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Summative assessment

What is it?

A type of assessment that aims to formally evaluate student learning and assign a grade for a specific subject matter and period of time.

Examples

A midterm or final exam: Formal exams that are usually weighed heavily against the student’s overall success in the class. They aim to evaluate the student’s knowledge for the taught material throughout the term.

A Term Paper: a term paper can be subject-specific and it is used to evaluate the student’s understanding of a subject, a student’s ability to properly write an academic paper, and/or a student’s ability to conduct research.

Further Information

Best practices for creating summative assessments include:

-        Designing a rubric that is clear and specific regarding the teacher’s expectations.

-        Ensure the assessment is based on the lesson objectives and class activities and class discussions.

-        When using multiple choice questions, avoid negative questions e.g. what is not a fruit?

-        Use blind grading. That is, grade papers/exams without knowing who it belongs to in order to be as unbiased as possible.

Formative Assessment

What is it?

A less formal type of assessment that is ongoing and provides feedback to students. It helps teachers adjust their teaching and students to focus on their weaknesses. It aims to close the gaps in learning and aims to shape the way students think about their learning.

Examples

Exit tickets: exit tickets are questions given at the end of class that aim to gauge the class’s understanding of the lesson/objectives and help teachers differentiate according to each student’s level. These can be used frequently and are not graded.

Homework assignments: Homework assignments are another way to assess student understanding. They are usually graded but they are low-stakes. Homework assignments can help the teacher see where students are having difficulties.

Further Information

To improve the efficacy of formative assessments, teachers should follow the following guidelines:

-        Clarify expectations and what students should know.

-        Encourage students to think about their strengths and weaknesses to help them take ownership of their learning. This can be done orally or through self-reflection papers.

-        Have discussions with students and ask them to express their concerns and provide feedback on which parts of the instruction work best for them.

References

https://www.edutopia.org/practice/exit-tickets-checking-understanding

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/Formative-Summative-Assessments

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/MultipleChoiceQuestions

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This assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems

A key feature is that it requires the student to produce something such as:
-Report
-Experiment
-Performance (which is scored against specific criteria)

Assessments can help educators identify if students are making progress and what adjustments to make to the class curriculum to ensure students are successful in their education.

Performance assessments are also very helpful while evaluating the effectiveness of course lesson plans.

Examples:

Developmental checklists

Portfolios of student work

Progress reports

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-performance-assessment/2019/02

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/performance-assessment

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Diagnostic Assessment
Used to find out students strengths and weaknesses.  It can help to see if the student is interpreting the information correctly.

Ways to do this are:

*Short Quizzes
*Journal Entries
*Student Interviews
*Student reflections
*Classroom discussions
*Graphic Organziers

Before using diagnostic assessessing we need to ask ourselves these question:

1. What assessment tasks will give us the best diagnostic information about the prerequisite knowledge, skills and competencies we want our pupils to develop?

2.Are we clear about the kinds of choices we want information from our assessments to support, and are these choices that we actually can and do act on?

3.How will we best sequence assessments throughout the academic year?

4.When standardised assessments are used, are staff trained in how to interpret the outcomes of the assessment in order to plan the next steps in learning?

5.Are assessments used to diagnose issues at both an individual pupil level and at a cohort or class level?

6. Are assessments being used to inform judicious adaptations to the curriculum?

7. Are teachers confident and able to adapt the curriculum as a result of their diagnostic assessment e.g. take more curriculum time to reteach a concept?

8. Do teachers have the opportunity to work with colleagues to identify efficient approaches to assessment?

9. How are pupils being selected to receive additional support e.g. tutoring? Is reliable data being used to inform those judgements?

10. Is any additional support as a result of diagnostic assessment closely aligned with the curriculum so that that intervention itself may hamper subsequent pupil progress?

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Diagnostic_Assessment_Tool.pdf

Examples of Diagnostic Assessments:

1. Hinge Questions - Usually a multiple choice questionnaire.  Effective when the wrong answers are based on common misconceptions.  The teacher can also use the questionnaire as a discussion on why certain answers were chosen.

2. Quizzing - These can take many forms: short answers, verbal questions, written task, etc.  They’re a low stakes way to see what gaps are in the information that the class has gone through.

3. Reading fluency skills - This is used to gauge students reading level and fluency.  Using this method the teacher can alter instructions to make it easier for struggling readers, work one on one with kids struggling or in small groups.

4. Graphic Organizers - Have the students do a mind map on what they’ve learned throughout the topic so far.  If they are younger students they can get partially filled in mind maps to work from.

5. Entry Slips - These are used for discussion purpose.  Have questions about the topic, and have the students quickly right them down.  Go through them anonymously as a class and have a discussion about the answers.

Advantages of Dynamic Learning

1. It helps you to tie learning outcomes to specific goals and objectives.

2. Diagnostic assessments provide substantial data for creating an effective curriculum that improves learning outcomes for students.

