We primarily use two types of evaluation in our class. A formative evaluation asks, “How are we doing so far?” while a summative evaluation asks, “How did we do?” (Slavin 1991).
Formative evaluations are administered to assess student learning midcourse, and to adjust, refocus, or change the pacing of instruction accordingly. On occasion, formative assessments are given prior to a unit of study to test students’ prior knowledge and preconceptions. Summative evaluations are given to measure final outcomes; these are the “tests” of what was truly learned. A spelling test, end-of-chapter test, and end-of-book test are examples of summative evaluations. The chart below points out the major differences between these two measures as they are used in our class:
Formative vs. Summative Evaluation
|
Assessment
|
Formative
|
Summative
|
Frequency
|
very frequent, as many as one or two daily
|
infrequent (one per week, such as a Spelling test or formal writing prompt)
|
Format
|
short response, multiple choice, true/false, sequencing from 1 to 10
|
open-ended answers, probing questions, essay responses, multi-question pages, multi-page tests
|
Grade Point Value
|
minimal grade weight
|
heavy grade weight
|
Purpose
(for Students)
|
to measure comprehension of, or competence with, recently
introduced skills and concepts
|
to measure overall acquisition of content, skills, and attitudes
|
Purpose
(for Teacher)
|
to adapt, refine, or revise lessons, methods, or content
|
to plan for additional instruction if needed, or to plan changes in future instruction
|
Examples
|
daily quizzes, short answer or cloze (fill in the blank) responses, math facts quizzes, journal responses to reading selections or Science labs
|
Spelling tests, End-of-unit Science and Social Studies tests, formal writing samples, Math unit tests
|
Preparation
|
students are rarely given the chance to review notes outside of class; these assessments are usually given immediately following a lesson
|
announced in advance, prep time and suggested means of review, including study guides, are provided a week beforehand
|
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