Formative+and+Summative

Defining Formative and Summative Assessments The terms "formative" and "summative" do not have to be difficult, yet the definitions have become confusing in the past few years. This is especially true for formative assessment. In a balanced assessment system, both summative and formative assessments are an integral part of information gathering. Depend too much on one or the other and the reality of student achievement in your classroom becomes unclear. Summative Assessments are given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. Many associate summative assessments only with standardized tests such as state assessments, but they are also used at and are an important part of district and classroom programs. Summative assessment at the district/classroom level is an accountability measure that is generally used as part of the grading process. The list is long, but here are some examples of summative assessments: The key is to think of summative assessment as a means to gauge, at a particular point in time, student learning relative to content standards. Although the information that is gleaned from this type of assessment is important, it can only help in evaluating certain aspects of the learning process. Because they are spread out and occur //after// instruction every few weeks, months, or once a year, summative assessments are tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of programs, school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in specific programs. Summative assessments happen too far down the learning path to provide information at the classroom level and to make instructional adjustments and interventions //during// the learning process. It takes formative assessment to accomplish this. Formative Assessment is part of the instructional process. When incorporated into classroom practice, it provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening. In this sense, formative assessment informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made. These adjustments help to ensure students achieve, targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time frame. Although formative assessment strategies appear in a variety of formats, there are some distinct ways to distinguish them from summative assessments. One distinction is to think of formative assessment as "practice." We do not hold students accountable in "grade book fashion" for skills and concepts they have just been introduced to or are learning. We must allow for practice. Formative assessment helps teachers determine next steps during the learning process as the instruction approaches the summative assessment of student learning. A good analogy for this is the road test that is required to receive a driver's license. What if, before getting your driver's license, you received a grade every time you sat behind the wheel to practice driving? What if your final grade for the driving test was the average of all of the grades you received while practicing? Because of the initial low grades you received during the process of learning to drive, your final grade would not accurately reflect your ability to drive a car. In the beginning of learning to drive, how confident or motivated to learn would you feel? Would any of the grades you received provide you with guidance on what you needed to do next to improve your driving skills? Your final driving test, or summative assessment, would be the accountability measure that establishes whether or not you have the driving skills necessary for a driver's license—not a reflection of all the driving practice that leads to it. The same holds true for classroom instruction, learning, and assessment. Another distinction that underpins formative assessment is student involvement. If students are not involved in the assessment process, formative assessment is not practiced or implemented to its full effectiveness. Students need to be involved both as assessors of their own learning and as resources to other students. There are numerous strategies teachers can implement to engage students. In fact, research shows that the involvement in and ownership of their work increases students' motivation to learn. This does not mean the absence of teacher involvement. To the contrary, teachers are critical in identifying learning goals, setting clear criteria for success, and designing assessment tasks that provide evidence of student learning. One of the key components of engaging students in the assessment of their own learning is providing them with descriptive feedback as they learn. In fact, research shows descriptive feedback to be the most significant instructional strategy to move students forward in their learning. Descriptive feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well, links to classroom learning, and gives specific input on how to reach the next step in the learning progression. In other words, descriptive feedback is not a grade, a sticker, or "good job!" A significant body of research indicates that such limited feedback does not lead to improved student learning. There are many classroom instructional strategies that are part of the repertoire of good teaching. When teachers use sound instructional practice for the purpose of gathering information on student learning, they are applying this information in a formative way. In this sense, formative assessment is pedagogy and clearly cannot be separated from instruction. It is what good teachers do. The distinction lies in what teachers actually do with the information they gather. How is it being used to inform instruction? How is it being shared with and engaging students? It's not teachers just collecting information/data on student learning; it's what they do with the information they collect.
 * State assessments
 * District benchmark or interim assessments
 * End-of-unit or chapter tests
 * End-of-term or semester exams
 * Scores that are used for accountability for schools (AYP) and students (report card grades).

http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx Formative Assessments are: on going and informal. Formative assessments should be used to adapt to the needs of your students!

