What are summative assessments?
Summative assessments (often called assessments of learning) are used to evaluate student’s skill levels and academic achievement at the end of an instructional unit. The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn (“Summative Assessment,” 2013). Most of the time students receive a grade or score for the assessment based upon an expected standard.
PortfoliosPortfolios are a common example of a summative assessment. A Portfolio is a gathering of work assembled for the purpose of evaluating academic achievement.
In Education - Portfolios are used to determine whether students have met learning standards or academic requirements for a course or specific subject. They are a physical collection of written assignments, journal entries, completed tests, or anything that shows academic accomplishment of the given standard. Strengths - Portfolio strengths include a completion of student work that can follow the students through grades to career readiness. They show what the students have learned over a measurement of time not just from one specific test. They can be viewed by teachers, parents, community members, and job seekers. Weaknesses - Portfolio weaknesses include time consumption from both the student and the teacher. Grading criteria may not be consistent across the board for final assessment. The assessment takes significant time to grade. Technology - In the 21st century portfolios have been transformed to “digital portfolios” (often times called e-portfolios). They contain artifacts that showcase the students’ knowledge. These still show the traditional documents but now can include student-created videos, multimedia presentations, spreadsheets, websites, photographs, or other digital artifacts to display their learning of the standards. Check out this video on e-portfolios and the benefit they have for student learning and assessment. District Benchmark TestsBenchmark tests are the perfect example of a summative assessment. Benchmark tests are administered throughout the school year to give direct feedback to both the student and the teacher.
In Education - Benchmark tests measure mastery of grade level standards. They are used to help guide instruction. Sometimes they are given as a pre-test to see what level students are currently at. Other times it is used at the end of a semester to see what standards students have mastered or still need to work on. Strengths - Using benchmark tests helps students track their progress over time. It’s easy for the teacher to see if students are excelling, meeting the standards, or falling far below. You can also use them as a grade level comparisons. Weaknesses - Using benchmark tests can create high levels of stress for students and teachers. With all of the pressure put on students to do well it can have negative impact on children’s social, emotional, and academic well-being. Technology - For benchmark testing, technology is becoming the norm. Tests are starting to be administered online. Even if the test is not administered online teachers still have access to web based tools, technology support, and access to innovative curriculum. Follow the link to the ATI website for an example. |
Final ExamsFinal exams are an example of summative assessments. They are given at the end of learning a specific set of academic standards.
In Education - A final exam will measure whether or not a student met a particular objective. This will help guide the teacher to see if small groups or enrichment is needed for the next quarter. The questions should be linked to the given standard and a desired outcome. These can come in the form of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, or extended response format. Strengths - Final exam strengths consist of being time efficient to manage (often times final exams are readily available for teachers). Can involve critical thinking skills if in the form of extended response. Allows students to demonstrate their knowledge as well as test taking skills. Weaknesses - Final exam weaknesses may consist of being hard to develop high quality questions, questions may be misinterpreted, and feedback to students may be limited. Technology - There are many online tools that allow you to create tests. You can easily take an exam questions already made or create your own. Google Forms is a great example of creating a test and allowing specific students/classes to have access to the given test. Follow the link to useful web tools for creating online tests. EssaysEssays are an example of summative assessments when grading the end result. An essay is a piece of writing on a particular subject.
In Education - An essay can be used to demonstrate knowledge on a particular subject or topic. When students are given criteria for grading beforehand students can see what a well written essay looks like. Many times rubrics are given for students to follow in order to demonstrate a full understanding of the standards being assessed. Strengths - Using an essay for an assessment can show individual understanding and higher order thinking skills. They also help develop writing skills and may sometimes include project based learning applications. Weaknesses - Essay weaknesses include time consumption when grading, consistency of grading could be an issue even when using a rubric, and there may be confusion of what is being assessed (content or writing). Technology - There are many online tools and software programs that allow students to create an essay. Essays can be written using a word document such as “Google Docs” and sent directly to the teacher for grading. Blogs and Wikis are also a great resource to create and post an essay for all to view and be assessed. There are even many tools available for brainstorming such as mind mapping to get students started with an essay. Follow the links to some brainstorming tools and technology ideas to help students create an essay. Visit: Teach Thought Educators Technology PresentationsPresentations are many times used as summative assessments. Presentations are a speech given with visuals on a particular topic.
In Education - Presentations are given to demonstrate knowledge on a particular subject. They do this by showing their knowledge through an oral presentation to a particular audience. Normally a teacher will assess using a rubric which is given to the presenter ahead of time. Strengths - Using presentations as assessments gives an understanding of real world application of the standards learned. Helps the teacher measure the level of understanding the student has on the topic. Presentations allow the use of visuals for students to express key points of understanding. It also engages students in active learning. Weaknesses - Using presentations can be very time consuming for both the presenter and the teacher grading. In order to assess every student in a classroom fairly according a pre-designed rubric it could take weeks if not longer. Grading could also end up being biased (focus on content or speaking). Technology - In the 21st century there are multiple software programs as well as online tools to help students prepare a presentation. PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Prezi are just a few that come to mind. There are even tools and media that help enhance presentations in order to get the main idea expressed. Follow the links to some technology programs as well as multimedia tools to incorporate. Visit: CTL U of T Storify |
References
Novak, K. (2014, September 29). Formative vs. Summative Assessments - Katie Novak, Ed.D. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://katienovakudl.com/formative-vs- summative-assessments/
Summative Assessment Definition. (2013, August 29). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://edglossary.org/summative-assessment/
Novak, K. (2014, September 29). Formative vs. Summative Assessments - Katie Novak, Ed.D. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://katienovakudl.com/formative-vs- summative-assessments/
Summative Assessment Definition. (2013, August 29). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://edglossary.org/summative-assessment/
Grand Canyon University
TEC538
Blue Group
Diane Olmstead - Diagnostic
Ruben Urquidez - Formative
Katherine Webb - Summative
Millicent Connor - Norm-referenced
Christopher Murphy - Criterion-referenced
TEC538
Blue Group
Diane Olmstead - Diagnostic
Ruben Urquidez - Formative
Katherine Webb - Summative
Millicent Connor - Norm-referenced
Christopher Murphy - Criterion-referenced