What is the difference between a formative and summative assessment?
The main function of formative assessment is embodied in the monitoring of students’ learning, which provides the instructor with the feedback that is further used by him to improve the learning process. Thus, formative assessment is helpful in identifying the student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to formulate the target areas of learning. Another practical application of formative assessment lies in teacher’s recognizing of the problem fields of the students and addressing the problem immediately. Summative assessment, in its turn, aims at evaluating students’ learning by comparing it against a standard.
The frequency of formative assessment is usually not defined, whereas summative assessment is given in some pre-defined intervals. Formative assessment is used for adjustment of the learning process, summative – for accountability.
How does formative assessment inform instruction?
Formative assessments check the students’ understanding in the very process of managing the material and give the teacher the opportunity to improve performance by differentiating instruction and consequently, improving students’ achievements. Formative assessment should be a part of instructional process, giving the information for: 1) gathering information about the quality of the learning process; 2) follow the assessment with the corrective instruction; 3) provide students with several chances to show their knowledge. As far as the teacher assessed the students, he is should ask himself: “What student needs my attention more?”, “Who needs a different approach?”, “What students left unchallenged?” After reviewing the data, the teacher can apply a multi-level instructional approach (differentiating instruction).
References
Machado, J., & Botnarescue, H. (2011). Student teaching: Early childhood practicum guide (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
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