Formative and Summative Evaluation

Formative and Summative Evaluation

There are many different types of evaluations depending on the object being evaluated and the purpose of the evaluation. Perhaps the most important basic distinction in evaluation types is that between formative and summative evaluation. Formative evaluations strengthen or improve the object being evaluated -- they help form it by examining the delivery of the program or technology, the quality of its implementation, and the assessment of the organizational context, personnel, procedures, inputs, and so on. Summative evaluations, in contrast, examine the effects or outcomes of some object -- they summarize it by describing what happens subsequent to delivery of the program or technology; assessing whether the object can be said to have caused the outcome; determining the overall impact of the causal factor beyond only the immediate target outcomes; and, estimating the relative costs associated with the object.

• Summative assessment - Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of a course or project. In an educational setting, summative assessments are typically used to assign students a course grade.
• Formative assessment - Formative assessment is generally carried out throughout a course or project. Formative assessment, also referred to as "educative assessment," is used to aid learning. In an educational setting, formative assessment might be a teacher (or peer) or the learner, providing feedback on a student's work, and would not necessarily be used for grading purposes.

Educational researcher Robert Stake explains the difference between formative and summative assessment with the following analogy:
" When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative. When the guests taste the soup, that's summative. "

Formative assessment

Formative evaluation includes several evaluation types:

• needs assessment determines who needs the program, how great the need is, and what might work to meet the need
• evaluability assessment determines whether an evaluation is feasible and how stakeholders can help shape its usefulness
• structured conceptualization helps stakeholders define the program or technology, the target population, and the possible outcomes
• implementation evaluation monitors the fidelity of the program or technology delivery
• process evaluation investigates the process of delivering the program or technology, including alternative delivery procedures

Summative assessment

Summative assessment (or Summative evaluation) refers to the assessment of the learning and summarizes the development of learners at a particular time. After a period of work, e.g. a unit for two weeks, the learner sits for a test and then the teacher marks the test and assigns a score. The test aims to summarize learning up to that point. The test may also be used for diagnostic assessment to identify any weaknesses and then build on that using formative assessment.
Summative assessment is commonly used to refer to assessment of educational faculty by their respective supervisor. It is imposed onto the faculty member, and uniformly applied, with the object of measuring all teachers on the same criteria to determine the level of their performance. It is meant to meet the school or district's needs for teacher accountability and looks to provide remediation for sub-standard performance and also provides grounds for dismissal if necessary. The evaluation usually takes the shape of a form, and consists of check lists and occasionally narratives. Areas evaluated include classroom climate, instruction, professionalism, and planning and preparation.[1]
Summative assessment is characterized as assessment of learning and is contrasted with formative assessment, which is assessment for learning.
It provides information on the product's efficacy (its ability to do what it was designed to do). For example, did the learners learn what they were supposed to learn after using the instructional module. In a sense, it does not bother to assess "how they did," but more importantly, by looking at how the learners performed, it provides information as to whether the product teaches what it is supposed to teach.

Characteristics

1. It tends to use well defined evaluation designs. [i.e. fixed time and content]
2. It provides descriptive analysis. [i.e. in order to give a grade, all the activities done throughout the year are taken into account]
3. It tends to stress local effects.
4. It is unoppressive and not reactive as far as possible.
5. It is positive, tending to stress what students can do rather than what they cannot.

Summative evaluation can also be subdivided:

• outcome evaluations investigate whether the program or technology caused demonstrable effects on specifically defined target outcomes
• impact evaluation is broader and assesses the overall or net effects -- intended or unintended -- of the program or technology as a whole
• cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis address questions of efficiency by standardizing outcomes in terms of their dollar costs and values
• secondary analysis reexamines existing data to address new questions or use methods not previously employed
• meta-analysis integrates the outcome estimates from multiple studies to arrive at an overall or summary judgement on an evaluation question

Formative versus Summative Evaluation

Formative evaluation is a process of ongoing feedback on performance. The purposes are to identify aspects of performance that need to improve and to offer corrective suggestions. Be generous with formative evaluation. Share your observations and perceptions with the student. You might simply share your observation and then ask the student if (s)he can think of a better approach for the next time. Formative evaluation need not make a judgment. When giving formative feedback, offer some alternatives to the student, e.g., "That procedure will be more comfortable for the patient if you?." If you observe unsafe or questionable practices, address those directly and immediately with the student.
Use the student's patient management documentation as well as your observations of performance to offer formative evaluation. The student's charting reveals organizational skills, priorities, thought process, and judgement. Over the duration of the student's experience with you, point out improvement to the student.
Summative evaluation is a process of identifying larger patterns and trends in performance and judging these summary statements against criteria to obtain performance ratings. The faculty assumes responsibility for completing the summative evaluation at the end of the course. However, faculty rely upon your evidence and perceptions to justify ratings.
The table below compares formative and summative evaluation according to the kind of information provided and the timing.

	Formative Evaluation	Summative Evaluation
What information	Specific description of daily events	General trends based on specific descriptions
	Organizational skills	Overall attitude
	Needs assessment	Comparison with evaluation tool
When to give	At the time of the incident	Mid-point in the course
	End of the day	End of the course
	Weekly re: progress

Give both formative and summative evaluation to the student in private as a general rule. However, formative evaluation is needed if safety concerns arise in a student's practise while with a patient. Also, at times you will lose a learning opportunity if you do not give the student a chance to practise an alternative approach at the time, but reserve your suggestions for a later conversation. Use your judgement and employ tact and sensitivity to avoid embarrassing the student.

Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning

Why Is Assessment Important?

Asking students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter is critical to the learning process; it is essential to evaluate whether the educational goals and standards of the lessons are being met.

Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed.

Provides diagnostic feedback

• What is the student's knowledge base?
• What is the student's performance base?
• What are the student's needs?
• What has to be taught?

Helps educators set standards

• What performance demonstrates understanding?
• What performance demonstrates knowledge?
• What performance demonstrates mastery?

Evaluates progress

• How is the student doing?
• What teaching methods or approaches are most effective?
• What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?

Relates to a student's progress

• What has the student learned?
• Can the student talk about the new knowledge?
• Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?

Motivates performance
For student self-evaluation:

• Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing?
• Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better?
• What else would I like to learn?

For teacher self-evaluation:

• What is working for the students?
• What can I do to help the students more?
• In what direction should we go next?

Introduction

Assessment as Learning is the use of ongoing self-assessment by students in order to monitor their own learning, which is “characterized by students reflecting on their own learning and making adjustments so that they achieve deeper understanding.” (Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education [WNCP], 2006, p.41) The table above provides a summary of Assessment as Learning as a part of a three-part assessment pyramid (taken from WNCP, 2006, 85).
An understanding of Assessment as Learning is essential in a digital age where information is readily accessible and teachers move from being the "knowledge-bearers" to knowledge-guides. Just as teachers guide students through the acquisition of knowledge, they must guide students through the process of understanding their own cognitive processes so that students learn to monitor their own learning and make adjustments.

Metacognition

Metacognition according to Schraw (1998) is the, "thinking about one's own mental processes" or the "regulation of cognition." Thus if cognition is defined as the knowledge or act of knowing then metacognition is understanding one's own knowledge. For students, this means that they understand what they do and do not know. With teacher guidance, they can learn to monitor this; they also learn to seek out the knowledge or develop their skills with this new sense of self-awareness.

Assessment Pyramid image

Assessment as Learning is a part of a three-part assessment model recommended for use in classrooms by the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education (2006). Earl (2003) argues that the traditional assessment model utilizing predominantly Assessment of Learning to report progress and compare students should be replaced by a balanced model including all three of the types of assessments. Figures 3.1 and 3.2 below demonstrate Earl's suggested balance for the three types of assessment: Assessment as Learning, Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning.

Assessment for learning

Assessment for Learning [1], a type of formative assessment, is utilized by teachers in order to gain an understanding of their students' knowledge and skills in order to guide instruction.

Assessment as learning

Assessment as learning, as previously mentioned, is also a formative assessment which focuses on teaching students' the metacognitive processes to evaluate their own learning and make adjustments.

Assessment of learning

Assessment of Learning is a summative assessment used primarily to compare students and report progress according to Earl (2003). Unit tests are a commonly used form of Assessment of Learning.

Assessment definition

Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgements to improve future student learning.

Purposes of assessment

Assessment for improved student learning and deep understanding requires a range of assessment practices to be used with three overarching purposes:

• Assessment FOR learning - occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching
• Assessment AS learning - occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals
• Assessment OF learning - occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards.

 

Principles for assessment

Substantial research exists on the characteristics of good practice for assessing student learning. This research is summarised in the following set of principles.

• The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance
  Good assessment is based on a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and how they might best achieve these. It sets out to measure what matters most.
• Assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn
  Assessment is most effective when it reflects the fact that learning is a complex process that is multi-dimensional, integrated and revealed in student performance over time.
• Assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add afterwards
  The teaching and learning elements of each program should be designed in full knowledge of the sorts of assessment students will undertake, and vice versa, so that students can demonstrate what they have learned and see the results of their efforts.
• Good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student achievement
  A variety of assessment methods provide teachers with evidence of what students know and can do, and their particular strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can then report to parents on how far their child has progressed during the year, where they are compared to the relevant standards, and what the student, the parent and the teacher need do to improve the student's performance.
• Good assessment requires clarity of purpose, goals, standards and criteria
  Assessment works best when it is based on clear statements of purpose and goals for the course, the standards which students are expected to achieve, and the criteria against which we measure success. Assessment criteria need to be understandable and explicit so students know what is expected of them from each assessment they encounter. Staff, students, parents and the community should all be able to see why assessment is being used, and the reasons for choosing each individual form of assessment in its particular context.
• Good assessment requires a variety of measures
  In general, a single assessment instrument will not tell us all we need to know about student achievement and how it can be improved. Therefore, we need to be familiar with a variety of assessment tools so we can match them closely to the type of information we seek.
• Assessment methods used should be valid, reliable and consistent
  Assessment instruments and processes should be chosen which directly measure what they are intended to measure. They should include the possibility of moderation between teachers where practical and appropriate to enhance objectivity and contribute to a shared understanding of the judgments that are made.
• Assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes
  Information about the outcomes students have achieved is very important to know where each student ends up, but so too is knowing about their experiences along the way and, in particular, the kind of effort that led to these outcomes.
• Assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic
  Student learning is best fostered when assessment involves a linked series of activities undertaken over time, so that progress is monitored towards the intended course goals and the achievement of relevant standards.
• Assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection
  All assessment methods should allow students to receive feedback on their learning and performance so assessment serves as a developmental activity aimed at improving student learning. Assessment should also provide students and staff with opportunities to reflect on both their practice and their learning overall.