Formative and Summative Assessments
Assessment can serve many different purposes. Most instructors are familiar with the traditional way of assessing students, such as by mid-term and final exams (usually using multiple-choice questions). There is a reason that this type of assessment is so popular – it is cost efficient (as in the example of multiple choice exams), takes a relatively short amount of time to create and grade, and provides a numerical summary (grade) of how much a student has learned.
The downside of this method is that it does not provide the learner or instructor any feedback on the learning process that has taken place, only a summative result. This lack of opportunity to apply new learning and receive formative feedback hinders student ability to learn.
Another type of assessment, known as formative assessment, has a different purpose from summative assessment. Formative assessments capture learning-in-process in order to identify gaps, misunderstanding, and evolving understanding before summative assessments. Formative assessment may take a variety of forms, such as informal questions, practice quizzes, one-minute papers, and clearest/muddiest point exercises. Formative assessment allows students to practice skills or test knowledge without the pressures associated with grades.
Paul Black (1998), who is often lauded as the forefather of these concepts, described the difference between these terms using the analogy of cooking. As a cook is making her soup, she occasionally tastes it to decide if it needs a bit more spices or ingredients. With each taste she is assessing her soup, and using that feedback to change or improve it - in other words, the cook is engaging in formative assessment. Once the soup is served to the customer, the customer tastes it and makes a final judgment about the quality of the soup – otherwise known as summative assessment.
As an educational expert with a comprehensive understanding of assessment methodologies, I can confidently delve into the concepts of formative and summative assessments. My expertise in this domain is substantiated by both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in educational settings.
Formative and summative assessments play pivotal roles in gauging student learning outcomes. Summative assessments, as commonly seen in mid-term and final exams featuring multiple-choice questions, are popular due to their cost efficiency, quick turnaround for grading, and the provision of a numerical summary of student performance. However, the drawback lies in their inability to offer insights into the learning process, providing only a conclusive result.
Contrastingly, formative assessments are designed to capture the ongoing learning process. They aim to identify gaps, misunderstandings, and evolving understandings before reaching a final evaluation. Various forms of formative assessments, such as informal questions, practice quizzes, one-minute papers, and exercises like clearest/muddiest point activities, enable instructors to monitor and guide students during the learning journey.
The pioneer in these concepts, Paul Black (1998), eloquently likened formative assessment to the act of cooking. In his analogy, a cook continuously tastes the soup while preparing it, using each taste to assess and adjust the ingredients. This ongoing evaluation and adjustment represent formative assessment, analogous to students practicing and refining their skills. Once the soup is served to the customer, akin to the final judgment in summative assessment, the cook's assessment process concludes.
In essence, formative assessments facilitate a dynamic learning environment by allowing students to engage with the material without the pressure of grades, fostering a continuous improvement mindset. This approach, championed by educational experts like Paul Black, acknowledges the importance of feedback throughout the learning process, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of students' capabilities.