3. It makes the teaching and learning process more efficient by zeroing in on content that needs to be taught.

4. It creates a rewarding and amicable learning environment for the teacher and the students.

Diagnostic assessment allows the teacher to map out a meaningful and efficient instruction plan for the course duration.

5. It creates a baseline for future assessment. At the end of the course, the teacher can compare students’ performance viz a viz their level of knowledge at the beginning of the course, and record any improvements.

6 Diagnostic assessment allows the teacher to individualize instruction. From the data, you can identify students who need extra tutoring on a particular portion of a unit or course of study. In the same vein, if a teacher discovers that a group of students has already mastered a large portion of a unit of study, he can design activities that allow that group to go beyond the standard curriculum for that topic through independent or small group study.

References

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Diagnostic_Assessment_Tool.pdf

https://www.formpl.us/blog/diagnostic-assessment

prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/types-of-assignments/

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(SUMMATIVE)

-Occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgments on student achievement against goals and standards (summative)

-To demonstrate achievement

- usually occurs at defined key points during a teaching work or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students.

* GRADED

EXAMPLES:

-Mastery Test

-Benchmark Test

-Achievement Test

-Midterm exams/ Finals

-GPA/ Degree classification

RESOURCES:
https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8475

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Even though constructivist learning theorists for many decades promoted the benefits of self-directed learning or autodidactism it wasn't until the COVID crisis of 2020 and the mass forced remote learning that most educators had realized that too many students were not suited or prepared to learn online. Why? Justin Reich (2020) points to research in his book, A Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can't Transform Education, which shows that the learners who are most successful in an online or blended environment that requires self-pacing and personal motivation are those who are already successful in school. These self-directed, self-motivated, and academically prepared learners will succeed in any learning environment because they know how to learn and assess the quality of their own work. The problem that we face is that the vast majority of students are dependent on their teachers to direct their learning and to administer standardized testing. If autodidactic learners are able to learn in any type of environment then we should be asking how do we help our learners become autodidacts and adopt a learner's mindset. I have explored this notion further in the post, We Need More Autodidacts and the related Learner's Mindset Discussion.

Our research in the Digital Learning and Leading (DLL) program at Lamar University, our experience in the School of Instructor Education at Vancouver Community college over the past several years, and several decades of related research and experience in a wide variety of learning environments have confirmed that if you create a significant learning environment where you give your learners choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (CSLE+COVA) you can incorporate assessment FOR/AS learning which can help shift a learner toward a learner's mindset. We have also learned through our experience and research that incorporating feedforward or educative formative assessment will also help to continue that shift toward the learner's mindset. By giving learners choice over most aspects of their learning experience and through the use of authentic learning opportunities and ePortfolios, our students over the past several years have incorporated many aspects of the assessment as learning perspective which are essential to the learner's mindset.

Unfortunately, all too often there is a very different learning environment that our students experience in the courses and programs I have developed and instructed than the type of the learning environment that my students are able to create for their learners in their organizations. Finding the right balance between assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning is one more factor that plays a significant role in the learning environment. In much the same way that we have explored and differentiated the role of choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities we have to do the same for assessment OF/FOR/AS learning.

Rather than add to the decades of literature on assessment OF/FOR/AS learning I will draw upon the key ideas and summarize the salient points that are most important to contributing to a significant learning environment.

For those who prefer a more typical written definition the New South Wales (Australia) Education Standards Authority (2017) provide a good summary of "assessment for, as, and of learning"

Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as 'summative assessment', it usually occurs at defined key points during a teaching work or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students. The effectiveness of assessment of learning for grading or ranking purposes depends on the validity, reliability, and weighting placed on any one task. Its effectiveness as an opportunity for learning depends on the nature and quality of the feedback.

Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students' knowledge, understanding, and skills to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as 'formative assessment', it usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.

Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment for new learning.

The following assessment OF/FOR/AS learning table is a compilation of from a wide variety of resources that goes a bit further than simple definitions (Chappuis et al., 2012; Fenwick & Parsons, 2009; McNamee & Chen, 2005; Rowe, 2012; Schraw, 2001; Sparks, 1999):

If we want to encourage our learners to become more autodidactic it would then seem reasonable to shift from assessment of learning to assessment for learning and ultimately get to assessment as learning. We see this perspective from Lorna Earl (2012) in her highly cited text Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximise Student Learning.

Earl's assessment pyramids are featured in many different sources and her argument that the traditional assessment of learning is the dominant form of assessment is widely accepted. Even though she calls for a balance in the use of assessment of/for/as learning her revised assessment pyramid that replaces assessment of learning with assessment as learning as the base of the pyramid still doesn't represent a realistic balance nor an effective way to incorporate assessment into the learning environment.

