Formative vs. Summative Assessment by Melinda Maris https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment What are the differences between formative and summative assessment? What are the characteristics of formative vs. summative assessment? en-us 2016-08-12 13:15:09 UTC 2025-11-15 00:15:28 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png Formative assessments are those used to monitor knowledge acquired during class/training. Those assessments enable the professor to reconduct class, to change focus or to adapt to what students have learnt/need to learn. Summative assessments are those conducted at the end of a course. The main objectif is to evaluate what the student have learnt during the course and to give a grade. https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118121406 2016-08-12 14:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118121406 The comment to the right states that summative assessments only happen at the end of a course; I don't think that that is correct. Isn't the midterm examination (at least in part) a summative assessment, too? https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118401008 2016-08-16 09:45:01 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118401008 Formative Assessments help students to build up (form) further knowledge (with feed-back for improvements) while summative assessments seek to test the student's learning outcomes at the end of a module.  https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118409859 2016-08-16 11:29:33 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118409859 Formative assessment is mainly a feedback tool, as it informs students of their current level, and it is focused on helping them improve further. Summative assesments are aimed at evaluating students' performance on the learning outcomes. https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118544216 2016-08-17 08:06:03 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118544216 Formative learning provides feedback which leads to students recognizing the (learning) gap and closing it; it is forward looking; while Summative learning looks at past achievements, adds procedures or tests to existing work, involves marking and feedback grades to student; it is separated from teaching and is carried out at intervals when achievement has to be summarized and reported.’ (Harlen, 1998) https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118556976 2016-08-17 10:45:13 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118556976 The Garden Analogy: If we think of our students as plants: Summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply measuring them. It might be interesting to compare and analyze measurements but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of the plants. Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the equivalent of feeding and watering the plants appropriate to their needs - directly affecting their growth. https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118557443 2016-08-17 10:49:09 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118557443 Five descriptors https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118577535 On the one hand, formative assessment is dynamic, continuous, student and teacher driven, has low stakes and focuses on feedback.

On the other hand, summative assessment is static, time bound, teacher driven, has high stakes and focuses on grades.

At the same time, I would highlight that both types of assessment are useful and necessary. It is a matter of reflecting on how to combine in order to best achieve the learning outcomes of the course.
]]> 2016-08-17 13:30:39 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118577535 I interpret this as the difference between 'leading indicators (of learning)' and 'lagging indicators'  - cf. Balanced Scorecards. With leading indicators, you still have a chance to correct/adapt; but assuming there are clearly defined outcomes of the learning process (eg. learning objectives, end terms) then you still require the lagging indicators to prove/validate that those have been reached. https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118716905 I did come across one situation where such lagging indicators were no longer measured, since control of leading indicators provided 100% assurance that the outcome was as intended. It concerned a chemical process; but to a large extent the same principles are used in car manufacturing: make sure in-process controls work and you don't need to do a final quality check on the car that leaves the assembly line!]]> 2016-08-18 09:13:20 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118716905 Formative assessments can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work; whereas summative assessments allow professors to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118730185 2016-08-18 11:36:59 UTC https://padlet.com/melinda_maris/assessment/wish/118730185