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A great bite-size overview with examples of the types of Diagnostic Assessments.

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Diagnostic Assessment: Examples & Overview

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This video breaks it down in a simple and easy to understand way.

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Performance assessments are a useful tool for evaluating a student's understanding of a subject and if they're able to apply their knowledge in specific situations. Educators use performance assessments often to identify the best methods for teaching students and assisting them throughout their learning process in a course. In this article, we review what performance assessments are, why educators use them, how to use them effectively and give helpful tips on creating performance assessments.

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Summative Assessment Ideas | Study.com

This page describes a few more creative ideas for summative assessments. When we hear "summative assessment", we tend to think of quizzes and tests, but they can also be activities and projects. One example is a scavenger hunt requiring students to do their own research to figure out the clues. Another is a film project, so that students can demonstrate their understanding of the instructional period material in video format. The website also suggests a science fair where students are asked to do projects about the specific material that they're being assessed on. This idea could be adapted to fit other subjects as well.

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Summative Assessments

A summative assessment is a way for you to evaluate your students' knowledge or skill level. Summative assessmentsare performed after you have finished teaching a topic or subject. Some of the most common examples summative assessments include:

However, there are other types of summative assessments that can be done, depending on the subject you teach. Let's take a look at more unique summative assessment ideas by subject.

Social Science Summative Assessments

Social science topics include economics, history, philosophy, religion, and culture. The variety lends itself well to creative summative assessments.

Scavenger Hunt

Create questions based on a topic you just studied or a chapter that you just read in class. Pass the questions out to other teachers and education support staff around the school. Send students to each of your colleagues in turn, telling the students that they must answer each question presented to them to get the next clue/question in the scavenger hunt. Since research is such an important part of social science, you can allow students to research the answer to the question if necessary to move forward in the scavenger hunt. You can think of this as an open-book test.

Film Project

Split students into groups of four. Ask each group to write and film a 5-10 minute movie based on the topic or subject, such as Columbus and his trip to America. Completed movies should be presented in class so that you can see what they know about the topic and so that students can solidify their comprehension by viewing the work of their peers.

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A summative assessment is a way for you to evaluate your students' knowledge or skill level. Summative assessmentsare performed after you have finished teaching a topic or subject. Some of the most common examples summative assessments include: However, there are other types of summative assessments that can be done, depending on the subject you teach.

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Formative vs Summative Assessment Examples | TeacherMade

This page also contains some good examples of formative assessments at the beginning, but the second half is all about different ways to conduct summative assessment. These include unit tests, end of course exams, standardized tests, and college entrance exams. You can also conduct summative assessments online by using a quiz program like Quizizz, which can be assigned to students and graded just like an in-person assessment.

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Formative vs Summative Assessment Examples | TeacherMade

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Educators classify assessment into two broad categories: formative and summative. We'll explore Formative vs Summative Assessment Examples.

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Why should we use formative assessments?
They are a flexible way of assessing a pupil’s progress and their understanding of a certain subject matter. "Formative assessment helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work. It also helps educators and governors recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately."

Types
Formative assessments can take many forms, and often don't look like an assessment from an outsider's point of view. Just a few examples:

Formative assessment examples:

Impromptu quizzes or anonymous voting

Short comparative assessments to see how pupils are performing against their peers

One-minute papers on a specific subject matter

Lesson exit tickets to summarise what pupils have learnt

Silent classroom polls

Ask students to create a visualisation or doodle map of what they learnt

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Quick overview of what formative assessments are, when you should use them and quick ways to integrate them into your overall instruction flow.

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Formative Assessments: Why, When & Top 5 Examples

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These strategies provide ideas for formative assessments. A key to formative assessments is getting the students to show what they currently know so you can build on or fill in a gap. Some of these are very simple and small, but could really influence instruction.

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Formative assessment strategies in the classroom provide both teachers and students with invaluable information about what students understand, and what they don't. These ungraded assessments are valuable guides for students to help them enhance their performance.

They also help teachers determine if further instruction is necessary. When formative assessments are used consistently, and effectively, neither teachers nor students are surprised by their final grades. Some formative assessments can take just a few minutes, while others require longer periods of time. The following are 5 great formative assessment strategies for teachers.

1. Analysis of Student Work

A great deal of information can be learned from students' homework, tests, and quizzes-especially if the students are required to explain their thinking. When teachers take the time to analyze student work, they gain knowledge about:

A student's current knowledge, attitudes, and skills about subject matter

Strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles

Need for further, or special, assistance

The analysis of students' classroom work allows teachers to modify their instruction so that they will be more effective in the future.

2. Strategic Questioning Strategies

Questioning strategies may be used with individuals, small groups, or the entire class. Effective formative assessment strategies involve asking students to answer well-thought-out, higher-order questions such as "why" and "how."