Rather than view assessment of/for/as learning as hierarchical it may be more effective to view assessment of/for/as learning more holistically as more of an interplay of assessment within the learning environment. The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Ireland (2017) offers a wonderful perspective on assessment of/for/as learning that emphasizes the interplay of the different types of assessment and the key roles that the assessment and the people involved play.

While some learning theorists may desire to craft a potential learning environment that uses assessment as learning, the reality we face, and that our learners face is not theoretical. We live in a world where we use credentialing exams and other forms of standardized testing and while we have seen a recent move toward implementing formative feedback most educators' reality reveals that assessment of learning dominates. Moving toward assessment for learning and assessment as learning will only be possible if we look at the bigger picture. We need to help educators to recognize that we are not asking for a full pendulum swing away from assessment of learning to assessment as learning with assessment for learning somewhere in the middle. We are acknowledging that an interplay of all three is not only realistic it will be the most productive approach to improving the learning environment.

We must also acknowledge that our teaching and learning environment are dramatically influenced by the assessments we use. If we consider assessment of/for/as learning as an integral part of the learning environment and we look to fully integrate assessment as part of the learning process then we do our learners justice by helping them to experience a balance in the assessment of/for/as learning. If we model an integrated approach to assessment of/for/as learning then we will be equipping our learners so that they too can integrate assessment of/for/as learning into their own learning environments that they create for their learners.

While this more focused examination of assessment of/for/as learning may provide a novel perspective for some, we have been incorporating the assessment of/for/as learning inter-relationship in the creation of our significant learning environments and when we give learners choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning. This assessment as learning perspective is a practical way to move into what the researcher Mizerow would argue is transformational learning. Mizerow (2000 & 2010) argues that you do not learn things until you tell someone about what you have learned. The transformation to deeper learning happens in the reflective process and the sharing of your learning process with others.

The entire shift toward the learner's mindset includes the shift toward assessment as learning and you and the following posts and video are a few examples of how we have been supporting and exploring how to help learners become self-directed or autodidactic.

Related posts:
References
Alberta Education. (2003). Types of classroom Assessment http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/types.html

Assessment OF/FOR/AS Learning. (2017, March). [National Forum]. The National Forum for the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education. https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/our-priorities/student-success/assessment-of-for-as-learning/

Chappuis, J., Stiggins, R. J., Chappuis, S., & Arter, J. (2012). Classroom assessment for student learning: Doing it right-using it well. Pearson Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Earl, L. M. (2012). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Corwin Press.

Earl, L. M., & Manitoba School Programs Division. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind: Assessment for learning, assessment as learning, assessment of learning. Manitoba

Education, Citizenship and Youth. https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/index.html

Fenwick, T. J., & Parsons, J. (2009). The art of evaluation: A resource for educators and trainers. Thompson Educational Publishing.

McNamee, G. D., & Chen, J.-Q. (2005). Dissolving the Line between assessment and teaching. Educational Leadership, 63(3), 72-76.

Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, CA.

National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. (2017, March 30). Expanding our Understanding of Assessment and Feedback in Irish Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/expanding-our-understanding-of-assessment-and-feedback-in-irish-higher-education/.

NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.). Assessment For, As and of Learning. Retrieved December 7, 2020, from https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/assessment/approaches

Rowe, J. (2012). Assessment as learning-ETEC 510. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Assessment_as_Learning

Schraw, G. (2001). Promoting general metacognitive awareness. In Metacognition in learning and instruction (pp. 3-16). Springer.

Sparks, D. (1999). Assessment without victims: An interview with Rick Stiggins. Journal of Staff Development, 20, 54-56.

Revised Feb 21, 2021

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Even though constructivist learning theorists for many decades promoted the benefits of self-directed learning or autodidactism it wasn't until the COVID crisis of 2020 and the mass forced remote l...

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(FORMATIVE)

-Occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching

-Involves teachers using evidence about students’ knowledge, understanding, and skills to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as ‘formative assessment’, it usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.

-Occurs throughout a learning sequence

-Progress and learning gaps

-to help students figure out where they are right now

- To help teachers adjust

-done to improve the learning process

* RECORDED BUT NOT GRADED

EXAMPLES:

-seatworks

-Q & A
-Homework

-Quizzes

-“low stakes” graded in-class participation

RESOURCES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atiuuy-

7fBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5If-

qMZqW0 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/wp-content/uploads/Picture1-

1.png https://saskatchewanreads.wordpress.com/assessment-for-as-of-learning/https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8475

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(SELF-ASSESSMENT)

-Occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals

-occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment for new learning.

-self assessment-Even within the assessment, we are learning something
-formative in nature-assess students own learning-reflection of their own learning -
-To self-regulate and critically evaluate-to think about their learning, what strategies they need
-Mechanisms to improve their learning-Metacognitive or thinking about thinking -help students think about themselves as learners

EXAMPLES:

Self -assessment-

Assess student’s own learning

Self-Directed-peer review Reflections

Insights *for monitoring of own learning