formative and summative assessments early childhood education

Formative vs Summative Assessment in Early Childhood Education

Monitor preschoolers’ performance with effective assessment strategies.

• brightwheel
• Child development

Assessment in early childhood education helps preschool teachers ascertain whether children are learning the content and skills they’re teaching. Assessment also helps teachers identify learning gaps and develop strategies to help children achieve their goals.

Educators use various formal and informal assessment methods. Formal methods include standardized tests and questionnaires, while informal methods include collecting data, observations, and portfolios. 

The most common types of assessment are formative and summative . As a preschool teacher, you might be familiar with these terms but still need clarification about how they work. In this article, we’re discussing how they differ and how to apply each in the classroom.

What is formative assessment?

Formative assessment gauges a child’s understanding during the learning process. It helps teachers answer essential questions like: Is the learning on track? What teaching strategies should be removed or improved? For example, imagine teaching preschoolers numbers 1-10, but most didn’t grasp the concept. Formative assessment provides teachers with real-time feedback to recognize where the children are unable to grasp concepts and gives them data to address any issues immediately.

Formative assessment is primarily informal , which works great for preschoolers as they learn best through play, exploration, and interaction. Through daily interaction with and observation of the children, you can collect information on their accomplishments, needs, interests, social skills, and behavior.  You can assess their learning in various scenarios like group instruction and activities, center rotations, recess, lunch, and individually working with them.

Formative assessment helps preschool teachers adjust instruction to meet each child’s needs as they grow and change. For example, a child finding it difficult to grasp concepts from a workbook might benefit from using physical objects or playing a game. Common examples of formative assessment include observation, one-to-one conversations, and samples of children’s work.

What is summative assessment?

Summative assessment happens at the end of a learning period and evaluates cumulative learning. It helps teachers gauge a child’s understanding and proficiency after a unit, lesson, or semester. After the learning period, teachers grade a child’s performance against a standard or benchmark. For example, while using a preschool assessment form , the teacher may write the letter “M” to indicate a child has mastered the alphabet or “D” to show a child is still developing a specific skill, like counting up to 10.

Summative assessments affect a child’s ability to progress to the next level or unit. For example, you may need to repeat lessons for a child who hasn’t grasped some concepts. On the other hand, a child who has mastered the concepts will move on to the next learning level. Summative assessment also helps highlight gaps in the curriculum and instruction so teachers can recognize where they need to change teaching strategies.

Difference between formative and summative assessment

Now that you understand the meanings of formative and summative assessments, let’s look at what makes them different.

Formative assessment is generally low stakes , and is mainly done by observation and interaction. On the other hand, summative assessment is usually high stakes because it’s graded and tends to have consequences if a child hasn’t mastered key concepts.

Formative assessments are primarily informal, allowing children to participate without knowing they are being assessed. On the other hand, summative assessments can be graded in alignment with instruction goals and expected outcomes, and in some cases, the child might be aware that you’re assessing them.

The time frame is one of the most significant differences between these two types of assessment. Formative assessments happen during the learning period and are ongoing as the teacher deems appropriate. However, summative assessments are often one-off at the end of the learning period.

Formative assessment focuses on improving how a child learns. It helps monitor the child’s learning progress so that teachers can catch problems early and adjust their instruction method if necessary. Summative assessment focuses more on evaluating the overall understanding of what children have learned.

Formative assessment covers small areas of learning, while summative assessment covers a large portion of learning. For example, a teacher will monitor the performance of a child’s recognition of the number “1” when performing a formative assessment and test the child’s recognition of numbers 1-10 when conducting a summative assessment.

Examples of formative assessment in early childhood education

Preschool formative assessments help teachers monitor children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Examples include:

Observation

Teachers must observe children to determine whether they engage in the lessons and grasp essential concepts. However, monitoring and observation shouldn’t be limited to the classroom but should also go onto the playground during recess. Two childhood observation methods you can use include anecdotal records and running records. Anecdotal records are brief notes taken by a teacher detailing a child’s actions and comments during an activity. These notes are typically written in past tense and answer the questions “what, where, and when” of a specific activity. Running record observations on the other hand are written in the present tense, offering a detailed account of a child’s actions and interests as they happen.

Teachers will have a general idea of a child’s development by observing their behavior, interests, social skills, academic accomplishments, and more. Monitoring will help teachers understand the child's needs and what areas to spend more time on. An excellent way for educators to keep their observations organized is to print index cards with space for details like the date, the child’s name, a skill you’re assessing, and observations.

Samples of children’s work

Samples of children’s work, like drawings, crafts, and paintings, help their families understand what the children are learning. It’s helpful to include a few notes to explain the sample so the family has context on what the child was doing or what skill they were learning. Save each child’s samples in an individual folder or box.

One-to-one conversations

One-to-one conversations are effective because you get the opportunity to  interact with the child directly and really understand what a child knows and how they came to that knowledge. To dig deeper into a child’s understanding, ask questions like “ How did you figure that out? ”,  “ Tell me how you know ”,  “ Why do you think that? ” Remember to follow these up with clarifying questions.

Family communication

Summative assessment examples for early childhood.

While formative assessments are typically preferred in early education settings, summative assessments can still be used to gauge a child’s overall development and understanding.

Progress report cards

Progress report cards give families a quick and clear look at what areas the child is excelling in and where they need to improve. Ensure that you cover the child's progress in the main developmental areas—language, social-emotional development, physical skills, and cognitive skills. Your specific program will determine how often you issue a progress report card, however, quarterly or semi-annually is a great place to start.

Hands-on performance tasks

Performance tasks are practical, simple, and straightforward tasks that allow children to put their knowledge to work. They can help teachers evaluate specific skills such as color knowledge, pattern skills, or counting skills. For example, if you want to assess color knowledge and pattern skills, place manipulatives of three different colors in front of the child. Then ask them, “ Can you put all the yellow bears together, all the blue bears together, and all the green ones together? ” You can also do the same for different shapes. 

A portfolio is a structured way to document a child’s learning progress and growth over a period of time. It can include any material that highlights a child’s development such as drawings or art samples, photographs documenting a specific activity, or descriptions of conversations with the child. The portfolio can be a digital collection of records, a physical portfolio, or a combination of both.

The bottom line

The importance of formative and summative assessment in early childhood education can’t be overstated. While formative tools are an assessment “for” learning, summative tools are an assessment “of” learning. Both forms are effective, especially when you use them together.

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Excerpt from Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment

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Introduction.

by Shannon Riley-Ayers   Educators who understand the process and benefits of collecting information on what children know and can do and then using it to guide instruction and promote children’s learning—known as formative assessment —embrace it.   Formative assessment is a critical piece of a balanced, comprehensive system of assessment for young children that also includes screening, diagnostic tests, and summative assessments (Riley-Ayers 2014). It occurs over time in varied situations and through natural observation and documentation in authentic contexts, like a teacher writing an anecdotal note about a toddler’s discovery of different textures while playing with materials in the art area. Formative assessment often involves work samples or products that children generate or create, like a second grader’s poem or a preschooler’s painting. It is the most appropriate assessment approach for young children because their development is highly complex, dynamic, and often erratic and uneven (Ackerman & Coley 2012), which makes it difficult to capture learning through one-time assessments that provide only a snapshot of a child in a particular moment. Formative assessment can also shed light on those areas of a child’s development—such as social and emotional skills and approaches to learning—that other types of assessment often overlook.

What Formative Assessment Isn’t—and Is

Formative assessment provides a process for teachers to gather evidence of children's learning and to make instructional decisions. This type of assessment

Is not standardized, with a one-size-fits-all model. While it is systematic in that it has a fixed plan and structure, it is individualized, flexible to meet the context, and comprehensive. It considers every aspect of a child’s learning and development, not just her academic understandings.

Is not simply the act of collecting information. It is the collection and use of the information to inform instruction, plan interactions that scaffold learning, and communicate children’s progress to them, their families, and others.

Is not punitive. It acknowledges individual learning and a range of development trajectories. It values where children are, what they bring to the learning environment, and where they are ready to go next. It is a strengths-based approach that allows successes to be celebrated and used as building blocks for further development and learning.

Does not take time away from learning and exploring. Rather, it embraces play and exploration; since children demonstrate stronger skills through play (Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2009) and play enhances their learning (Ilgaz et al. 2018), teachers get a more complete picture of a child’s knowledge and abilities with formative assessment. Teaching is assessment, and assessment is teaching—they are not separate acts.

Is not intended to be used to make high-stakes decisions about a child or teacher. While results from formative assessments can provide insight into such decision making as part of a comprehensive approach, the data they provide are not intended to be used alone. 

From Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment , edited by H. Bohart & R. Procopio. Copyright © 2018 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

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Observation, assessment and planning

Key points: Formative assessment is an integral part of teaching young children. Practice starts with the child, and grows in partnership. Responsive pedagogy is needed to recognise what children know, understand, and can do. Children and adults construct the curriculum together. Observation, assessment and planning is part of professional practice. Summative assessment involves stepping back to gain an overview of children’s development and progress. Reliable summative assessment grows out of formative assessment. An informed professional decision is based on a holistic view of a child’s development and learning. Summative assessment serves several purposes that can enhance development and learning opportunities for children, including by informing improvements to provision and practice in the setting.  

Formative assessment is an integral part of teaching young children. Children’s development and learning is best supported by starting from the child, and then matching interactions and experiences to meet the child’s needs. The observation, assessment and planning (OAP) cycle describes what is frequently called assessment for learning, or formative assessment.  On-going formative assessment is at the heart of effective early years practice. It involves observation of children as a part of all activity, which is most often held in the mind of the practitioner but may sometimes be documented, using this rich information to understand how a child is developing, learning and growing, and then planning the next steps for the adults in supporting and extending the learning.

Practice starts with the child, and grows in partnership. Effective practice begins with observation, tuning into the child and then building a relationship. Professionally informed knowledge of child development then supports understanding children’s interests, development and learning, and planning for next steps. This process should involve the child, parents and carers, and other professionals. 

• From the earliest age children should be involved in choices about their own learning.   The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 12 states the right of the child to express their views and have their views taken seriously.
• Parents are essential partners, sharing their views and observations about the child’s development and being involved in planning what opportunities and experiences to offer the child next. 
• Working in partnership with other professionals, community and support groups connects everyone who is involved with the child and family, bringing a clearer picture of the child’s needs and rights.