These are a few more examples of FORMATIVE assessments:

Exit questions: "your ticket out the door" Write a paragraph Journaling Graphic organizer Text-based questions Notebook checks Quizzes Worksheets Homework assignments Review games Diagrams/drawings/cartoons Oral questioning Nerf basketball review game Pass-the-ball review "What did you learn?" closure questions Vocabulary/concept skits Daily warm-up review questions "Ask the Teacher" forms Pictionary Idea webs Making and supporting predictions Metacognitive reports Group work updates Create a human timeline Create a timeline around the room Compare answers from students of different achievement levels Compare answers from students of different learning styles

Summative Assessments:

Ch. Test Unit Test Spelling Test On-Going Essays Bench Mark Tests

Some formative assessment ideas include:
 · **Criteria and goal setting** o Creating clear expectations § Students need to know and comprehend the learning target/goal § Students need to know and comprehend the criteria for reaching that goal § Students should be asked to participate in establishing normal behaviors for classroom § Students should help determine what should be included in criteria for success § Using student work, classroom tests, or exemplars of what is expected helps students understand where they are, where they need to be, and an effective process for getting there. · **Observations** o Going beyond walking around the room and maintaining control o Observations help teachers to gather evidence of how students learn to help them with planning of lessons. These observations can be recorded and used as feedback for students or parents or future teachers about the students learning · **Questioning strategies** o These strategies should be embedded in lesson/unit planning. o Asking better questions provides § opportunity for deeper thinking § teachers with insight into the level and depth of understanding. o Questions of this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that uncovers and expands learning. o An "exit slip" at the end of a class period to determine students' understanding of the day's lesson or quick checks during instruction such as "thumbs up/down" or "red/green" (stop/go) cards are also examples of questioning strategies that elicit immediate information about student learning. o Helping students ask better questions is another aspect of this formative assessment strategy. · **Self and peer assessment** o Creates a learning community within a classroom. o Students who reflect while “engaged in metacognitive thinking” are involved in their learning. o Self-evaluation is a logical step in the learning process after students have been involved in criteria and goal setting. With peer evaluation, students see each other as resources for understanding and checking for quality work against previously established criteria. o Helps students better understand their own learning from their own classroom work records. This process only engages students, but also helps them see where they started and the progress they are making toward the learning goal. All of these strategies are integral to the formative assessment process, and they have been suggested by models of effective middle school instruction. When an assessment program balances formative and summative assessments, it is clearly seen where a student is in regards to learning goals and standards. Students should be able to communicate this information about their own learning. The more educators know about individual students as they engage in the learning process, the better they can adjust instruction to make sure all students are achieving goals, and moving forward in their learning []  ** [|Great Website on Formative Strategies] **
 * · ****Student record keeping**
 * Balancing Assessment**

Since //Formative// and //Summative// both have to do with **ASSESSMENT**...    What does **ASSESSMENT** mean? The word "assess" comes from the Latin verb "//assidere//" which means "to sit with." Therefore, assessment is done when we "sit with our students," implying that //assessment is something that we "do with" or "for" the students//, not "to" the students.

Some __key points__ about formative/summative assessment:
 * Formative and summative assessments are //interconnected//; they do not stand alone in construction or effect
 * Research has shown that //formative// assessments have the greatest impact on learning and achievement
 * **Garden/plant analogy** - summative assessment is like __measuring the plant__ (measuring itself is helpful but does not impact the growth of the plant); formative assessment is like __feeding/watering the plant__ according to its needs (which directly impacts growth)

__Formative assessment__:
 * Assessment //__for__// learning
 * Taken at various intervals to provide feedback that will improve the quality of student learning and of the course
 * Goals are identified by both teacher and student with the student actively involved in their own learning process
 * Teachers are able to respond to different learning needs and modify teaching approaches
 * Timely feedback is crucial to the success of formative assessment

__Summative assessment__:
 * Assessment //__of__// learning
 * Taken at the end of the course to demonstrate the "sum" of what they have learned
 * They must be "reliable, valid, and free of bias" (Angelo and Cross, 1993).

www.govwentworth.k12.nh.us/**ASSESSMENT**.ppt
 * All information from below link (powerpoint):**

media type="youtube" key="fNtwq5W68bE" height="340" width="560" Summative Assessments  are given occasionally to decide at a particular point in time what students know and understand, and do not know and understand. Many people relate summative assessments with standardized tests such as state assessments and tests, but they are also used at and are a very important part of district and classroom programs. “Summative assessment at the district/classroom level is an accountability measure that is generally used as part of the grading process. The list is long, but here are some examples of summative assessments”: • State assessments • District benchmark or interim assessments • End-of-unit or chapter tests • End-of-term or semester exams • Scores that are used for accountability for schools (AYP) and students (report card grades).  The trick is to think of and relate summative assessment as a means to gauge, at a specific point in time, student learning (level) relative to State and content standards. Although the information that is gained from this type of assessment is essential, it can only be helpful in evaluating specific aspects of the learning process. “Because they are spread out and occur after instruction every few weeks, months, or once a year, summative assessments are tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of programs, school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in specific programs.” Summative assessments happen too far into the normal school year to provide valuable information at the classroom level, and to make instructional (teacher) interventions and changed the learning process of that given school year. It requires formative assessment to accomplish this specific goal.  I found this information at: <span style="color: #383838; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx