Formative and Summative Assessments Secondary Language Arts PLC: Andrea Bergreen, Jo Lane Jennifer Doerner, RHS Susanne

1. Formative and Summative AssessmentsSecondary Language Arts PLC:Andrea Bergreen, Jo LaneJennifer Doerner, RHSSusanne Cuatt, RHS

2. Anecdotal records Quizzes and essays Diagnostic tests Lab reports MAP test Final exams Statewide tests (OSAT) National tests Entrance exams (SAT and ACT) Formative vs.. Summative

3. Summative Assessment • Summative Assessments are given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know.

4. Some examples of summative assessments: • * State assessments (OAKS) • * District benchmark or interim assessments (MAP) • * End-of-unit or chapter tests • * End-of-term or semester exams • * Scores that are used for accountability for schools (AYP) and students (report card grades).

5. Key to Summative Assessment • Think of summative assessment as a means to measure, at a particular point in time, student learning relative to content standards. Although the information that is gathered from this type of assessment is important, it can only help in evaluating certain aspects of the learning process.

6. Disadvantages of Summative Assessment • Because they are spread out and occur after instruction every few weeks, months, or once a year, summative assessments are tools to help evaluate the effectiveness of programs, school improvement goals, alignment of curriculum, or student placement in specific programs.

7. A Coarse Sieve • Summative assessments happen too far down the learning path to provide information at the classroom level and to make instructional adjustments and interventions during the learning process

8. Formative Assessment • Formative Assessment is part of the instructional process. When incorporated into classroom practice, it provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening.

9. A Fine Sieve • Formative assessment informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made. • These adjustments help to ensure students achieve targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time frame.

10. Think of formative assessment as "practice.” • Students try out a new skill and receive immediate feedback. • Formative assessment helps teachers determine next steps during the learning process.

11. Student Engagement • Formative assessment is most powerful when students are involved. • Students should be thinking critically about their own learning. • Students should act as resources to other students. • Research shows that the involvement in and ownership of their work increases students' motivation to learn.

12. Descriptive Feedback • Provides students with: • an understanding of what they are doing well • a link to classroom learning • give specific input on how to reach the next step in the learning progression.

13. How is formative assessment different from data collection? • It is all about how the information is used. • Formative assessment should • inform instruction and • be shared with and used to engage students.

14. Types of Formative Assessments • Criteria and goal setting with students engages them in instruction and the learning process by creating clear expectations. • Observations assist teachers in gathering evidence of student learning to inform instructional planning. • Student record keeping helps students better understand their own learning as evidenced by their classroom work.

15. Questioning strategies should be embedded in lesson/unit planning. Asking better questions allows an opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of understanding. • Self and peer assessment helps to create a learning community within a classroom. Students who can reflect while engaged in metacognitive thinking are involved in their learning.

16. A Balanced Act • When assessment at the classroom level balances formative and summative assessment, a clear picture emerges of where a student is relative to learning targets and standards. Students should be able to share information about their own learning.

17. Works Cited • Arter, Judith, and Jay McTighe. Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, INC., 2001. • Marzano, Robert J., Debra Pickering, and Jay McTighe. Assessing Student Outcomes. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1993. • Schoenbach, Ruth, et al. Reading for Understanding, A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1999.