Each child‘s own unique pathway of development and learning involves many elements woven together in a holistic form. Observation, assessment and planning (OAP) makes this holistic development visible, so children’s thinking and understanding can be shared with parents and carers, other professionals, and with children themselves.

Responsive pedagogy is needed to recognise what children know, understand, and can do. In a supportive and challenging enabling environment children demonstrate their learning and understanding in a wide range of contexts that have meaning to them.  Responsive adults tune into their  play, interactions and thinking, identifying how best to support their ideas, interests and priorities. Sensitive interactions involve listening, guiding, explaining, asking appropriate questions and helping children to reflect on their learning in a playful, co-constructive  partnership. The process of OAP is central to being attuned to children and to understanding what they  can do with support, as well as what they know and can do without adult direction. When children apply the skills and concepts they have mastered  in a variety of different ways in their independent play and activities, their understanding is clearly embedded.

Children and adults construct the curriculum together. Keeping the OAP cycle at the heart of our practice enables practitioners to build on children’s motivations and interests to support and extend their development and learning. The curriculum is co-constructed between children, practitioners and families through this process. Children bring funds of knowledge-based interests to the setting, and they are motivated to learn through connecting new experiences to what they already know and can do.  Practitioners can support these interests while also keeping in mind that they need to introduce children to new ideas and knowledge and sensitively support and guide their learning in all areas, including the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

The curriculum will include attention to the Areas of Learning and Development which summarise some of what children learn. The curriculum must, however, be more than a list of skills and knowledge to be achieved.  The EYFS principle says every unique child is “constantly learning”. Children learn from all their experiences, not just those that have been planned or intended.  The curriculum needs to take account of children’s learning not just in the Areas of Learning and Development, but also in how they see themselves as learners and how they are building the strong foundations for lifelong learning described in the Characteristics of Effective Learning.  Howchildren learn, and how they learn about their own learning, should also be an integral part of the curriculum.  Observing how children learn often helps practitioners to see what children understand.

Observation, assessment and planning is part of professional practice. Throughout the OAP cycle and summative assessment, informed decisions about the child’s development, learning and progress need to be as objective as possible, calling on the variety of information about the child to make a “best-fit” decision. The OAP cycle is a reflective and ongoing process which enables consideration of children’s development and how to support individual children through effective practice. It supports quality improvement as  practitioners use their knowledge, skills and evidence gathered from OAP to reflect on the quality of education and care the children receive, and think about how to improve practice.

Summative assessment involves stepping back to gain an overview of children’s development and progress. When daily interactions involve observing, reflecting and deciding how best to support a child, practitioners hold in their mind many details of each child’s development and learning.  At certain times it is important to step back, to pause and reflect, and create a summative assessment which takes a holistic overview of the child’s development, learning and progress. 

Summative assessments are made to provide a summary of a child’s development and learning across all areas. There are two statutory summative assessment points in the EYFS – the 2-year-old progress check, and the EYFS Profile at the end of the EYFS. Settings may decide on further summative assessment points.

Reliable summative assessment grows out of formative assessment. Summative assessment should not be a time-consuming process.  It should be a straightforward summary, pulling together insights from formative assessment and then making a professionally informed decision about the child’s development and learning. It requires a pause to think about what is known about the child, together with reviewing any notes, photographs or other records that may be held, alongside what is known from the child, parents, colleagues and other professionals. This process is an excellent opportunity for professional reflection and discussions with colleagues to moderate decisions about progress and build a stronger understanding of children’s development in all aspects of learning.

An informed professional decision is based on a holistic view of a child’s development and learning. Young children’s development does not follow a predictable step-by-step sequence, and each child will have their own unique pathway, progression and momentum. There are, however, some aspects of development which enable you to describe the child’s progress in terms of whether it is typical for their age, for example learning to talk. Practitioners need to consider overall development within these aspects and not rely on matching every element in a list of statements to judge children’s progress.  It is important to take a holistic, professionally informed view to determine whether a child is roughly on track or developing more slowly or more quickly in particular areas.  A holistic summary will give attention not just to areas of knowledge and skills, but also to the child’s emotional wellbeing and connections, and development of attitudes and dispositions for learning (Characteristics of Effective Learning).

Summative assessment informs improvements to provision and practice, to enhance children’s development and learning.   Leaders and managers can use the information strategically to improve provision and practice. For example:

• Are some children not as far along or significantly ahead in their development and learning compared to most children? How are we further supporting these children?
• Should opportunities, resources or support within some areas of the curriculum be improved?
• Is there a professional development need for individual staff members, or the setting as a whole?

Information can be communicated clearly in a summary form to inform discussions with parents, other agencies, or professionals involved with the child and family. Transitions can be supported so that children’s journeys of development and learning continue smoothly.

Bibliography

Previous page: The wider context | Next page: Overview of Characteristics of Effective Learning and Areas of Learning and Development

Overcoming the Pitfalls of Early Childhood Assessment

October 3, 2014

Shannon Riley-Ayers

In the age of accountability, data collection seems to be in vogue. Data are now routinely collected nationwide on children, classrooms, and teachers. The data help teachers and schools improve their programs to meet the needs of children attending. Most states are conducting child assessments in early childhood classrooms (including Kindergarten Entry Assessments ). The relevant literature has classified two types of assessment for children, summative and formative. Summative assessment provides teachers with a snapshot of student’s understanding which is useful for summarizing student learning. Formative assessment occurs during instruction and provides teachers with a tool to improve student achievement by informing instruction with these data in an ongoing process.

Assessing children is often “unreliable” as young children’s performance is not necessarily consistent over even short periods of time, and contextual influences and emotional states are especially relevant for this group. For these reasons, tests administered  at one point in time alone may not provide an accurate picture of the child’s concept knowledge, skills, or understanding. Teachers need an effective assessment to understand children’s development and to help guide their instruction. This instrument should allow them to collect evidence about what students know, determine their skills, and measure their strengths and weaknesses. Researchers at NIEER have developed the Early Learning Scale (ELS) for preschool children, and have recently completed developing and evaluating the Kindergarten Early Learning Scale (KELS) to do just this.

The ELS and KELS observation-based scales offer teachers:

• The opportunity to assess learning in the children’s natural environment during typical instruction;
• An assessment of children’s development and skills across several domains;
• An assessment approach that focuses on strengths and interests of children;
• Information on children’s progress, to share with parents, that is understandable and complete; and
• Data to inform their teaching practices and report on student growth.

The ELS and KELS are used by teachers of young children as they become participant-observers and engage in an iterative process over time. They can implement a formative assessment process that includes:

• observing and investigating young children’s individual behaviors as a seamless part of instruction;
• documenting and reflecting on the evidence;
• analyzing and evaluating the data in relation to set goals or a trajectory of learning;
• hypothesizing and planning which considers what the children are demonstrating and the implications for instruction; and
• guiding and instructing where the data helps the teacher target the needs of the children and scaffold their learning to the next level.

The ELS and KELS fill a need for a succinct and manageable way to assess preschool and kindergarten children across domains. NIEER researchers developed these instruments to be responsive to teachers request for a multi-domain assessment that can be used to improve teaching and learning, without overburdening the teacher. The ELS and KELS provide this by spanning several domains (math, science, social and emotional, language and literacy, and physical development), but maintaining a manageable number of items to evaluate.

Items are included in the ELS and KELS for skills that:

• are measurable/observable;
• develop on a continuum; and
• are critical to present and future learning, as defined by research.

A new report from NIEER confirms that the KELS is a reliable and valid measure. Teachers were able to achieve acceptable reliability with a mean of .70 on the instrument. This indicates that teachers are able to effectively score data consistently across programs. Further, results demonstrated acceptable levels of validity with moderate relationships with standardized measures in appropriate and meaningful ways. This means that the items on the KELS that align with the content of the standardized test relate well and those same items appropriately do not relate well to standardized tests that measure different constructs.

For more information about using the ELS or KELS contact me at [email protected] .

–Shannon Riley-Ayers is an Assistant Research professor for NIEER/CEELO.

About NIEER

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, conducts and disseminates independent research and analysis to inform early childhood education policy.

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Introduction

Defining assessment in early childhood education, types of assessment in early childhood, the importance of assessment, shaping modern education, challenges in early childhood assessment, best practices in early childhood assessment, what is assessment in early childhood education.

• Read in 07 mins
• 13-Sep-2023

In education, the assessment is an integral component that plays a pivotal role in gauging a child's progress, understanding their needs, and tailoring an effective learning experience. When it comes to early childhood education, assessment takes on a unique significance, as it forms the foundation upon which a child's educational journey is built. In this article, we will understand the importance of assessment in early childhood, explore its types and significance, and discuss how assessment development services and online curriculum development are helping shape K-12 edu.

Early childhood education is a multifaceted process that involves gathering information about a child's abilities, strengths, and areas that require further development. It goes beyond traditional testing and grading, focusing on holistic observation, documentation, and ongoing evaluation. Here are the following key elements:

1. Observation:

One of the primary methods of assessment in early childhood is observation. Educators and caregivers keenly watch and document children's behaviors, interactions, and activities. These observations provide valuable insights into a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

2. Documentation:

Assessment often involves maintaining records of a child's progress over time. These records may include photographs, videos, written notes, and the child's work samples. Documentation helps educators and parents track growth and development and make informed decisions about the child's learning journey.

3. Formative and Summative Assessment:

In early childhood education, assessments can be categorized into formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are ongoing and provide real-time feedback to guide instruction and support. Summative assessments, on the other hand, are typically used to measure a child's progress at specific points in time, such as the end of a unit or school year.

4. Authentic Assessment:

Authentic assessment focuses on evaluating children in real-life situations and activities rather than through standardized tests. This approach allows educators to assess a child's abilities in context and gain a deeper understanding of their learning experiences.

5. Individualization:

Early childhood education recognizes that each child is unique, and their development follows a personalized path. Therefore, assessments are tailored to each child's needs, interests, and abilities, ensuring they receive the appropriate support and guidance.

