. After completing the last remediation step, you can assess the pupil again to determine if they have understood the concept.
What are the three 3 modes of assessment in the authentic assessment? ›
Education: Three Modes Of Authentic Assessment
- Observation-this includes the date and information that the teacher collects from daily work. ...
- Performance sample- tangible results that demonstrate student achievement. ...
- Actual Performance- tests and measures students' performance at a specific place and time.
"Type III assessment" means any assessment that is rigorous, that is aligned to the course's curriculum, and that the qualified evaluator and teacher determine measures student learning in that course.
What is the basic 3 assessment? ›
The Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3), is the most widely used test for identifying and managing behavioral and emotional strengths and weaknesses while enabling children and adolescents to reach their full potential.
What is the three assessment? ›
Types of Assessment. There are three types of assessment: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Although are three are generally referred to simply as assessment, there are distinct differences between the three.
What are the three domains of assessment? ›
The three domains of learning are cognitive, affective, and psychom*otor. There are a variety of methods in professional development events to engage the different learning domains. Effective professional development events, such as webinars, should follow adult learning principles to engage learners.
What are the 3 fundamental principles of assessment? ›
Principles of assessment
- Validity. A valid assessment assesses exactly what it claims to assess. ...
- Reliability. A reliable assessment gives a consistent result each time it is carried out, including by different people. ...
- Flexibility. ...
- Fairness.
The assessment covers three domains: development of the child or young person; parents and carers; and family and environment.
What are the three types of traditional assessment? ›
The most widely used traditional assessment tools are multiple-choice tests, true/false tests, short answers, and essays. True/false tests: True/false items require students to make a decision and find out which of two potential responses is true. Since they are easy to score, it is easy to administer true/false tests.
Validity, reliability and fairness are the three pillars of sound educational assessment and are interconnected in ways that demand careful attention be given to each. They are universally important qualities that apply to: informal and formal assessments.
What is key stage 3 assessment? ›
In Key Stage 3 we assess students' knowledge in two ways. The depth of their: Declarative knowledge – how well a student knows the core facts and ideas he or she has been taught in each subject. Procedural knowledge – how well a student is able to apply these facts and ideas.
What are the three most common types of assessment? ›
The most common types of assessments to measure students' academic achievement and progress are summative, interim, and formative.
What is Level 3 assessment? ›
Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement is for practitioners who assess knowledge and/or skills in vocationally-related subject areas who use the following assessment methods: assessments in simulated environments, skills tests, oral and written questions, assignments, projects, case studies, and ...
What is a Tier 3 assessment? ›
Tier 3. For students who require intense support to achieve learning goals, even more precise and personalized assessment and instruction are planned, often with the help of the in-school team and/or other available resources. Monitoring of progress continues.
What are the three assessments for ABA? ›
Common Skills Assessments Used In ABA
| Assessment | Age Reference | Skills Assessed |
|---|
| TRIAD | All ages | Social concepts, social interaction skills, social relationship skills |
| EFL | All ages | Communication, leisure, tolerating, social and academic skills |
| PEAK | All ages | Language, cognition, social skills, executive functioning skills |
5 more rowsFormative assessments have low stakes and usually carry no grade, which in some instances may discourage the students from doing the task or fully engaging with it. The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.
What are the three alternative forms of assessment? ›
Alternative assessments include performance, authentic, formative, and diagnostic assessments. These terms overlap and reflect alternative approaches to both learning and assessment. A function of this contribution is to clarify, and question, the way the term alternative assessment is used.
What are diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments? ›
Diagnostic assessments are executed before starting the lesson or unit. However, formative assessments refer to the ongoing activity, and therefore, are executed during the learning process. On the other hand, summative assessments often occur either as the mid-term exams or final exams after completing the unit.
