General Assessment Concepts & Tools
What are two types of assessment? Formative and summative.
Assessments have either a formative or summative purpose:
- Formative, or informal assessment, occurs during instruction. It provides ongoing feedback to the instructor and student. The purpose is to provide corrective action as instruction occurs. The information from formative assessment is used to improve student learning. It consists of informal observation, questioning (online discussions), student response to questions, homework, worksheets and teacher feedback to students. It provides feedback that shows teachers where to make adjustments in instruction and shows students where to focus their efforts.
- Summative assessment is done at the conclusion of instruction (a final test or project) to judge the quality of student skills and
knowledge . Summative assessment provides evidence that helps us judge student learning and assigngrades .
