Formative and Summative Assessments
Formative assessments are paramount in guiding instruction. Formative assessments are used to gauge where students are during the learning process. There are many strategies that can be utilized to orchestrate formative assessments. Formative assessments are intentional instructional strategies that provide data to the teacher in order to give insight on student understanding of content. This allows the teacher to clarify misunderstandings and to modify instruction in a guided way to ensure student success.
Summative assessments are final assessments in the form of high stakes tests, assignments, or projects that validate student learning of content. Summative assessments are conducted at the end of the learning cycle and do not allow flexibility of modifying instruction. Summative assessments are final demonstrations of learning. Information from summative assessments can also help drive formative assessments in future courses by providing a starting point for pre-assesments or review activities.
"Bloom outlined a specific strategy for using formative classroom assessments to guide teachers in differentiating their instruction and labeled it 'mastery learning.' This paper describes Bloom’s work, presents the essential elements of mastery learning, explains common misinterpretations, and describes the results of research on its effects" (Guskey, 2005)
"The purpose of formative assessment tasks and activities is to provide the teacher with a window into students’ cognitive processes. Formative assessments allow students to show their thinking, and allow teachers a way to see and gauge students’ cognitive processes" (TEAL Center Staff, 2010).
"Asking good questions is central to learning and sometimes can be more important than getting the answers, particularly when the questions encourage students to think critically. 'Skill in the art of questioning lies at the basis of all good teaching ' (Betts, 1910, p. 55). Equally important is helping students use self -questioning to monitor their learning. This fact sheet focuses on both teacher questioning and student self -questioning" (Corley & Rauscher, 2013).
Socratic Questioning:
The website linked below gives an excellent overview explaining what Socratic Questioning is. It also provides tips for developing questions and examples of use. Scroll through the sections to learn more about this effective formative assessment technique. It is a great way to enhance reviews and case studies!
References
Corley, M., & Rauscher, W. (2013). TEAL Center Fact Sheet No. 12: Deeper Learning through Questioning [Fact sheet]. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education. http://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/12_TEAL_Deeper_Learning_Qs_complete_5_1_0.pdf
Guskey, T. (2005). Formative Classroom Assessment and Benjamin S. Bloom:Theory, Research, and Implications (ED490412). ERIC. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED490412.pdf
Macdonald, H. (2004) Geologic Puzzles: Morrison Formation, Starting Point. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from http://serc.carleton.edu.html
TEAL Center staff. (2010). TEAL Center Fact Sheet No. 9: Formative Assessment [Fact sheet]. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education. http://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/9_TEAL_Formative_Assess.pdf