Types of assessment in early childhood education take various forms, each designed to provide educators and caregivers with a specific perspective on a child's development and learning progress. These diverse and comprehensive assessments allow for a holistic understanding of young learners. Here are some of the key types of assessment used in early childhood education:

1. Observational Assessment:

Informal Observations: Educators continuously observe and take notes on children's behavior, interactions, and activities during daily routines and playtime. These informal observations provide valuable insights into children's social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Structured Observations: Educators use specific criteria or checklists to assess children's behavior or skills in particular situations. This method helps assess targeted development areas, such as fine motor skills or social interactions.

3. Anecdotal Records:

Narrative Notes: Anecdotal records document specific instances or anecdotes of a child's behavior, achievements, or challenges. These narratives help educators track the child's progress and provide a context for their development.

4. Portfolios:

Child Portfolios: Portfolios are collections of a child's work, including drawings, writing samples, and other projects. These portfolios showcase the child's growth and development and provide concrete evidence of their learning journey.

Assessment Portfolios: In assessment portfolios, educators compile samples of a child's work to assess their progress in various domains, such as language development, mathematics, or creativity.

5. Formative Assessment:

Ongoing Assessment: Formative assessment is a continuous process to monitor a child's progress throughout their early education journey. It involves observing and documenting how children engage with learning activities and adapt instruction accordingly.

Feedback and Adaptation: Formative assessment helps educators provide timely feedback to children, enabling them to adjust their teaching methods and materials to meet individual learning needs better.

6. Summative Assessment:

Periodic Assessments: Summative assessments are typically conducted at specific intervals, such as the end of a school year or a unit of study. These assessments provide a snapshot of a child's overall progress and help gauge their readiness for transitions, such as moving to a higher grade level.

Bonus Read: What are the Types of Assessments in K-12 Education?

Assessment in early childhood education is a cornerstone of effective teaching and child development. It plays a pivotal role in shaping the educational experience of young learners and has far-reaching implications for their future success. Here are several compelling reasons for the importance of assessment in early childhood education:

Understanding Each Child's Unique Needs:

Assessment allows educators and caregivers to gain insights into each child's individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Every child is unique, and assessment helps tailor instruction to meet their needs, ensuring they receive the appropriate level of support and challenge.

Early Identification of Developmental Delays:

Assessments in early childhood education can identify developmental delays or challenges at an early stage. This early detection enables timely interventions, support services, and specialized instruction to address these issues before they become more significant barriers to a child's learning and development.

Personalized Learning Experiences:

With assessment data, educators can design personalized learning experiences for each child. By understanding a child's abilities and interests, educators can create a curriculum that engages and motivates them, leading to more meaningful learning outcomes.

Parental Involvement and Collaboration:

Assessment fosters active collaboration between educators and parents. Sharing assessment information with parents helps them understand their child's progress, strengths, and areas that may require additional attention. This partnership between educators and parents enhances a child's overall development and supports a consistent learning experience at home and in the classroom.

Tracking Progress Over Time:

Assessment involves the continuous monitoring of a child's progress. Through observations, documentation, and formal assessments, educators can track how a child evolves, enabling them to celebrate achievements and make necessary adjustments to their teaching strategies.

Assessment development services are vital in creating valid and reliable assessment tools. These services work with educational institutions to design assessments that accurately measure students' learning. They ensure that assessments align with educational standards and objectives, making them an essential component of K-12 education.

Read Also: What are Assessment Development Services?

Online curriculum development services utilize assessment data to create engaging and effective learning materials. They can identify areas where students may struggle by analyzing assessment results and designing curriculum content that addresses these challenges. This dynamic approach to curriculum development ensures that it evolves with the changing needs of early childhood education.

Here are some key challenges faced in early childhood assessment and discuss strategies to overcome them.

1. Age-Appropriate Assessment Methods:

Early childhood assessment requires a tailored approach, as young children are unique in their developmental stages and abilities. Traditional assessment methods designed for older students may not be suitable or effective for assessing young children's skills and knowledge.

Solution : Develop and utilize age-appropriate assessment tools and techniques, including play-based assessments, observations, and hands-on activities that align with young children's developmental stages.

2. Avoiding Stress and Pressure:

Young children are particularly vulnerable to stress and pressure, and undue stress can negatively impact their development and enthusiasm for learning. Too formal, high-stakes or anxiety-inducing assessments can hinder their progress.

• Implement low-stress assessment practices focusing on a child's strengths and interests.
• Keep assessments enjoyable and non-threatening by incorporating play and informal activities.
• Communicate to children that assessment is part of the learning process and not something to fear.

Two essential best practices in this context involve creating a positive assessment environment and utilizing multiple assessment methods. Here are some best practices and provide insights into their implementation.

1. Creating a Positive Assessment Environment:

Early childhood is a critical time for children's social and emotional development, and the assessment environment should nurture these aspects while fostering a love for learning. Here's how to create a positive assessment environment:

• Build Trust and Relationships: Establish trustful relationships between educators, children, and parents. A sense of security encourages children to engage openly in assessments.
• Foster a Growth Mindset: Encourage growth by emphasizing that mistakes are learning opportunities. Celebrate effort, progress, and perseverance.
• Minimize Stress and Anxiety: Reduce stress and anxiety associated with assessments by keeping the environment relaxed and supportive. Use positive language and avoid punitive approaches.

2. Using Multiple Assessment Methods:

Relying on a single assessment method can limit understanding of a child's development. Various assessment methods offer a more comprehensive picture of a child's abilities and progress. Here's how to effectively employ multiple assessment methods:

• Observations: Regularly observe children during their everyday activities. Observations provide insights into their behavior, social interactions, and learning preferences.
• Portfolios: Develop portfolios documenting a child's work and progress over time. Portfolios showcase a child's growth and development across various domains.
• Checklists and Rubrics: Utilize checklists and rubrics that align with specific developmental milestones. These tools offer a structured approach to assessing skills and behaviors.

Early childhood assessment is essential to determining how a child will progress academically. Educators and parents gain valuable insights into a child's development through various assessment types. The importance of assessment extends to improving learning outcomes, fostering individualized instruction, and promoting accountability in the education system. Additionally, the integration of assessment development and online curriculum development enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of early childhood education, ultimately benefiting students and educators alike in the K-12 education landscape.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alfred Smith is an experienced and skilled educational content writer. He holds a master's degree in English Literature from a top university. He has also done a Ph.D. in English and has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Smith has a wealth of knowledge and experience in English literature and language. He is well-respected in the field and has an impressive track record of successfully creating educational content. Smith is an editor for a renowned publishing house and a consultant for various educational institutions. He has won several awards for his contributions to English literature and language.

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6.3: Formative and Summative Assessment

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• Page ID 69287

• Education Department
• SUNY Oneonta via LumenLearning

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Formative Assessment

Assessment should be designed to inform the teacher and learner in order to accommodate the needs of the learner. The formative assessment is one which occurs throughout a lesson or unit and may take a variety of forms. A teacher may determine what students know by question and answer formats, checklists, or by paper and pencil assignments. Likewise, games such as Kahoot and Jeopardy may assist in similar data collection. The informed teacher can utilize the results of the formative assessment to re-engage or to modify the teaching plans to meet the individual needs of the students.

Summative Assessment

The summative assessment is the evaluation that is given at the conclusion of a unit or lesson. It may determine student placement or level of knowledge and is often thought of as a grade determinant. Results of summative assessment are not used in lesson planning; rather, they are used to evaluate the mastery of material. It can take the form of a question and answer or paper and pencil approach like the formative assessment. Summative assessments also typically have one correct answer.

High-Stakes Assessments is one example of a summative evaluation in that it is used to determine a grade or placement. As American students falter compared to other industrialized countries, policy makers have shifted toward a great concentration on high-stakes testing to increase student standing. Unfortunately, this emphasis on high-stakes testing has not yielded an increase in scores (Michael Hout, 2012).

Global Assessment

According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Reading Literacy scores, United States students earned an average score of 497, whileSingapore students earned the highest average, 535 and Lebanon students tied with Kosovo for the lowest average of 347. This places United States students in the average range of reading. (Reading Literacy: Average Scores, 2015)

• Mathematics Literacy scores revealed an average of 470 for U.S. students as compared to Singapore scores of 564 at the highest end and 328 from the Dominican Republic at the lowest end placing United States students as below average performers. (Mathematics Literacy: Average Scores, 2015)

Although students in the United States have demonstrated an interest and positive attitude toward science, the scores reveal a discrepancy between attitude and performance, with United States students scoring at an average of 496 as compared to a high of 556 (Singapore), and a low of Dominican Republic (332).

Assigning Grades

If you return to the Think About and Discuss at the beginning of this chapter, you may realize that there is no one way to assess and no one way that educators will agree upon. Ultimately, as a reflective educator, you will recognize that the intent of assessment should be to communicate to students and family members how closely learners have met the learning goals. How you choose to determine this is left to you or to the school in which you teach. Will you choose to assign letter grades, comments, or both? Will you give partial credit? Will opt not to use grades at times?

Will your grades be fairly assigned? Will you measure what the student knew initially and then measure the learning gain or will you opt to only measure the latter?

How will the grades impact the motivation and social-emotional state of the learner?

Final Words

As you can see, the stroke of a pen can have lasting impressions on the student. Grades can classify learners. They can motivate or squelch desire. They can encourage or demean. They can be used to punish or to teach. How will you use grades as a means to plan and instruct for the benefit of all learners?

Contributors and Attributions

• Foundations of Education. Authored by : SUNY Oneonta Education Department. License : CC BY: Attribution

Copyright © 2024 Continu ed Early Childhood Education - All Rights Reserved

• What Are the Two Main Types of Assessment?

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS

October 29, 2021.

• Ask the Experts
• Observation and Assessment

What are the two main types of assessment?

There are two main types of assessment, summative assessment, and formative assessment.

Summative Assessment

Oftentimes, summative assessments can be considered high-stakes. Summative assessments are used to gauge children's learning against a standard or a benchmark. They are often given at the end of the year and are sometimes used to make important educational decisions about children. Summative assessments are a snapshot of students' understanding which is useful for summarizing student learning. What helps me remember the difference between the two types is that summative is like a summary. Summative is the big picture or the grand summary of a child's learning.

