A formative assessment measures how well the student learns a concept during instruction, and the teacher modifies that instruction accordingly based on a student's understanding of the material. Summative assessment tests aggregate knowledge learned in a unit, semester or given length of time.

Formative Examples

Teachers use formative assessments, like daily or weekly quizzes and group work, to measure immediate retention of a newly taught concept.

Assessment Examples

Formative assessments, like end-of-unit tests and standardized exams, analyze student comprehension after students have been exposed to the material over a long period of time.

Function of Formative Assessments

Teachers use formative assessments to provide constant feedback to the student and to open the channels of communication between teacher and student.

Function of Summative Assessments

Teachers assign summative assessments like exams to measure how well the student learned the material and also to compare that score against a federal standard. For example, the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) mandated that teachers issue standardized state tests to measure the adequacy of learned material. One test is called the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT).

Similarity of Function

Teachers can take a summative assessment and use it as a formative evaluation, like end-of-unit tests, to prepare students for the subsequent unit. For example, the teacher may give students the opportunity to correct errors on a test.

Source:

Carnegie Mellon: Whys and Hows of Assessment

Learn NC K--12 Teaching and Learning from the UNC School of Education: Formative Assessment

Georgia Department of Education: Georgia High School Graduation Tests