Benefits of Assessment Types & How They Work Together to Support Your Instruction

As you’re probably already aware, assessing students’ understanding and attainment can be done in many ways. This could be from self-evaluation and student interviews to formative and summative assessments. All techniques have their place in the classroom. Using a combination of these will create a holistic picture that can really help you understand exactly where your students are at.

Let’s take more of a look into formative and summative assessments and discuss the benefits of assessment and how they can play a part in helping your students grow their knowledge and skills.

All about Summative Assessment

Summative assessment is normally carried out at the end of a year or term, and its purpose is to evaluate a student’s learning of a topic/topics over that time period.

The benefits of summative assessment is that it helps you as a teacher to evaluate your students’ progress from whichever starting point you have identified. It also supports you with identifying gaps between students’ understanding and learning objectives to decide how best to move forward with your instruction.

Methods of Summative Assessment

End-of-unit exams – where students take a formal exam to evaluate understanding.

Portfolio/cumulative work – where students complete work over a longer period of time. This work is put together into one piece of work to demonstrate understanding.

Standardized tests – such as those that are administered to show school results.

All about formative assessment

You might say that formative assessment is more diagnostic and informal than summative assessment. It is designed to give ongoing feedback on a subject area to help you adjust your teaching and learning methods as you go.

Feedback from formative assessments can help give both you and your students an idea of where they’re at and what extra support they might need. Many formative methods fit quickly and simply into daily classroom life, and whilst some feedback may be recorded, on-the-spot feedback allows misconceptions to be identified and addressed in the moment.

Methods of Formative Assessment

Quizzes – these can be created by students or yourself. Ask students questions and allow them to work through incorrect answers as a class so they can gain a better understanding of how to get to the correct answer.

In-class clicker systems – students use clickers to answer multiple-choice questions to check for mastery in the class.

Cumulative presentations – after a subject area has been taught, you could task students with creating a presentation so you can see their thoughts and understanding.

Linking Summative and Formative Assessment

Sometimes there isn’t really a clear line between formative and summative assessment. They can be done in very similar ways.

The main difference between the two, however, is that formative assessment is part of the instructional process and helps you inform changes for your teaching methods. Summative assessment helps see where students are at in their learning.

Mainly though, they are both ways to assess students and are ideal for giving students feedback. They inform instructional changes too, as well as adjust future lesson planning, and sometimes, even the curriculum offered in schools.

What are the benefits of summative assessment?

The benefits of summative assessment are significant in education. These assessments offer a clear and structured way to measure a student’s overall understanding and knowledge of a subject. They provide a comprehensive evaluation of what a student has learned, which is valuable for both educators and students.

Summative assessments help educators make informed decisions about student progress, placement, and future learning opportunities. They also motivate students to review and consolidate their knowledge, as they are aware that their performance will be graded. Additionally, summative assessments help institutions and policymakers evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs and ensure that educational standards are met, contributing to accountability and quality assurance in education.

Ultimately, both assessment types are important to a student’s learning progress. Both look to help students with an end result – improving their understanding and helping them succeed.

It could be said, though, that you should spend as much time on formative assessment as summative. Both are really valuable for students’ success with their progress and understanding.

With both methods, you can help your students succeed and gain insights into their progress and where they are with targets or learning goals. This is why your school’s learning program should consider both, in addition to any other strategies you may use.

Looking for more advice on assessments? Discover our academic assessment timeline and explore how various types of assessment can inform instruction.

Questions about Assessment

What are some different types of assessments?

There are many different types of assessments that you can carry out. They can include formative assessments, summative assessments, evaluative assessments, diagnostic assessments, skill assessments, and more.

What are some examples of formative assessments?

Formative assessments can be administered in many ways. They can consist of group projects, class discussions, entry and exit tickets, and quizzes.

What are some examples of summative assessments?

Summative assessments are ideal for evaluating what a student knows at the end of a period of learning. They can include end-of-unit or end-of-semester tests.