Summative assessments aren't used a lot in early childhood programs because they're not really considered developmentally appropriate as a form of assessment for very young children. One example that you might see or use in your program is a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment or a developmental skills assessment that enables the child to move to the next classroom. I've heard of some programs doing assessments like that, where a child has to have a certain score on this assessment in order to move up to the next preschool room or the four or five room, or whatever it was for that particular program.

There's a little bit of debate within our field about whether it is developmentally appropriate or not to test children to move them up to that next level. In my experience, there have been several times where I felt that a child was ready to move up to the next class even though age-wise or chronologically he wasn't the right age to move. I'm sure we've all had those children where we're in the three-year-old class and the child's mentally five, but chronologically he's three. Then there have been other times where the child was chronologically ready to move up at age five, but developmentally I really felt like he should have been in the other room for a little bit longer.

There are all kinds of implications for using an assessment of that type for that reason. Not to say that that's wrong to do. It's just there's a little bit of debate in our profession about using those types of assessments.

Formative Assessments

That takes us to the second type of assessment which is formative assessments. These are considered low-stakes. So summative are high-stake and formative are low-stake. They're ongoing and they tend to be based on teachers' intentional observations of children which are typically during specific learning experiences and/or during everyday interactions or classroom involvement. These assessments are most useful for planning learning experiences, activities, and environments.

These are the everyday interactions that we talked about, where assessment naturally emerges from the work that you're already doing. Those would be considered more of the formative assessment. Again, these assessments are used to determine activities for the lesson plan after asking questions such as

• What kind of things should I change out in my centers?
• What kind of items in the science center are the kids just throwing?
• What kind of things in the science center are they actually sitting down and investigating and trying to see what they can figure out about it or are they really actually curious about?

When I was a preschool teacher, I had many four to five-year-old children in my classroom because at the time, the ratio for our state was one to 15. I had 30 children in my classroom and I had to really be on top of what my children were interested in and what they had figured out or had gotten over the excitement of. When you have that many children in the classroom, you have to keep them engaged, active, and busy. Formative assessments were extremely helpful for me in that way.

Formative assessments are most appropriate for use with young children. Remember, summative assessments are not necessarily appropriate for age five years and under, but formative assessments are definitely appropriate as they're often more authentic, more real, and more holistic. They show a picture of the whole child as well so they can be more useful. Because young children's learning can be so varied and sometimes erratic, using multiple sources of assessment information is ideal. That goes back to what we were just talking about where children develop in such a wide range, with a variety of contexts and situations.

There's such a wide range of development when it comes to young children, that even though you might have a classroom full of three-year-olds, developmentally they're going to be on a spectrum. That's because development in learning is varied and can be erratic. The term erratic may be a little bit shocking at first, but young children's learning can be erratic. For example, if you work with infants, one day you send them home and they can't sit up or roll over and are just laying there looking at you. Then they come back on Monday and they're rolling and moving and grooving and doing all kinds of stuff. If you work with toddlers, one day you send them home and they barely say two or three words, the next week they come back and you can't get all the words down that they're speaking. In this situation, erratic means sometimes very sudden, but sometimes it's drawn out. It depends on the child.

Formative assessments can be formal, where you're actually making time to sit down and take notes during a specific time or a specific center based on a specific child. They can also be informal such as when you're out on the playground and a child is sitting under the tree with a book and you just go over and you sit down and say, "Hey, can I read with you?" You notice, wow, this child knows a lot of words in this book and you make a note of that. That would be more of an informal type of assessment that you've done.

Formative assessments can be initial or ongoing. The initial formative assessment is usually done to find out as much as we can about the child, usually at the beginning of the year or as a child enters a program. It usually involves observing, studying existing information, and reviewing home background info.

In the program that I supervised, when we had a new child join our program, we had a sheet that the parents would fill out that asked all kinds of information like, "What's your child's favorite stuffed animal? How does your child go to sleep at night? What's the bedtime routine? What's your child's favorite food? What's your child's favorite movie?" It was all background information about the child so that we could get to know them. That helped us begin those connections that are so important in early childhood. That home background information would be a part of that first initial formative assessment.

The other type of formative assessment is an ongoing formative assessment. This typically provides more in-depth information, often because it takes more time. An ongoing formative assessment isn’t a quick form that you’re through with once. It’s an ongoing thing you will look at every week, month, three months, or however it is set up in your program.

Here are some examples of published formative assessment tools often used in early childhood programs.

• The Work Sampling System (WSS) www.worksamplingonline.com
• Teaching Strategies GOLD www.teachingstrategies.com
• HighScope COR (Child Observation Record) www.onlinecor.net
• The Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum www.teachingstrategies.com

Sometimes a state or funding sources will mandate that certain early childhood programs use a specific assessment tool. Sometimes your program itself mandates that. I've had the experience of working with all of these tools at one time or another in my career. All of them have definite benefits to using them and many of them are pretty easy to complete. As you know, in early childhood time is not a luxury that we have a lot of. It's always nice to have a tool that's easy to use so that when you find five minutes to sit down and work on something or do an assessment, then it's easy to figure out.

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course,   Purposes and Benefits of Assessment ,  presented by Natasha Crosby Kile, MS.

Natasha Crosby Kile, MS is the Early Childhood Education Coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville, AR, and works as a certified trainer, writer, coach, and consultant for both the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University. Natasha has over 27 years of experience working in the field of Early Childhood as a teacher, supervisor, trainer, and mentor. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Child Development from the University of Arkansas and a Master's of Science in Childhood Services from Arkansas State University. Natasha has served as a leader in many areas including serving on the board of the Arkansas Early Childhood Association. Natasha has a passion for training early childhood professionals and finds herself right at home in a group of 5 to 5,000 teachers that are eager to facilitate the growth of young children and support their families. She is a distinguished expert and was named Arkansas Early Childhood Professional of the Year in 2012.

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The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

Summative Assessments for Early Learning

by The Empowered Educator 2 Comments

Early childhood educators are very familiar with the requirement to observe and understand a child's learning and development but it seems many become confused and overwhelmed when we begin talking about ‘assessment of learning' or writing summative assessments .

This might sound familiar to you….

“So I already have to do observations including learning stories, running records, photo collages and more as well as analyse and understand the learning observed then forward plan and extend upon a child's learning journey…now I have to do ‘assessments' as an extra on top of all of this…why?”

I've heard the statement above in varying forms from educators many times via my email, Facebook group and Facebook page recently. I'm not sure why it has seemingly become an increasing source of  concern   – perhaps more early years services, leaders, directors and coordinators are now requesting their educators to compile and write summative assessments without clearly explaining the why and how.

So let's break this down and I'll try to help you take action without having that toddler meltdown I know you were building up to…..(yep, I've been there to!)

What is a Summative Assessment?

Early childhood educators use assessments to give an overview of the ‘distance travelled’ by each child on their own unique learning journey. Although many early childhood educators do not like the term ‘assessment' used in relation to young children it is important to realise we are not talking about standardized formal testing, just ticking off checklists or writing out report cards for young children.

We are endeavouring  to communicate and tell a story about the child’s progress so far toward certain learning outcomes and goals and therefore enhance the continuous cycle of our planning. It should be a meaningful and reflective process for both educators and parents.

Now I know you are already sighing and telling me that you already do that with all the observations, programming, photos, checklists, learning stories etc…..and you are right, you do to an extent but we are talking about providing an overview of all of this information you have already worked hard on documenting and collecting. All of the ‘evidence' you have been collecting needs to come together to show an  ongoing cycle of planning, reflection and evaluation. We are required to use this information that we have been regularly recording to now ‘sum up'  a child's progress or ‘distance travelled'  over time.

This can take many forms – you might use a template writing something under each of the outcome areas, you might decide to do a summary of the learning using your own words and the language of the EYLF to highlight and explain progress, you might write a story to the child (and parents) talking about what they have achieved and demonstrated, you might put together a learning journal or portfolio.

There are many possibilities and it can take a little trial and error to work out what best suits your service and programming style.

If using a portfolio though you need to make sure you aren't just documenting the child's progress but also analysing it to meet current assessment requirements and best practice. If you struggle with understanding what should go in a portfolio or even if you need to do one take a look at this post for some tips and essential questions to ask so you aren't wasting your precious documenting time!

The expectation and requirement for Australian educators is basically a 2 step process in regard to assessment of  learning.

1.   Use various methods on a regular basis to observe a child and gather information about what he knows and what he can do.  Educators then review and analyse this information to identify learning against the EYLF outcomes and indicators. To complete this step educators use the information to plan further activities and extend upon that child's learning and development . It also helps to identify areas of concern and the possibility for referral and intervention. So this is the documentation you collect and record each week for different children (& groups).

2. At regular intervals throughout the year educators now must bring all of the above documentation together to form a ‘report' or ‘assessment' of the child's progress and distance travelled on the learning journey to that point. As well as progress toward learning outcomes it also becomes a general summary of the child's interests, needs and participation in activities and experiences throughout the year. You already have the hard work done – you just have to look over what you have collected and then use it to tell a child's learning story in the way that you (or your service, centre, leader) decide best does this. As mentioned above this can take many formats.

For those who prefer to use templates to give a little more direction you can find two to get you started in my FREE Summative Assessments Mini Guide here.

To keep it very simple think in terms of putting a jigsaw puzzle together. A summative assessment will  bring together all the individual observations, analysis and extensions you have already recorded to build a picture of a child’s progress over time in care and complete the jigsaw puzzle.

It might identify gaps, celebrate strengths and interests, indicate a requirement for early intervention, explain to parents how their child is learning and progressing and help educators to put new goals in place and think about how they can help the child to work towards those goals.

So hopefully you are beginning to see that writing a summative assessment doesn't need to be a whole lot of additional work if you are organised with your documentation sources throughout the year. But organisation is the key here.

It doesn't need to become an extra weight on your already heavy paperwork load. You just need to put a system in place to regularly bring together and review your ongoing documentation (the smaller puzzle pieces showing the child's learning)  that works for you. It becomes a way of ensuring that the great work you have done previously collecting information continues beyond just the analysis of learning you made at the time about one specific skill, activity or learning outcome and now becomes a piece of a bigger puzzle to show you an overall picture of that child's journey.

I like to use a simple documentation recording tool that helps me to keep track of all of my sources of documentation and other evidence as I progress – where it is kept, when I last updated it, reflections that highlighted something important and more. It allows me to see at a glance what I have so far completed for each child this year, the documentation sources I have used and gaps in information that might need to be addressed.

