Assessments & Review
Everyday, you assess your students in small and large ways. Every lesson, every activity is an opportunity to provide feedback to your students in order to help them improve and grow. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of your curriculum and make adjustments based on student feedback.
The terms formative and summative are generally used to describe the intention of the assessment. If the intention of the experience is to reflect on instruction, change practice, and/or to provide feedback to students for reflection and goal setting, then the assessment is most likely formative. If the intention of the assessment is to score, grade, or provide cumulative evaluation of learning then the assessment is most likely summative.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Examples
Whether planned or not, formative assessments are occurring all the time. When we, as teachers, ask questions or pick up on facial expressions, we are collecting formative data. The ultimate goal of formative assessments is to monitor student learning so that we can make adjustments to our teaching and provide students with feedback on how to improve their learning.
Typically, formative assessments are no stakes opportunities to gauge progress before summative assessments. Formative assessments can be very powerful tools in the teaching and learning process if used effectively.
Summative Assessments
Examples
Summative assessments are the higher stakes opportunities that teachers use to evaluate student learning. It is important that these assessments, whether traditional exams or projects, are aligned with content and skill standards identified for the unit or course.
Typically, summative assessments occur after the students have received feedback from several formative opportunities for students to demonstrate their mastery, however, some summative projects may span the entirety of a unit or semester.
Assessment Best Practices
1. Formative assessments should be recorded but not graded.
Formative assessments are an important feedback tool for both teachers and students, however, if they are just practice towards mastery they should not be counted in the final grade. Creating a policy for no-stakes practice allows the students to focus on the feedback associated with the assessment. Tracking the formative progress can open and inform conversations about why practice is important for success on higher-stakes assessments.
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2. Reassessments are essential to student learning.
Not every student learns and demonstrates that learning at the same pace. To truly embrace a growth mindset in our courses, educators need to provide additional learning and reassessment opportunities for their students. Consider what reassessment or revision might look like in your courses and develop plans for how students can earn those opportunities. Work to place the focus of your assessment practices on individual student learning and mastery.
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3. Providing students choice in the assessment process and involving them in the development of the assessments can lead to greater ownership and success.
There are a myriad of ways that students can be provided choice in the assessment process some of which include the pace, place, path, and method of assessment. D127 student survey data from spring of 2020 overwhelmingly showed that they appreciated opportunities that included choice. Materials addressed in several of the Summer U book clubs also encouraged teachers to include students on the development of the assessments to improve engagement and ownership.
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4. It's okay to be flexible.
It’s important to remember that assessments and their purpose can change. If a majority of students are not successful on an assessment that was intended as summative, educators should have the power to make that assessment formative. If a student performs at standard on an assessment that was originally intended as formative, educators might choose to use that assessment as summative. Instead of being rigid, we should be able to change the purpose and use of an assessment in order to meet the needs of our students. (Miller, Edutopia)
5. More isn't always better (or more rigorous).
In "Fewer Things, Better", Angela Watson notes "Kids don't necessarily learn more because a research project requires seven sources instead of four. They don't become more knowledgeable about a subject area by spending on hour rearranging the text on a slide. And once they've proven they know how to do something, they don't necessarily need to keep doing it over and over."
Really consider what it is that you need to see from the student to prove mastery and then move on. This more streamlined approach could open up time to include more impactful experiences for your students.
6. Develop efficient, effective methods for providing students with feedback; don't overwhelm yourself with "grading".
Many teachers report that they are overwhelmed or burnt out by all of the grading that goes along with teaching. This is especially troublesome when students look just at the score on the top of the page and disregard any other comments that were made. Here are a few questions that might help you develop more efficient, effective methods that focus on student learning.
Does this experience NEED to be graded? If so, why?
Can students check and report on their own work or progress?
Can students provide each other with feedback?
How many questions, problems, attempts is enough? Is this number the same for all students?
What is the best method for providing feedback? (Written, digital, audio, video, meeting, etc.)
What do you expect students to do with the feedback you are providing them?
Are you able to provide timely feedback?
In what ways can you provide feedback during the process and not just when you receive the final product?
Do the grades in the gradebook truly reflect the students' level of understanding and mastery of the content and skills required for the course?
