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What & Why
What & Why
Assessments measure learning. They are evidence of learning. The best assessment techniques use a combination of different methods to measure students’ progress toward the stated objectives and develop skills needed for their professions and lives, such as writing, speaking, and critical thinking.
Formative assessments (or learning activities) are often low-stakes and not always graded. They allow learners to practice and gauge students’ progress. Summative assessments are often high-stakes, graded, and formal assignments or exams that evaluate students’ progress in meeting a course outcome.
Aim for 3-5 ways to demonstrate learning (e.g., short papers = 40%, discussions = 20%, quizzes = 20%, exams = 20%) and low-stake assessments to allow students to practice before they really must perform. For example:
Weekly quizzes that can be taken multiple times
Multiple peer reviews of a term-long paper
Peer meetings to practice counseling skills before the real thing (ask them to record if you wish to provide feedback)
How To
How To
Create assessments that align with your course goals and learning objectives, space out your assessments to afford students time to process and synthesize information, and create opportunities for formative and summative assessment methods. For large summative assessments, it can be helpful to scaffold the assignment or break it down into smaller parts for students to complete in manageable and sequential pieces.
Taxonomy Circles
Taxonomy Circles
Choosing the appropriate summative assessment requires considering the course's learning outcomes. The domain, knowledge, skill, or attitude being learned, and the outcome level determine the range of assessment options suitable for checking student learning.
Atkinson (2013) created Taxonomy Circles for each domain (cognitive, psychomotor, affective, metacognitive, interpersonal) with verbs for writing learning outcomes and assessment options for each for those verbs. Here is an image that describes the structure of the circles.
Here is a PDF from the Univerity of Connecticut on Choosing the Right Assessment Tools.
Key points
Key points
Align assessments with course goals and learning objectives.
Plan a range of assessments that are both formative and summative.
Map assessments to provide students with weekly or bi-weekly feedback on their course progress.
Checklist
Checklist
Each course learning outcome is assessed by at least one summative assessment.
The cognitive level of the active verb(s) in each course learning outcome matches the cognitive level of the corresponding assessment(s).
The types of assessments selected align with the chosen level of Bloom's in the outcomes.
The assessment instruments are sequenced, varied, and appropriate to the content being assessed.
There is a mix of individual and collaborative activities/assessments.
There are WEEKLY activities to develop students' understanding of course content.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Witikko, N. (2021). Formative Assessments that Support Summative Assessments. The College of St. Scholastica.
Assessment options. (2025). Center for Instructional Design, The College of St. Scholastica.
Assessment Strategies - This page explains the image from above called the "On-going assessment: A diagnostic continuum." Emory University
Formative and Summative Assessments - Definitions of formative and summative assessments with examples and recommended strategies from The Yale Center for Teaching and Learning.
56 Assessment Examples - A list of creative options for formative assessment. They work for all ages of students. (Some apps listed may not be available, but others can be substituted.)
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