It also provides an easy way for me to quickly show evidence of an ongoing planning cycle and documentation contributing to forward planning and each child's progress toward learning outcomes and developmental areas. 

So with a summative assessment you are making those ongoing observations, checklists, samples of children's work, photos, reflections, parent communication/input, learning stories, jottings etc meaningful, relevant and also a valuable source of information for parents who may not understand the smaller pieces of the puzzle you have been working on or displaying throughout the year but they understand when they see the whole puzzle put together and presented to them in a clear summary format.

It can also help them to understand their child’s strengths and challenges, and plan how they can help extend the learning into their own home.

When writing a summative assessment, keep in mind that you aren't just aiming to sum up and share what you have learnt about the child's journey so far but you are also taking steps to reflect and identify how you can continue to support that child and extend upon their learning and growth .

You are using the information to create new learning goals as you move forward or the child moves into their next phase of learning somewhere new or perhaps as they begin school.

So how do I get started with Summative Assessments?

• The NQS does not actually specify a format that must be used  for recording and putting together summative assessments.
• Use the information I have shared above to gain a better understanding of what information you want to include and the purpose of assessing learning in early childhood settings.
• Keep organised and always have your documentation sources ready to come together to help you write your assessment. If you have to go searching for bits and pieces of paperwork that you know you have completed throughout the year and ‘have somewhere' it is going to add to your workload and sense of overwhelm with planning expectations. Keep a record of what you have been documenting, where to find it and when you last updated it at the very minimum. I promise a little work setting up a system like this will save a whole lot of time mid year and also allow you to easily show evidence of an ongoing planning process and cycle if requested to do so. You will find an organisation form in my   Summative Assessments Guide if you don't want to create one yourself!
• Decide on a timeframe to complete assessments that will show a consistent and systematic commitment to onging documentation, planning and analysis of a child's progress  in relation to learning outcomes and other important developmental factors. There is no set timeframe specified but many early learning services and educators choose to do once a school term, every 6 months or even annually. You need to decide on what works best for your service and the children in your care, trial that process and then review and change if required.
• Try out a few different formats and assessment styles to find out what works most effectively for you.   Australian Educators – you don't just need to list out all of the EYLF Outcomes then write something underneath each section. This is only one way to record a summative assessment and bring all that you have observed and learnt about the child together . You might decide to use one of the other methods I mentioned earlier. Get creative and think about what might work best for the parents reading your assessment and how meaningful the information you are sharing is to future assessments and planning for the child and other educators who might take over.
• After working through the process of summing up a child's progress and reflecting on what you know abut a child you then need to identify how to support and extend the learning for that child (even if their time is ending with you). Write down clear and actionable learning goals that have been highlighted by the assessment process and identified by you as important to continue the learning progress. I also like to include the steps I will take to help a child to achieve those goals so it informs my future planning.
• Don't overthink or overcomplicate it! Use what you have already been working on throughout the year and your knowledge of the child to simply summarise the learning journey so far and develop future learning goals. That's it in a nutshell!

We discuss topics like this, share activity and environment inspiration and much more in my Empowered Ed Community on Facebook. join other early childhood educators from across the world to network and connect!

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.

Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

14/05/2019 at 4:59 am

Very helpful

27/03/2022 at 2:06 am

Thank you for this very informative read. You have explained in detailed and guided me in how to correctly address summative assessments. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

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Stella Lungu University of Zambia, Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, Zambia

Stella Lungu is PhD student (Sociology of Education) in the Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology, and Special Education at the University of Zambia. She is a holder of a Master of Education in Sociology of Education and a Bachelor of Arts with Education (B.A. Ed) degree from the University of Zambia. Stella has taught secondary school students for several years. She has also taught Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers at tertiary level for more than ten years. In addition, Stella has taught and tutored on part-time basis at the University of Zambia for over five years. She has also participated in a number of research activities in the field of Early Childhood Education and Education studies.

Beatrice Matafwali University of Zambia, Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, Zambia

Beatrice Matafwali (PhD) obtained a PhD in Special Education from the University of Zambia /Leiden University in the Netherlands. She also holds several other professional qualifications from various disciplines. Dr. Matafwali is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Zambia in the Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education. She has over 15 years of professional experience as a lecturer and researcher. She has conducted extensive research in Literacy, Early Childhood Development, Child Assessment, Special Education and Education studies.

Madalitso K. Banja University of Zambia, Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology and Special Education, Zambia

Madalitso Khulupirika Banja obtained a PhD in Sociology of Education from the University of Zambia where he works as a teacher educator. His topic (thesis) was around the mentoring of newly qualified teachers in Zambian secondary schools. Dr. Banja has authored Teachers as agents of Pupil Indiscipline (2013), and has also edited Selected Readings in Education (2017) and Selected Readings in Education Volume 2 (2019) and is currently working on another book tentatively titled The Management of Newly Qualified Teachers in Africa; policies, practices, challenges and future trends. In addition, Dr. Banja has written several book chapters and articles in peer referred journals mostly on matters surrounding the professional development and mentoring of newly qualified teachers. He has presented papers at international fora including the World Congress on Sociology (2010), the Distance Education and Training in Africa (2013, 2015 and 2017), African Teachers’ Regulatory Authority (AFTRA, 2016) and the Southern African Comparative History and Education Society (SACHES, 2014 and 2017). He has won a number of awards including the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) Award for Small Thesis Writing in 1999 and in 2010. In 2010 and 2012 he also won the Organisation of Social Science Research in East Africa (OSSREA) PhD Research Methodology Training Award. His passionate desire is for collaboration in research and publication among African scholars.

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FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES BY TEACHERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTRES IN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

The paper discusses formative and summative assessment practices by teachers in ECE Centres in Lusaka, Zambia. The study used a mixed methods design by utilizing a concurrent triangulation design which enabled the researchers to converge quantitative and qualitative data. In addition, the design helped to confirm and cross-validate the study findings. Qualitative data was prioritised over quantitative data. Probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used to sample one hundred and two (102) teachers, ten (10) head teachers and one hundred and twenty-five (125) parents. Questionnaires were used to gather data from teachers and parents, Focus Group Discussion Guides (FGDs) were used to interview teachers whilst Interview guides were used to interview head teachers. A Documentary Analysis Guide and an Observational Checklist were used by the researcher to obtain additional data on assessment practices by teachers from a documentary and observational point of view. Descriptive statistics were computed to analyse quantitative data whilst thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data using a framework approach of qualitative data analysis. Results revealed that the most predominantly implemented summative assessments in ECE Centres were mid-term tests and end of term tests. Teachers also used formative assessments such as homework, oral questioning, collection of samples, portfolios and interview guides. However, teachers failed to adhere to the actual norms of formative assessment such as tracking of individual children’s development, learning needs and achievements so as to adapt instruction accordingly. Consequently, the assessment results were often compromised. Finally, the study recommends that Ministry of General Education should conduct capacity building training programmes for teachers on formative and summative assessment practices in ECE to ensure effective implementation of both formative and summative assessment in ECE Centres. 

Article visualizations:

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Curriculum Development Centre. (2013). Zambia Education Curriculum Framework, Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. Lusaka: Curriculum Development Centre.

Dixson, D. D. & Worrell, F. C. (2016). Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom. Theory into Practice, 55 (2),153 159.DOI:10.1080/00405841.2016.1148989

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Lungu, S. & Matafwali. B. (2020a). Parents’ Views on Play Based Learning for Children Aged 3-6 Years: Evidence from Selected Early Childhood Education Centres in Zambia. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) 7 (5), 60-68

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Formal Formative Assessment or Informal Formative Assessment. What’s Right for Early Learning?

Oct 7, 2021 | Formative Assessment

Every month in the life of a child is crucial for early childhood development. The most significant brain development happens between birth and age 5 . It’s said that 90% of brain growth takes place before kindergarten. 

The first critical period of brain development does not end until the child reaches 7 years of age . This early period is extremely conducive to learning and has long lasting effects for the rest of the child’s life. 

It’s a formative period, where most of the synapses between brain cells are formed. As it pertains to education, it’s a time for formative assessments.

Formative assessments monitor early learning to provide ongoing feedback, which educators use to adapt instruction and ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed. It identifies progress and learning gaps as they happen and informs how to best move forward to optimize learning for the young student. 

Principal Jennifer McKay , former Senior Director of Early Childhood Education at Oklahoma State Department of Education says that “effective teachers make informed instructional decisions from formative assessment data.” 

Commenting on the pandemic, she states that formative assessments help close learning gaps and “provide a window to understanding student’s social and emotional well being” after a prolonged period of absence from school.

Examples of Formative Assessments Include: Homework assignments, in-class activities and group work.

Formative assessment (assessment for learning) is different from a summative assessment (assessment of learning), which happens only after a certain instructional period, and only a certain number of times a year.

Examples of Summative Assessments Include: End of unit reports, final grades and end of unit projects.

Clearly, both formative and summative assessments are needed to support all young students. Performing well in formative assessments is often a strong indicator of doing well in any summative assessment. In a meta-analysis of 250 formative assessment studies , formative assessment was found to have a lasting, positive effect on the quality of teaching and the achievement of students. The effects were much more pronounced for low-performing students, which is a testament to its effect in identifying and addressing learning gaps.

Formal Formative Assessment and Informal Formative Assessment

Often, formative assessments are contrasted with formal assessments, implying that all formative assessments are informal. While it’s true that summative assessments and standardized tests are more formal than common formative assessments, there is still variation in the latter in the degree of formality. 

Educators can assess students by taking notes. But there are also valid and reliable scales used by researchers to formatively assess young learners. For example, the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) looks at the development continuum from early infancy to kindergarten. It contains rating scales that are based on the acquisition of age-appropriate developmental milestones.

Similarly, National Institute of Early Education Research researchers have developed the Early Learning Scale and Kindergarten Early Learning Scale. These scales contain items that are easily measurable and critical to present and future learning. 

At Sprig Learning, we too have developed our own scale for early learning that is developed by educators, based on best practices and tested for efficacy, accuracy and bias. Adopting such a formative assessment approach ensures that educators are able to make timely data-informed decisions at every step of the child’s learning journey.