Higher-order questions require more in-depth thinking from the students, and help the teacher discern the level and extent of the students' understanding. You can find plenty of question prompts on our Critical Thinking Cheatsheet.

Another strategic questioning strategy used in formative assessment is to give the students a "wait time" to respond. Studies have found that most students become more engaged in classroom dialogue when higher-order questions are combined with a wait period.

3. Think-Pair-Share

This is one of the many formative assessment strategies that is simple for teachers to use. The instructor asks a question, and students write down their answers. Students are then placed in pairs to discuss their responses.

Teachers are able to move around the classroom and listen to various discussions, gaining insight into an individual's levels of understanding. After a time, the students discuss their responses with the entire class.

Research has indicated that when students are responsible for their own learning, their performance is enhanced. This is another benefit of formative assessment strategies, especially this one.

4. Exit/Admit Tickets

A simple but effective formative assessment is the Exit Ticket. Exit Tickets are small pieces of paper, or index cards, that students deposit as they leave the classroom. Students are required to write down an accurate interpretation of the main idea behind the lesson taught that day, and then provide more detail about the topic.

Teachers review the responses, and gain insight as to which students have fully learned the concept, and those that are still struggling. The information obtained can be used to plan a whole-group or partial-group lesson to re-teach the concept.

Admit Tickets are done at the very beginning of the class. Students may respond to questions about homework, or on the lesson taught the day before.

5. One-Minute Papers

One-minute papers are usually done at the end of the day. Students in groups (or individually) are asked to answer a brief question in writing. The papers are collected and analyzed by the instructor to gain awareness of the students' understanding. One-minute papers have been found to be more effective when done on a frequent basis. Typical questions posed by teachers center around:

Main point

Most surprising concept

Questions not answered

Most confusing area of topic

What question from the topic might appear on the next test?

Without formative assessments, the first indication that a student doesn't grasp the material is when they fail a quiz or a test. Effective and engaging formative assessment strategies like this can take failure out of the classroom.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. Originally published Oct 10, 2019, updated September 21, 2021

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5 Great Formative Assessment Strategies That Never Miss

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Formative assessment strategies in the classroom provide both teachers and students with invaluable information about what students understand, and what they don't. These ungraded assessments are valuable guides for students to help them enhance their performance. They also help teachers determine if further instruction is necessary.

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Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed.

Teacher Beverly Hoeltke goes over Key Learning's unconventional progress report -- which includes self-assessment -- with a student and his mother.

Grant Wiggins, a nationally recognized assessment expert, shared his thoughts on performance assessments, standardized tests, and more in an Edutopia.org interview. Read his answers to the following questions from the interview and reflect on his ideas:

What distinction do you make between 'testing' and 'assessment'?

Why is it important that teachers consider assessment before they begin planning lessons or projects?

Standardized tests, such as the SAT, are used by schools as a predictor of a student's future success. Is this a valid use of these tests?

Do you agree with his statements? Why or why not? Discuss your opinions with your peers.

When assessment works best, it does the following:

Provides diagnostic feedback

What is the student's knowledge base?

What is the student's performance base?

What are the student's needs?

What has to be taught?

Helps educators set standards

What performance demonstrates understanding?

What performance demonstrates knowledge?

What performance demonstrates mastery?

Evaluates progress

How is the student doing?

What teaching methods or approaches are most effective?

What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?

Relates to a student's progress

What has the student learned?

Can the student talk about the new knowledge?

Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?

Motivates performance
For student self-evaluation:

Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing?

Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better?

What else would I like to learn?

For teacher self-evaluation:

What is working for the students?

What can I do to help the students more?

In what direction should we go next?

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Assessment of Learning:
The purpose of this kind of assessment is usually SUMMATIVE and is mostly done at the end of a task, unit of work etc.
Assessment of Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affect students’ futures. It is important,
then, that the underlying logic and measurement of assessment of learning be credible and defensible.”

Teachers' responsibility:
Teachers have the responsibility of reporting student
learning accurately and fairly, based on evidence
obtained from a variety of contexts and applications.

Assessment for Learning:
It happens during the learning, often more than once, rather than at the end. Students understand exactly what they are to learn, and what is expected of them and are given feedback and advice on how to improve their work.

In Assessment for Learning, teachers use assessment
as an investigable tool to find out as much as they can
about what their students know and can do, and what
confusions, preconceptions, or gaps they might have.

Assessment as Learning:
Through this process, students are able to learn about themselves as learners and become aware of how they
learn – become metacognitive (knowledge of one’s own thought processes). Students reflect on their work on a regular basis, usually through self and peer assessment, and decide (often with the help of the teacher, particularly in the
early stages) what their next learning will be. Assessment as learning helps students to take more
responsibility for their own learning and monitor
future directions.

