Summative vs. Formative Assessment Preference
Published on Nov 23, 2015
Preference of summative or formative assessments
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Although there is definitely a place for both, I rely more heavily on formative assessment as I teach.
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One of the things that I appreciate about this class is that I am being forced to spend time seeking out new tech tools to help in this endeavor.
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Everyone wants to improve their teaching, but sometimes it is hard to find the time to actively seek out new tools, methods, etc. During this course, I just found a site No Red Ink, that I feel will help with formative assessments.
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I believe that if you monitor students along the way, it is easier to catch mistakes before they become habitual. The problems are addressed immediately. Summative assessment tools certainly have their place, but to rely too heavily on them would be a mistake. As I have read in previous discussion posts, we are all well versed in the pros and cons of summative assessments so I will not detail them here.
To put the following in context, I will remind you that I teach Grant based and Pass/Fail ESL classes for adults at Frederick Community College.
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The role of formative assessments in my ESL classes is huge. Students are informally assessed everyday. Corrections are made. If several students are struggling with the same concept, I know that I need to present the material in a different way and vary the practice until the "light bulbs go off". Similarly if the concept is mastered quickly we can move on at a faster pace than planned as well.
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The role of summative assessments is minimal during class, but it does determine whether the student moves up a level during the next term.
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In conclusion, I place more emphasis on the day to day learning and usage, knowing that this will lead to success on the summative exam.
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