Every educator and school leader wanted students to perform well in their academics. Because it not just only shows that student achieves success but also determines that educators and school leaders are also successful in their job.
The educator and school leader can help their student to perform better by measuring their performance through Formative assessment and summative assessments. According to a survey of schooleducationgateway.eu, it has been found that most schools do a summative assessment to measure the learning and performance of their students.
Summative assessment is the assessment that is conducted at the end of the lesson or at the end of the session, whereas, Formative assessment focuses on the ongoing learning process. Both equally play a vital role to measure the growth of the student's overall performance.
However, in this blog, we are going to explain both Formative Assessments and Summative Assessments and their differences in detail.
So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
What are Formative Assessments?
Formative assessment is a type of assessment that helps educator to evaluate the student’s ongoing learning progress. It has been designed to not just help educators but students as well. These assessments could help educators to create instruction better in the future for their students according to their learning progress.
Formative assessments can be taken in various forms like class discussions, observation, quizzes and given self-reflection exercises for students. The assessment goal is to gather information regarding student’s overall progress which will help educators to identify every student’s strengths and weaknesses and according to that, they can modify their teaching strategies. Additionally, educators can also give feedback to students so they can reflect on them and make improvements on them.
What are Summative assessments?
On the other hand, summative assessments are typically administered at the end of a learning period to evaluate a student's overall knowledge and understanding of a subject.
These kinds of assessments are generally considered to be high stakes which could determine the student’s advancement to the next class and their final grade as well. Ex- Final exams grades, standardized tests, course-end project, etc.
Now, let’s get to know the differences between Formative and Summative Assessments.
Key differences between Formative and Summative assessments
1. Purpose and Timing
Formative assessments are basically ongoing assessment that occurs in between the learning process with which educators can mould their way of teaching or they can also give feedback to students for improvement. Whereas, Summative Assessment is the assessment that takes place at the end of the learning process to determine the overall student’s performance and final grades.
2. Feedback
Formative assessments are designed to provide immediate feedback to students, helping them to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments. In contrast, summative assessments often provide limited or delayed feedback, as their primary focus is on evaluating students' knowledge and understanding.
3. Focus
Formative assessments focus on the learning process of students to identify the strength and weaknesses of the students to guide them by giving feedback and modifying teaching strategies at the same time.
Whereas, Summative Assessments' main focus is on the end result of the learning process. It aims to measure the student’s overall knowledge to determine the final grades and performances.
4. Impact on Final Grades
Formative Assessments don’t impact much on the final grades as it’s an ongoing learning process. Whereas, Summative Assessments directly impact the final grades of the student because their primary goal is to evaluate the overall performances of every student and determine and help in determining final grades.
5. Timing of Feedback
Formative Assessments are a kind of assessment that is an ongoing process during the learning phase, so it makes it possible for an educator to provide immediate feedback, which could help students to make improvements to make necessary changes to stay on track and achieve their learning goals.
Whereas, Summative Assessments happen at the end of the learning phase so the feedback will come at the end of the session whose sole purpose is to determine final grades and performances.
When to use Formative assessments?
1. Formative assessments are most effective when used throughout the learning process to monitor progress and guide instruction. They can be used at the beginning of a unit to assess prior knowledge, during instruction to check for understanding, and at the end to evaluate learning outcomes.
2. Formative assessments are particularly useful in identifying areas where students are struggling and need additional support. This immediate feedback from teachers could help students to rectify their mistakes and come back on the right track in the learning process.
3. Lastly, by using Formative Assessments educators can make their students self-sufficient because of the continuous feedback during the learning process as it will help them to recognize their weak spots and they can start working on them immediately.
When to use Summative assessments?
1. Summative assessments are typically used at the end of a learning period to evaluate overall student achievement. They can be helpful in determining whether students have met the learning objectives and are ready to move on to the next level or course.
2. Summative assessments can also be used for accountability purposes, providing a standardized measure of student achievement that can be compared across students, schools, or districts. This data can inform educational policies and decisions at various levels.
3. Summative assessments can be used to motivate students by providing a clear goal to work towards. By knowing, that their performance will be evaluated at the end of a learning period, students may be more inclined to stay focused and put in their best effort.
Both Formative Assessments and Summative Assessment is Vital
There is no denying that both assessments are different from one another but both play a vital role to help students to achieve academic success and those teachers who have pursued courses like Diploma in Educational Administration and Management, know it really well.
By having a proper understanding of both Formative assessment (ongoing assessment during the learning process) and Summative assessments (assessment given at the end of learning process which helps to determine the final grades) and their differences, you can learn above and educators can use them strategically, which will ultimately help students to grow academically and achieve success in it.
Find the right course for you and try out the course. WhatsApp us at +91-6292137532. You can also mail us at act@asiancollegeofteachers.com