Questions to ask:
•  What is the purpose of learning these concepts and skills?
• What do I know about this topic?
• What strategies do I know that will help me learn this?
• Am I understanding these concepts?
• What are the criteria for improving my work?
• Have I accomplished the goals I set for myself?

Teachers' Role:
•  guide students in setting their own goals, and monitoring their progress toward them
• provide exemplars and models of good practice and quality work that reflect curriculum outcomes
• work with students to develop clear criteria of good practice

There are a variety of methods that can be used for assessment of, for and as learning. The important thing to clarify is what is the purpose of the assessment and then select the method that best serves the purpose in the particular context.

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What Is Performance Assessment?
The Performance Assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.

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What is diagnostic assessment?
Diagnostic assessments are sets of written questions (multiple choice or short answer) that assess a learner's current knowledge base or current views on a topic/issue to be studied in the course.

Diagnostic assessment examples include pre-assessment tests that give you a snapshot of or diagnose knowledge to screen students. For instance, if a teacher wants to start a lesson on two-digit multiplication with young pupils, they can use diagnostic assessment to make sure the lesson is delivered well.

Why use diagnostic assessment?
It allows teachers to determine students individual strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills prior to instruction.

What is the different type of diagnostic assessment?
The types of assessments often used for the diagnostic assessment process include universal screening, classroom observations, progress monitoring, and qualitative data that are specific to the learning gap.

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Summative Assessment Definition (edglossary.org)

Summative assessments are assessments that are used to judge student learning at the end of an instructional period. This could be a long period, like a semester or the entire school year, or it could be for a shorter period like the end of a chapter or unit. Since these assessments are at the end of the period, they are generally used to evaluate whether students have reached the learning milestones the teacher expected of them, and are not meant to provide diagnostic information. They can however provide the teacher with data to show how many students performed well in different aspects of the course, which can be used to adjust approach if necessary in the next semester or school year.

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Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period-typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria:

The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn. In other words, what makes an assessment "summative" is not the design of the test, assignment, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used-i.e., to determine whether and to what degree students have learned the material they have been taught.

Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic-i.e., they are more appropriately used to determine learning progress and achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, or make course-placement decisions, among other possible applications.

Summative-assessment results are often recorded as scores or grades that are then factored into a student's permanent academic record, whether they end up as letter grades on a report card or test scores used in the college-admissions process. While summative assessments are typically a major component of the grading process in most districts, schools, and courses, not all assessments considered to be summative are graded.

Summative assessments are commonly contrasted with formative assessments, which collect detailed information that educators can use to improve instruction and student learning while it's happening. In other words, formative assessments are often said to be for learning, while summative assessments are of learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, "When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that's summative assessment." It should be noted, however, that the distinction between formative and summative is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may have divergent interpretations and opinions on the subject.

Some of the most well-known and widely discussed examples of summative assessments are the standardized tests administered by states and testing organizations, usually in math, reading, writing, and science. Other examples of summative assessments include:

End-of-unit or chapter tests.

End-of-term or semester tests.

Standardized tests that are used to for the purposes of school accountability, college admissions (e.g., the SAT or ACT), or end-of-course evaluation (e.g., Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams).

Culminating demonstrations of learning or other forms of "performance assessment," such as portfolios of student work that are collected over time and evaluated by teachers or capstone projects that students work on over extended periods of time and that they present and defend at the conclusion of a school year or their high school education.

While most summative assessments are given at the conclusion of an instructional period, some summative assessments can still be used diagnostically. For example, the growing availability of student data, made possible by online grading systems and databases, can give teachers access to assessment results from previous years or other courses. By reviewing this data, teachers may be able to identify students more likely to struggle academically in certain subject areas or with certain concepts. In addition, students may be allowed to take some summative tests multiple times, and teachers might use the results to help prepare students for future administrations of the test.

It should also be noted that districts and schools may use "interim" or "benchmark" tests to monitor the academic progress of students and determine whether they are on track to mastering the material that will be evaluated on end-of-course tests or standardized tests. Some educators consider interim tests to be formative, since they are often used diagnostically to inform instructional modifications, but others may consider them to be summative. There is ongoing debate in the education community about this distinction, and interim assessments may defined differently from place to place. See formative assessment for a more detailed discussion.

Reform

While educators have arguably been using "summative assessments" in various forms since the invention of schools and teaching, summative assessments have in recent decades become components of larger school-improvement efforts. As they always have, summative assessments can help teachers determine whether students are making adequate academic progress or meeting expected learning standards, and results may be used to inform modifications to instructional techniques, lesson designs, or teaching materials the next time a course, unit, or lesson is taught. Yet perhaps the biggest changes in the use of summative assessments have resulted from state and federal policies aimed at improving public education-specifically, standardized high-stakes tests used to make important decisions about schools, teachers, and students.