Formative Assessment Cycle

Formative assessments are a planned classroom practice of acquiring evidence of student learning.  They are often repetitive and occur throughout the school year. They are not a one-time event. Formative assessments take on the following cycle :

Examine Student Work > Inform Teacher Knowledge > Inform Instruction > Administer Tasks

There are data points that need to be collected in all four stages in order to facilitate this cycle. 

• Student work assigned should be examined for completion and accuracy.
• There should be a feedback loop that connects this information back to the teachers.
• They should record the actions taken to identify learning strengths and address any learning gaps.
• New classroom activities and tasks should then be assigned to measure progress and repeat the cycle. 

Formal formative assessments use some standard, rubric or well-defined grading system to assign a mark. But merely collecting data for this purpose makes formative assessments very rigid. It leaves no room for informal techniques of assessment such as observations, notes, and qualitative work samples that a number cannot evaluate. 

Rori Hodges , an experienced pre-kindergarten teacher, says “my formative assessment strategies are very informal. That way I can get an honest, natural response from the child. Very young children learn most effectively through interaction and exploration, not by lecture and memorization.”

So it’s good to have a lot of data to enable formative assessments, but the execution of such assessments and the actual interactive teaching that happens in the classroom are extremely important in the development of the early learner. We can label such face-to-face or observatory assessments as informal assessments.

Next, we look at some of the ways to do informal formative assessments. It’s best if the implementation and results of such activities are securely stored in a repository for future evaluation, thereby uniting formal and informal formative assessments.

Examples of Informal Formative Assessments

Monitoring : The teacher monitors the class to see if everyone is engaged. Observing students as they practice a skill helps teachers understand who needs help with what. 

Games: Tag or relay races. Alphabet naming. Interactive response sessions (including physical responses such as clapping and stomping). Play based learning is a great opportunity to observe progress, where young students let their guard down and reflect what they have learned. 

Parent Communication : Sending teacher-recommended activities to parents. When it comes to assessing learning progression, it’s great if parents help out by reinforcing the teachings at home. 

Journals: This is a more advanced form of formative assessments suitable for 1st graders. Journaling allows them to demonstrate their knowledge in words, numbers or pictures. 

Survey: Sometimes, it’s best to ask students directly if they have understood a particular lesson. They can indicate this by using fun methods like the Hand Thermometer (hands raised high if they understood and hands held low if they didn’t quite get it) and displaying coloured cards (each colour signifies a particular response). 

Partner Quizzes : Assessments can be turned into a group activity as well where young students quiz each other on what they have learned, and this activity is observed by a teacher.

4 Types of Formative Assessment Practices

Regardless of whether formal or informal formative assessments are used, it’s important that they follow best practices. NWEA, formerly known as Northwest Evaluation Association, lists four formative assessment practices that can be used to continuously gather evidence of learning to adapt teaching accordingly. 

For each best practice we have created a scale that shows the influence of formal and informal formative assessments.

Clarify what the students are to learn. Explain what they should know or be able to do.

                                                      Largely Formal

It’s imperative students understand what it is that they are learning and what their expectations are in class. As such there is more scope for one-on-one or group teaching.

Get evidence of where students are in their learning.

Collecting evidence requires hard data. Such assessments can be done on a tablet or by building a learner’s profile by looking at all completed activities thus far. Different standards of progress can be created using a rubric.

Provide feedback to students on what to work on.

                                             Equally Informal and Formal

High degree of interaction with students is required to provide feedback, but the feedback also relates back to a formal assessment of their latest activities.

Activate early learners by getting them to own their learning.

                                                     Equally Informal and Formal

All improvements should be reflected in a report. Teachers and parents may share such reports with young students to incentivize further learning growth. Using a rubric sets clear expectations on what is to be achieved.

Why Formative Assessment is a Good Fit for Early Learning

Early education innovator and researcher Dr. Shannon Riley Ayers writes that formative assessment is “a critical piece of a balanced, comprehensive system of assessment for young children.”

It is systematic, but individualized. 

It is all encompassing in considering every aspect of a child’s learning and development .

It is not the collection of data, but the use of data.

It is a strengths-based approach. 

It is suited for differentiated instruction . 

In this article, we highlighted the importance of formative assessments, and how it precedes most other forms of assessments such as summative assessments and standardized assessments. 

So, what’s best for early learning? Our research shows that the right way to approach formative assessments is to take a balanced approach, which utilizes both formal and informal methods of assessment. At the end of the day, assessments should be useful to the educator and fun for early learners.

Summative Assessments In Early Childhood

• Written by  Lorina
• April 13, 2020

Summative Assessment brings together information on what the child knows, understands and can do. You analyse this information, you tell a story and give an overview of a child's progress so far. This is the basis of summative assessment.

What is a Summative Assessment

The documentation you collect such as photos, jottings, observations, learning stories, work samples, parent input and more are used as evidence. You sum up all the documentation you have gathered through a variety of different sources, by asking how does it all fit together and how does it link to the learning outcomes. Basically you are providing an overview of all the documentation you have collected to show a cycle of planning, reflecting and evaluating and how the child's progresses over time.

When developing a summative assessment, you have a few options:

• you can use a template and write details under each learning outcome
• write a story to the child and their family which explains their achievements and what they have demonstrated develop time.
• create individual portfolios
• write a summary of learning in a learning journal for each child that they can share with their families

When writing a summative assessment it should:

• emphasise children’s strengths and make their learning visible
• draw on the family’s knowledge about their child so that the documentation
• reflects the child’s life at home as we as at the service
• be free from bias
• be written in clear, easy-to-understand
• language that makes sense to families
• reflect knowledge of the child’s social or cultural background
• occur systematically and regularly so that, over time, educators gain a complete picture of each child’s
• progress in relation to the Learning Outcomes

To complete a summative assessment, you need to plan to support further learning. This can be identified when there are gaps of information in relation to a particular learning outcome. This enables you to look for further examples and which learning outcomes to highlight and focus on during planning in the future.

Examples Of Summative Assessment

The following provides a summary of learning under each of the EYLF Learning Outcomes, that forms the Summative Assessment:

A summative assessment builds a picture of the child progress over time, through the evidence you have collected. The Learning Outcomes provides key reference points in which a child's progress can be identified and documented and shows an overall picture of a child's learning journey.  For more template ideas for Summative Assessment: EYLF Templates You can also use our digital documentation app - Appsessment to create your own Summative Assessment. You can generate a report which will show the analysis of learning you have added for all the documentation you have created and you can use this to form your Summative Assessment.  References: Summative Assessment, NQS Professional Learning Program E-Newsletter, 2012 ACEQA Guide To The National Quality Standards, 2011

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What Is a Formative Assessment? Types, Examples & Strategies

Matthew Tang

eLearning & Instructional Design Expert

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Matthew Tang is a highly skilled eLearning consultant with over two decades of experience in delivering exceptional learning products. He has taught students in public schools and online, led online ... Read more

Matthew Tang is a highly skilled eLearning consultant with over two decades of experience in delivering exceptional learning products. He has taught students in public schools and online, led online education for a Fortune 50 company, partnered with university researchers to pioneer new learning technologies, and delivered expert learning solutions to clients of all sizes. With a genuine passion for helping individuals succeed and reach their academic or business goals, Matthew continually improves and innovates educational technology solutions, making him a trusted authority in eLearning. Read less

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Ever noticed how the most memorable lessons stick with us not because of a final grade, but because of the journey there? 

That’s the magic of formative assessments—they’re not just checkpoints; they’re the secret ingredients that make learning stick. 

This blog post dives into the heart of formative assessments, revealing how they can transform classrooms by turning every lesson into an opportunity for growth and every mistake into a learning moment. 

In this definitive guide, we’ll explore the what, why, and how of formative assessments—from their defining characteristics and purpose to a variety of types and strategies for effective use in the classroom. 

Let’s begin.

What Is a Formative Assessment?

Formative assessment is a strategic approach used by educators to monitor students’ learning progress and adjust teaching methods accordingly. It’s characterized by its real-time application, providing immediate feedback that educators can use to adapt their instruction to meet learners’ current needs. 

Unlike summative assessments that evaluate overall learning at the end of an instructional period, formative assessments are conducted throughout the learning process. 

They can take various forms, including quizzes, interactive discussions, and peer reviews, all aimed at gauging understanding and facilitating continuous improvement.

Watch: How to Create an Online Quiz in Under 5 Mins

What Is the Purpose of Formative Assessment?

The purpose of formative assessment is to enhance the learning process by identifying students’ strengths and areas for growth. This ongoing assessment method allows educators to:

• Modify teaching strategies in real-time to address the immediate needs of their students.
• Support personalized learning, ensuring that instruction is tailored to individual student progress.
• Foster an environment of continuous feedback and growth, encouraging students to engage more deeply with their learning and identify their areas for improvement.

By integrating formative assessment into their teaching, educators can create a dynamic and responsive learning environment that supports student success and promotes a deeper understanding of the material.

Types & Examples of Formative Assessment

Formative assessments come in various formats, each designed to gather feedback on student learning in a way that informs instruction and supports student growth. Here are some common formative assessment tools:

• Quizzes & Mini-Tests: These brief assessments are powerful tools for gauging student knowledge in a focused manner. 

When used regularly, they can highlight trends in student understanding over time, allowing educators to pinpoint specific topics that may require additional instruction or review.

Watch: How to Use Online Quiz Maker for Teachers

• Observations & Check-Ins: This approach involves informal yet purposeful monitoring of students during class activities. 

It offers nuanced insights into how students interact with the material and each other, providing a real-time snapshot of engagement and comprehension levels.

• Interactive Discussions: Encouraging open dialogue about the material not only reinforces students’ understanding but also cultivates critical thinking skills. 

Discussions can unveil diverse interpretations and misconceptions, guiding educators in tailoring subsequent lessons to address these gaps.

• Peer Reviews: Students engage in a reciprocal learning process by evaluating each other’s work. This method not only diversifies feedback but also encourages students to critically engage with the curriculum, deepening their understanding through the lens of their peers’ perspectives.
• Exit Tickets: Simple prompts or questions at the end of a lesson offer immediate feedback on the day’s learning outcomes. Analyzing responses helps educators assess the effectiveness of their teaching and plan necessary adjustments for future classes.
• Learning Journals: Journals that prompt reflection on what was learned and questions that arose during the lesson help students articulate their thoughts and feelings about their learning journey. 

