Formative and summative assessments unit 3 revised without references

Editor's Notes

• #3: As we continue our discussion on Assessments for Online Learning, our next topic is on Formative and Summative Assessments. It is important for our students to learn content. However, as instructors, we must be able to measure how well our students are learning and comprehending the content.Classroom Assessments are important tools that educators use to effectively measure how students learn. So in this session we will investigate two types of assessments – formative and summative (ETS, 2003, p. 1).we will discover The importance of assessments;What formative and summative assessments are;Provide examples of each;Be able to distinguish what the differences are between the two assessments;Advantages and disadvantages of each type of assessment;What descriptive feedback is;Why providing descriptive feedback for each type of assessment to students is important;Examples of the feedback
• #4: Assessment is part of the systematic process of assessments, evaluation and decision-makingAssessment Evaluation Decision-MakingAssessment is the process of gathering dataAbout instructor’s teachingAbout student’s learning (form & sum assess)Evaluation draws on judgment to determine vaule of information based on assessment dataDecision-Making process designs ways to improve recognized weaknesses, gaps, and deficiencies (form & sum assess)
• #5: There are three types of assessmentsDiagnostic Identifies students current knowledge of subjectTheir skill sets and capabilitiesClarify misconceptions before teaching takes place (Just Science Now!, n.d.; Formative and Summative Assessment)FormativeProvides feedback during instructional process, while learning is on-going and occurring (Formative and Summative Assessment) SummativeTakes place after learning is completed (formative and Summative Assessment) We will concentrate on two most discussed assessments - formative and summativeCategorically, for balance all three types should be used
• #6: Purpose is to move students’ learning forward while their learning is still developing (Heritage, 2011, p. 18).(Heritage, 2011, p. 18)Aids learning (inside black box, 2001, p. 7)Formative assessment practice operates as a feedback loop in which both teachers ands students can play active, distinctive, yet complementary roles in enabling learning by consistently working to build and consolidate student understanding and skills during the course of a lesson. (Heritage, 2011, p. 18)move studen’ts learning forward while their learning is still developing (Heritage, 2011, p.18)Aids learning (inside black box, 2001, p. 7)
• #7: exercises/activities (research papers, essays, wikis, blogs, discussion boards, etc.) (formative and Summative Assessment, p. 2)reflective journals (reviewed periodically during term)questions and answers sessions (planned and unplanned)dialogues between educator and student during termin class activities (seminars)student feedback collected throughout term(formative and Summative Assessment, p. 2)
• #8: provides feedback and information on teaching and learning (formative and Summative Assessment, p. 2)
• #9: rubrics built around set of expectations can be summative assessmentexams (major, high-stake exams (GRE, ACT, SAT, etc.)final exams (true summative assessments)term papers (however drafts submitted throughout the term would be formative assessments)projects (project phases submitted throughout term would be formative assessments)portfolios (portfolios submitted throughout term would be considered formative assessments)student evaluation of course (teaching effectiveness)instructor self-evaluation (formative and Summative Assessment, p. 3) 
• #10: Even though assessment will be labeled formative and summative – how these results are used is what determines whether assessment are formative or summative (Best value, p. 14)Results of formative assessmentDeliver information during instructional proess, before the summative assessmentBoth educator and student use results to determine collaboratively the best methods of promoting further learning (Best value, p. 14)Results of summative assessmentUsed to make judgmentDetermine gradeMeasure program effectivenessDetermine that school has made adequate yearly progressUsually not used for on-going improvement (Best value, p. 14)
• #11: FormativeTimelessness of results enable educator to adjust instruction quickly while learning is in progress Students benefit from the adjustmentsStudents can use the results to adjust and improve their learning(Best value, p. 18)Allows for identification of conceptual errors (Mandernach, form, p. 1)Promotes active reflection on the effectiveness of instruction (Mandernach, form, p. 1)Low stake nature prevents motivation for student cheating (Mandernach, form, p. 1)SummativeStudents use summative results to make decisions about further study by asking questions:What are my strengths?What have I seen myself improve at?Where are my areas of weakness?Where didn’t I perform as desired, and how might I make those answers better?What do these results mean for the next steps in my learning and how should I prepare for that improvement? (Best value, p. 16)Educators must be trained to interpret results and develop formative assessment based on the results (Best value, p. 15)Necessary for determining student’s grades and placement (Mandarach, sum p. 1)Promotes educator and school accountability (Mandarach, sum p. 1)
• #12: FormativeTimelessness of results enable educator to adjust instruction quickly while learning is in progress Students benefit from the adjustmentsStudents can use the results to adjust and improve their learning(Best value, p. 18)Allows for identification of conceptual errors (Mandarach, form, p. 1)Promotes active reflection on the effectiveness of instruction (Mandarach, form, p. 1)Low stake nature prevents motivation for student cheating (Mandarach, form, p. 1)SummativeStudents use summative results to make decisions about further study by asking questions:What are my strengths?What have I seen myself improve at?Where are my areas of weakness?Where didn’t I perform as desired, and how might I make those answers better?What do these results mean for the next steps in my learning and how should I prepare for that improvement? (Best value, p. 16)Educators must be trained to interpret results and develop formative assessment based on the results (Best value, p. 15)Necessary for determining student’s grades and placement (Mandarach, sum p. 1)Promotes educator and school accountability (Mandarach, sum p. 1)
• #13: Formative May be difficult to motivate students’ performance on low stake assignmentsTime consuming for instructor to provide effective feedbackIntensive dedication required to continue ongoing assessmentMay not be practical for large enrollment classes (Mandarach, form, p. 1SummativeTendency for over-reliance on summative measuresMay promote cheating due to high stakes nature of assessmentHas been criticized for promoting “teaching to the test”Does not provide information for correcting errors (Mandarach, sum, p. 1)
• #14: Feedback is an assessment for learning it happens while still time for action to occur (best value p. 17)feedback should be about qualities of student’s work with advice to improve and not a comparison to other students (inside black box, p. 6)gives basis for educators to adjust ongoing teahing & students to adjust learning (next generation 2010, p3)Answers the questions (Where am I going? Where am I now? How do I close the gap?) with criteria learning goals and success criteria providing the standard against which evidence is elicited, performance is compared (by both student and teacher), and feedback is generated to close the “gap” between current learning and desired goals. (next generation 2010, p 16-17) (best value p. 18)Dialog between students and educators should be thoughtful, reflective and focused (black box, p. 7)Essentially giving positive reinforcement even when identifying areas of improvement
• #15: FormativePositive feedback with ways to suggest improvementExamplesWhat you have written is a hypothesis because it is a proposed explanation. You can improve it by …The good stories we have been reading have a beginning, middle, and an end. I see that your story has a beginning and middle just like those in the good stories do. Can you draw and write an ending?You have described the similarities between __________ and __________clearly in this paper, and you have identified key differences. Work on illustrating those differences with concrete examples from the text. SummativeFeedback that is given after tests that educator generatesExamples