Debate

While there is little disagreement among educators about the need for or utility of summative assessments, debates and disagreements tend to center on issues of fairness and effectiveness, especially when summative-assessment results are used for high-stakes purposes. In these cases, educators, experts, reformers, policy makers, and others may debate whether assessments are being designed and used appropriately, or whether high-stakes tests are either beneficial or harmful to the educational process. For more detailed discussions of these issues, see high-stakes test , measurement error , test accommodations , , score inflation , standardized test , and value-added measures .

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Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period-typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria: The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students [...]

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What is formative Assessment:
“Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners.”

Formative assessments should be quick and seamlessly integrate into instruction. These assessments are not usually part of collecting grades, but serve more to guide the teaching process based on how and wha the students are learning.

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Human-centered formative assessment drives long-term, holistic success for students. Because there is still confusion around this type of assessment, let's explore what it is and why it should be a part of our responsive teaching and learning cycles.

"Formative assessment" defined

As an organization, NWEA subscribes to the revised definition from CCSSO: "Formative assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners."

Let's take a closer look at the key phrases in that definition:

"Planned, ongoing process." Formative assessment is a continuous, low- or no-stakes, responsive process comprised of practices, methods, and tools that are selected to support all students in reaching challenging learning goals. Teachers and students collaborate to use this kind of assessment in responsive ways that positively impact learners and learning. They partner to know and respond to strengths, interests, and needs.

"All students and teachers during learning and teaching." Formative assessment is a collaborative learning process happening "with" students, not "to" students.

"Elicit and use evidence of student learning." Formative assessment processes capture levels of knowledge and skill along the learning journey so teachers and students can make small, immediate, impactful decisions to support well-being, learning-goal achievement, and self-efficacy. Using formative assessment evidence is appropriate for making decisions during the practice phases of learning; formative assessment scores are not appropriate for calculating grades or for making placement decisions.

"Support students to become self-directed learners." This type of assessment includes students as active agents in the learning journey, which fuels learning and agency in learning environments and beyond. Engaging students in goal setting is a great way to do this.

What does formative assessment look like?

Little is required to start formative assessment processes because they can begin with a variety of methods and tools. Instead of specific programs, supplies, or resources, effective processes involve partnering with students to incorporate the following five practices into cycles of responsive teaching and learning.

Clarifying learning goals and success criteria within a broader progression of learning. Students should have context for what they're learning: why they're learning it, how it connects to previous lessons and their own interests, and what success looks like. Having goal clarity, purpose, and a path promotes student motivation and agency.

Eliciting and analyzing evidence of student thinking. Whether it's capturing ideas on a whiteboard, responding to an online survey, or giving a thumbs-up or down in response to a check for understanding, an effective process centers on knowing learning goals, then gathering, interpreting, and responding to learning-goal evidence.

Engaging in self-assessment and peer feedback. This type of assessment is more than providing feedback from teacher to student. As I explained in "The importance of student self-assessment," having students reflect on their progress helps them become active participants in their learning. The process should also involve students collaborating with each other, asking questions, making observations, celebrating successes, and suggesting improvements in ways that support them in attaining challenging learning goals.

Using actionable feedback. Once learning evidence is collected, teachers work with students to ensure that they have both the time and processes to apply feedback in ways that move learning forward.

Responding by adjusting learning strategies or next instructional steps. This practice is the "why" of formative assessment. To make the process effective, we must collaborate with students to use evidence and insights to propel learners toward shared and personal short- and long-term goals.

Why formative assessment is so important

As my colleague Chase Nordengren noted, "[f]ormative assessment is [critical] for educators looking to unlock in-depth information on student learning. [...] Using strategies that expose misconceptions, support higher-level thinking within a subject, and engage students in academic discourse, formative assessment provides the real-time feedback necessary to dynamically adjust instruction to meet learner needs as they emerge and change."

In short, formative assessment helps us evaluate whether our plans and responsive "moves" are working, while there's still time to do something about it. It celebrates that learning is an ongoing process, complete with stretches of success and periods of struggle, and it helps us remember that learning is not linear but, instead, an endeavor that rewards effort, persistence, and dedication. Best of all, it helps us collaborate with students as co-partners in the entire learning experience. Together we are a learning team, one that makes anything possible.

Ready for more?

There is no shortage of information and resources available on formative assessment. For easy-to -implement, research-based strategies, check out our eBook, Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice, and our article "27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning." Our professional learning team also offers five workshops that can engage you and your colleagues in deep dives designed and delivered by expert educators.

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Reliable assessment data drives positive long-term outcomes for kids. Formative assessment is a critical part of a balanced system.