Reviewing these journals gives educators a window into students’ self-perceived progress and areas of difficulty.

Incorporating a mix of these formative assessment types enriches the learning environment and empowers students to take an active role in their education. 

Educators can harness these tools to create a dynamic classroom atmosphere that values growth, encourages engagement, and fosters a deeper connection to the material. 

What Is the Process of a Formative Assessment?

The formative assessment process is a cyclical, interactive approach designed to gauge student understanding, provide feedback, and continuously adapt instruction throughout the learning journey. It’s a dynamic framework that supports teaching and enhances learning. 

Here’s a breakdown of the key steps involved:

Step 1: Identify Learning Objectives 

The first step involves clearly defining what students should learn. These objectives guide the creation of assessment tasks and ensure that the assessment is aligned with instructional goals.

Step 2: Select Appropriate Assessment Methods 

Choose from various assessment methods (e.g., quizzes, discussions, projects) that best suit the learning objectives and the learner’s needs. This diversity allows for a more comprehensive understanding of student learning.

Step 3: Implement the Assessment 

Carry out the chosen formative assessment during the instructional process. This could be through live quizzes, interactive discussions, peer reviews, or individual reflections. The key is to integrate these assessments seamlessly into the learning activities.

Step 4: Analyze Learner Responses 

Review the information gathered from the assessment to identify patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement. This analysis provides insights into each student’s understanding and progress.

Step 5: Provide Feedback 

Offer timely and constructive feedback to students based on their performance. Effective feedback is specific, actionable, and focused on growth, helping students understand what they did well and where they can improve.

Step 6: Adjust Instruction 

Based on the feedback and analysis, adapt your teaching strategies to address the identified learning gaps or challenges. This might involve revisiting specific topics, introducing new resources, or modifying learning activities to suit students’ needs better.

Step 7: Reflect on the Process 

Finally, reflect on the effectiveness of the formative assessment process itself. Consider what worked well and what could be improved in future iterations. This reflection helps refine the assessment process, making it more effective over time.

Throughout this process, the emphasis is on fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement. By actively engaging in each step, educators can create a responsive classroom atmosphere that supports every student’s growth and achievement.

Strategies for Effective Formative Assessments

To maximize the benefits of formative assessments, educators need to apply strategies that make the feedback loop as effective and seamless as possible. Here’s how to ensure formative assessments contribute positively to both teaching and learning:

• Embed Assessments in Everyday Learning 

Make formative assessments a natural extension of classroom activities. After a science experiment, for instance, ask students to predict the outcome based on the theory they’ve learned. This not only assesses their understanding but also encourages critical thinking.

• Embrace Technology for Interactive Learning 

Modern tools have revolutionized the way we assess and engage with students. ProProfs Quiz Maker, for example, offers an intuitive platform for creating quizzes that are both fun and educational. 

You can create educational quizzes that provide instant feedback, helping students identify areas of strength and those needing improvement, all within an interactive format that captures their interest.

• Foster a Culture of Peer Feedback

Implement structured peer review sessions where students can offer constructive feedback on each other’s presentations or essays. This strategy not only diversifies the sources of feedback but also helps students develop a critical eye for their work and that of their peers.

• Encourage Reflective Practices 

Guide students in reflecting on their learning experiences and outcomes. A reflective journal entry after completing a group project can provide insights into what they learned, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them, fostering a deeper understanding of the learning process.

• Connect Learning to Real-world Applications 

Design assessments that require students to apply classroom knowledge to solve real-world problems. For instance, in a geography class, students could analyze the impact of climate change on their local community, encouraging them to connect theory with practical, observable phenomena.

• Leverage Exit Tickets for Immediate Insights 

At the end of a lesson, a simple question related to the day’s topic can serve as an exit ticket. This strategy offers quick insights into students’ understanding and retention, informing future instructional decisions.

Implementing these strategies can make formative assessments a powerful tool for enhancing student learning, providing educators with the flexibility to meet each student’s needs while fostering a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.

What Are the Benefits of a Formative Assessment?

Formative assessments offer a wealth of benefits that significantly contribute to both teaching efficacy and student learning outcomes. 

By integrating formative assessments into the educational process, educators and students can experience a more engaged, reflective, and practical learning journey. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Enhanced Learning and Understanding 

Formative assessments help students consolidate their learning by actively engaging with the material. This continuous engagement promotes deeper understanding and retention of the content.

Watch: How Luc Viatour Transformed Education for 1500+ Daily Learners

• Immediate Feedback for Quick Adjustments

The real-time feedback provided through formative assessments allows students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement promptly. This immediacy enables quick corrective actions, fostering a more dynamic and responsive learning environment.

• Personalized Learning Experiences 

Formative assessments identify individual learning needs, enabling educators to tailor their teaching strategies and resources. This personalization ensures that all students receive the support and challenge they need to progress.

• Increased Student Motivation and Engagement 

Active involvement in the learning process increases students’ motivation and engagement. Formative assessments encourage students to take ownership of their learning, leading to higher levels of participation and interest.

• Development of Critical Thinking and Skills 

Through activities like peer reviews and self-assessments, students develop essential skills, including critical thinking, self-reflection, and the ability to receive and apply feedback constructively.

• Support for a Growth Mindset 

Formative assessments emphasize growth and improvement over grades, helping to cultivate a growth mindset among students. This perspective encourages learners to view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as failures.

• Improved Teacher-Student Relationships 

The continuous interaction and feedback loop foster closer relationships between teachers and students. This rapport builds a supportive classroom atmosphere where students feel valued and understood.

• Data-Driven Instructional Decisions 

Insights from formative assessments give educators a clear view of student understanding, enabling precise, data-driven adjustments to teaching. This targeted approach ensures lessons meet students’ exact needs, optimizing learning outcomes.

• Reduction of Test Anxiety 

Integrating formative assessments throughout the learning journey shifts the focus from high-stakes evaluation to ongoing improvement, significantly easing test-related stress. This frequent, low-pressure feedback mechanism familiarizes students with the assessment process, building their confidence and diminishing anxiety over time.

• Preparation for Summative Assessments 

Regular formative assessments prepare students for summative assessments by ensuring they understand the material and can apply their knowledge effectively. This preparation can lead to better performance on final exams and standardized tests.

Watch: How DMS Boosted Student Scores

How to Create a Formative Assessment Quiz

If you’re using an intuitive quiz tool, such as ProProfs Quiz Maker, the process for creating a quiz is quite straightforward. Here’s how to create a formative assessment quiz in five quick and easy steps:

Step 1: Click “Create a Quiz” on your dashboard. 

Step 2: Pick a ready-to-use quiz, create a quiz with AI , or build it from scratch.

Step 3: Add/edit the quiz title, description & cover image.

Step 4: Add/edit questions. 

Employ a variety of question formats to explore diverse knowledge and skill areas, guaranteeing a thorough examination of the topic at hand. 

ProProfs provides an array of question styles, including multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, drag & drop, hotspot, and audio/video responses, facilitating a detailed assessment of learners’ comprehension.

Watch: 15+ Question Types for Online Learning & Assessment

You can add new questions by:

• importing them from 1,000,000+ ready-to-use questions  
• using ProProfs AI to generate questions instantly 
• creating them by yourself

You can add images, videos, audio clips, and docs to your quiz. 

You can also automate the grading of your quizzes to save time and effort, which you can invest in providing individualized support to your learners.   

Watch: How to Automate Quiz Scoring & Grading

You also have the option to offer explanations for answers immediately after a question is answered in the quiz. This instant feedback not only supports the learning process but also enables students to recognize areas requiring improvement.

Step 5: Configure settings.

You can implement several security and anti-cheating measures , including:

• Setting your quiz to be private and secured with a password
• Randomizing the sequence of questions and/or answer choices
• Developing a question pool and drawing a random selection of questions for each participant
• Overseeing the quiz through screen sharing, webcam, and microphone monitoring
• Preventing tab switching, printing, copying, downloading, and repeated attempts

Watch: How to Customize & Configure Your Quiz Settings

You can also change the quiz’s appearance by adjusting the background, colors, fonts, and button text. Plus, you can set the quiz to appear in the participant’s native language.

That’s it. Your formative assessment quiz is ready.

Analyzing the Results

After administering a formative assessment, ProProfs Quiz Maker delivers in-depth analytics that paints a complete picture of every student’s learning progress and overall class performance. This data is essential for modifying instructional strategies to better align with students’ learning needs. 

Apply this insightful feedback to adjust your teaching plans, focusing on clarifying common misconceptions and bolstering areas where students show weaknesses.

Enhance Classroom Dynamics With Formative Assessments

In conclusion, formative assessments are the core of an adaptive and responsive teaching strategy. They offer a clear window into student progress and areas for growth. This approach aligns instruction closely with student needs, significantly enhancing learning outcomes. 

By incorporating tools like ProProfs Quiz Maker, educators can design engaging and insightful assessments that contribute to a tailored learning experience. 

Start elevating your teaching approach by trying out ProProfs Quiz Maker through a free trial or requesting a demonstration today.

Frequently Asked Questions  

What are formative and summative assessments?

Formative assessments are tools teachers use during the learning process to see how students are doing and to adjust their teaching methods. Summative assessments happen at the end of a learning period, like a final exam, to measure what students have learned overall.

Are quizzes summative or formative?

Quizzes can act as both formative and summative assessments. As formative assessments, quizzes are used throughout the learning process to guide both teaching and learning. As summative assessments, quizzes evaluate students’ final understanding at the end of a unit or semester.

Is a worksheet a formative assessment?

Worksheets can serve as formative assessments when used to monitor students’ understanding and inform future teaching strategies. They become practical tools for ongoing learning and adaptation in the classroom, emphasizing feedback over final grades.

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About the author

Michael laithangbam.

Michael Laithangbam is the senior writer & editor at ProProfs with 12 years of experience in enterprise software and eLearning. Michael's expertise encompasses online training, web-based learning, quizzes & assessments, LMS, and more. Michael’s work has been published in G2, Software Advice, Capterra, and eLearning Industry.

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Formative Assessment

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Formative Assessment refers to a variety of methods that educators use to conduct evaluations of student learning, comprehension, academic needs, and educational progress throughout a course or unit. Unlike summative assessments, which evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional period, formative assessments are ongoing and provide continuous feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. This type of assessment is typically informal and does not contribute to a student’s final grade. It is primarily used as a diagnostic tool aimed at identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses and tailoring instruction accordingly. Examples of formative assessment include quizzes, drafts, peer reviews, questioning strategies, and discussions that help teachers adjust their teaching strategies and help students enhance their understanding and skills.

What is Formative Assessment?

Formative Assessment refers to a variety of methods that educators use to conduct evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Unlike summative assessments which aim to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional period by comparing it against a standard or benchmark, formative assessments are more about monitoring student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to enhance their learning.

Characteristics of Formative Assessment:

Continuous : It involves regular, ongoing assessment throughout the learning process. Interactive : It requires interaction between the teacher and students to discuss the feedback. Adaptive : It helps teachers tailor instruction to meet students’ needs in real-time. Informative : It provides valuable insights not only to the teacher about how to adjust the teaching methods but also to students about how they can improve their understanding and skills.

Importance of Formative Assessment

Formative assessment plays a critical role in the educational process by providing multiple benefits to both teachers and students. Here are six key reasons why formative assessment is important:

1. Enhances Student Engagement and Motivation

Formative assessment actively involves students in their own learning process. By receiving regular and immediate feedback, students become more engaged and motivated to understand the material and improve their performance.

2. Supports Personalized Learning

Each student has unique learning needs and paces. Formative assessment allows educators to tailor their instructional strategies to meet the individual needs of each student. This personalized approach helps to maximize learning efficiency and effectiveness.

3. Identifies Learning Gaps Early

By regularly assessing students throughout the teaching process, educators can identify knowledge gaps or misunderstandings early on. This early detection enables timely intervention before misconceptions become deeply ingrained, helping students stay on track with their learning goals.

4. Promotes Self-regulation in Students

Formative assessments encourage students to think critically about their own learning and identify areas where they can improve. This self-assessment helps develop their metacognitive skills, making them more aware and in control of their learning processes.

5. Facilitates Constructive Feedback

Unlike summative assessments, which often provide only scores or grades, formative assessments offer detailed feedback that students can use to improve their performance. This feedback is not just corrective; it is instructive and constructive, providing specific advice on how to enhance understanding and skills.

6. Improves Instructional Methods

Formative assessment also benefits educators by providing them with insights into how effective their teaching methods are. Based on ongoing assessments, teachers can adjust their teaching styles and techniques to better suit their students’ needs, ensuring that their instructional methods are as effective as possible.

Types of Formative Assessment

Formative assessments are varied and can be integrated into teaching strategies in many creative ways. Below are some of the key types of formative assessment that educators can use to gauge student learning and provide timely feedback:

Observations Observational assessments involve teachers watching students during activities or projects to assess how well they understand the material and apply their skills. This method allows teachers to gather insights into students’ capabilities and areas where they may need more support.

Quizzes Short quizzes administered during a unit or after a lesson help teachers measure the students’ understanding of specific topics. These can be oral, written, or even digital, providing immediate feedback to both the student and the teacher.

Exit Tickets At the end of a lesson, students are asked to write down a quick response to a question or a summary of what they’ve learned. Exit tickets provide immediate insight into the students’ grasp of the day’s content, helping teachers plan future lessons.

One-on-One Conferences Personal interactions between teacher and student can be highly effective for understanding individual student progress and challenges. During these conferences, teachers can provide personalized feedback and support to help each student advance.

Peer Reviews Allowing students to assess each other’s work can enhance understanding and provide new perspectives on the material. Peer reviews encourage collaborative learning and help students learn to give and receive constructive feedback.

Learning Journals Students keep journals to reflect on their learning experiences, document their thoughts about what they are learning, and discuss how they can apply the knowledge. Journals help students internalize what they have learned and provide teachers with insights into their students’ progress and thoughts.

Question and Answer Sessions Regular Q&A sessions help clarify students’ doubts and reinforce learning. These sessions encourage active participation and ensure students can ask questions about things they haven’t understood.

Portfolios A collection of a student’s work over time can be used as a formative assessment. Portfolios often include a variety of works and provide a comprehensive view of a student’s progress and abilities.

Self-Assessment Involving students in their own assessment process helps them become active participants in their learning journey. Through self-assessment, students evaluate their own work against set criteria, which helps them understand their own strengths and areas for improvement.

Interactive Technology Tools Various digital tools and software allow for interactive assessments, such as educational games, online quizzes, and digital simulations. These tools can provide immediate feedback and are engaging for students, helping maintain their interest and motivation.

Examples of Formative Assessment

Here are examples across various subjects and settings that demonstrate how formative assessments can be effectively utilized:

English Language Arts

Peer Editing Sessions : Students exchange drafts of their essays and provide feedback on each other’s use of language, thesis coherence, and argument strength. Literary Discussion Circles : Small groups discuss themes, character development, and plot twists in a book they are reading, helping the teacher gauge comprehension and engagement.

Mathematics

Mini Whiteboard Questions : Students use mini whiteboards to solve problems posed by the teacher and hold up their answers, allowing the teacher to quickly assess understanding and correct misconceptions in real-time. Math Journals : Students regularly write reflections in their journals about their problem-solving processes and understanding of mathematical concepts.

Lab Station Rotations : During laboratory experiments, students rotate through various stations where they conduct different parts of an experiment, allowing the teacher to observe their practical skills and conceptual understanding. Concept Maps : Students create concept maps that connect ideas from a unit on ecosystems, showing their understanding of how different components interact.

Social Studies

Debates : Students engage in debates over historical issues or current events, which helps the teacher evaluate their critical thinking, understanding of the topic, and ability to argue different viewpoints. Timeline Activities : Students construct timelines of historical events, helping them organize information chronologically and allowing teachers to check for accurate understanding of sequences and causality.

Foreign Languages

Role-play Exercises : Students perform role-plays in the target language, simulating real-life situations to demonstrate conversational skills, vocabulary usage, and cultural awareness. Interactive Quizzes : Utilizing digital platforms, students complete quizzes that assess their grammar and vocabulary comprehension in the target language, with immediate feedback provided.

Physical Education

Skill Stations : During a class on basketball, students rotate through stations focusing on different skills such as dribbling, shooting, and passing, which the teacher uses to assess individual student abilities. Fitness Logs : Students keep a log of their personal fitness activities and goals, reflecting on their progress and areas for improvement.

Portfolio Reviews : Students maintain a portfolio of their artwork which they review with the teacher, discussing techniques, artistic choices, and personal growth. Critique Sessions : Students present a piece of their artwork for class critique, receiving constructive feedback from peers and the teacher on their artistic expression and techniques.

Formative Assessment Strategies

Formative assessment strategies are diverse and can be tailored to fit different classroom dynamics and educational goals. Here are several effective strategies that educators can adopt to enhance learning and provide ongoing feedback:

Think-Pair-Share encourages students to think about a specific topic or question on their own, discuss it with a partner, and then share their insights with the larger group. This strategy not only promotes understanding through collaboration but also allows teachers to assess comprehension and facilitate discussions based on student responses.

Exit Slips require students to write answers to specific questions on a small piece of paper at the end of the class. This method helps teachers quickly gauge whether students have understood the day’s material and what might need further clarification.

Graphic Organizers such as Venn diagrams, flow charts, and mind maps can help students visually organize their knowledge about a topic. Teachers can use these organizers to assess students’ understanding of relationships between concepts and their ability to synthesize information.

Socratic Seminars involve creating a dialogic class where students discuss a text or topic deeply. The teacher acts as a facilitator, posing questions and guiding discussion, while also gauging students’ critical thinking and comprehension through their participation and insights.

Interactive Quizzes using digital platforms offer real-time feedback and engagement, making it a fun and effective way for students to learn and for teachers to assess understanding. These platforms often provide analytics that can help pinpoint areas where students struggle.

Peer Assessment allows students to give feedback on each other’s work. This not only helps students understand grading criteria and improve their work based on peer feedback but also encourages a deeper engagement with the learning material.

Self-Assessment involves students in their own evaluation by reflecting on their learning and identifying strengths and areas for improvement. This strategy encourages self-regulation and helps students become active participants in their learning process.

Formative Assessment vs Summative Assessment

Formative assessment:.

• Purpose: The primary aim of formative assessment is to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback that can be used to improve the instructional process and enhance student learning. It helps identify areas where students are struggling and need more support.
• Timing: It occurs continuously throughout the instructional process. Teachers assess students in the middle of lessons, units, or projects to get insights into the students’ understanding and progress.
• Feedback: Formative assessment is inherently interactive, offering immediate feedback to students which helps them understand what they are doing well and where they need improvement. This feedback is also crucial for teachers as it allows them to adjust their teaching strategies in real-time.
• Examples: Examples include quizzes, one-on-one conferences, peer reviews, exit tickets, and observational notes.

Summative Assessment:

• Purpose: Summative assessment aims to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark. It is used to determine whether students have mastered specific competencies and to what extent they have achieved the learning outcomes of the course.
• Timing: This type of assessment occurs at the end of a course, semester, or unit, providing a final measure of student proficiency after instruction is completed.
• Feedback: The feedback from summative assessments typically comes in the form of grades or scores. It is more formal and often used for reporting purposes, such as grades on report cards. The feedback cycle is longer, and while it informs students of their performance, it is less about immediate improvement and more about evaluation.
• Examples: Standardized tests, final exams, end-of-unit projects, and comprehensive portfolio evaluations are common forms of summative assessment.

FAQ’s

What are the 4 components of formative assessment.

The four components of formative assessment are identifying learning goals, providing feedback, involving students in self-assessment, and adjusting instruction based on assessment results.

What are the benefits of formative assessment?

The key benefits include improved student engagement, enhanced understanding, individualized learning, early identification of learning gaps, and increased opportunities for corrective feedback. It encourages students to take an active role in their learning process.

How does formative assessment impact teaching?

Formative assessment provides valuable insights into student understanding and learning progress, which helps teachers adjust their instructional methods. It allows educators to identify effective strategies and areas that need more focus, thereby improving the overall effectiveness of their teaching.

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