Formative and Summative Data Definitions

Today’s data-driven educators are expected to collect, organize, analyze, and report on
students’ progress by collecting relevant information called data. There are two different
types of assessment data that educators rely on for relevant information; formative and
summative

Formative Data Assessments

 Specifically, educators collect, organize, and analyze formative data during an

instructional time period; during lessons, through homework, and other
instructional activities.
 Educators use feedback to report the results of the formative data assessments
to students.
 Formative data assessments are used to adjust instructional practices in an
effort to address and maximize individual students’ learning, to gauge students’
progress; and assign grades.
 Formative data assessments provide educators with timely, critical evidence that
indicate students’ skill level, their concept mastery, and their progress toward
curriculum goals.
 Formative data assessments are conducted in a variety of different ways;
educators use the data to adapt their teaching methods.
 Data-driven teachers see positive results from their students when they routinely
collect formative assessment data and then focus interventions accordingly.
 Educators use appropriate technologies to collect, organize, analyze, and report
student formative assessment data.
 Educators are able to utilize formative assessment data to develop meaningful
instruction for students.

Summative Data Assessments

 Summative data assessments produce valuable information that is used to

make curriculum decisions, direct future instruction, and improve instructional
practices.
 School personnel are expected to use information from yearly summative data
assessments to improve student learning and improve instructional practices.
 Local education agencies (LEA), curriculum experts, and school districts analyze
relevant summative assessment data when developing curriculum goals,
student learning outcomes, and school improvement plans.
 Summative assessment data are collected at the end of a chapter, unit, or
course; after instruction has taken place.
 Summative assessment data is obtained through a variety of means including
tests, projects, and student portfolios.
 SATs, ACTs, and High School Assessments are some examples of summative
assessments.
 Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT SUMMATIVE

COMPARISON ASSESSMENT

Meaning Formative Assessment refers to a variety of Summative Assessment is

assessment procedures that provides the defined as a standard for
required information, to adjust teaching, evaluating learning of
during the learning process. students.

Nature Diagnostic Evaluative

What is it? It is an assessment for learning. It is an assessment of

learning.

Frequency Monthly or quarterly Term end

Aims at Enhancing learning Measuring student's

competency.

Goal Monitor student learning. Evaluate student learning.

Weight of grades Low High

 Difference between Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Reference Testing

Norm-referenced Criterion-Reference
Types of test that assesses the test type of test that assesses the test
taker’s ability and performance taker’s ability to understand a set
against other test takers. curriculum.

Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced testing are two of many different

types of testing methods that are employed to assess skills of a person. These
tests are used to measure performance, but they are relative to different criteria.
The scores are also reported in different formats as well as interpreted differently.

 Norm-referenced

type of test that assesses the test taker’s ability and performance against other
test takers. It could also include a group of test takers against another group of test
takers. This is done to differentiate high and low achievers. The test’s content
covers a broad area of topics that the test takers are expected to know and the
difficulty of the content varies. This test must also be administered in a
standardized format. Norm-referenced test helps determine the position of the test
taker in a predefined population. Examples of norm-referenced tests include SATs,
ACTs, etc. These tests do not have a pre-determined curriculum and the topics on
the test vary depending on the panel that sets the test.

 Criterion-Reference

type of test that assesses the test taker’s ability to understand a set curriculum. In
this test, a curriculum is set in the beginning of the class, which is then explained
by the instructor. At the end of the lesson, the test is used to determine how much
did the test taker understand. This test is commonly used to measure the level of
understanding of a test taker before and after an instruction is given. It can also be
used to determine how good the instructor is at teaching the students. The test
must have material that is covered in the class by the instructor. The teacher or
the instructor sets the test according to the curriculum that was presented.
Examples of Criterion-Reference tests include the tests that are given in schools
and colleges in classes by a teacher. This helps the teacher determine if the
student should pass the class.
 Norm-Referenced Criterion-Reference

Norm-Referenced tests
Criterion-Reference tests measure
measure the performance of
the performance of test takers
Definition one group of test takers
against the criteria covered in the
against another group of
curriculum.
test takers.

To measure how much a To measure how much the test taker

Purpose test taker knows compared known before and after the
to another student. instruction is finished.

Norm-Referenced tests
Criterion-Reference tests measure
measure broad skill areas
Content the skills the test taker has acquired
taken from a variety of
on finishing a curriculum.
textbooks and syllabi.

Each skill is tested by less Each skill is tested by at least four

Item characteristics than four items. The items items to obtain an adequate sample
vary in difficulty. of the student.

Norm-Referenced tests Criterion-Reference tests need not be

Administration must be administered in a administered in a standardized
standardized format. format.

Norm-Referenced test
Criterion-Reference test scores are
Score reporting scores are reported in a
reported in categories or percentage.
percentile rank.

In Norm-Referenced tests, if
In Criterion-Reference, the score
a test taker ranks 95%, it
determines how much of the
Score interpretation implies that he/she has
curriculum is understood by the test
performed better than 95%
taker.
of the other test takers.
Authentic Assessment Definition:

An assessment that is performance oriented, the thinking goes, with the

assessment that aims to measure not only the correctness of the response, but
also the thought process involved in arriving at the response, and that
encourage students to reflect their own learning in both depth and breadth, the
belief is that instruction will be pushed into a more thoughtful, more reflexive,
richer mode as well.

Performance assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific

skills and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have
mastered. Richard J. Stiggins

A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks

that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills. Jon
Mueller
Evaluating with Alternative Assessments
In the ERIC Digest article "Alternative Assessment and Second Language
Study: What and Why?" Charles R. Hancock states "In the 1990's, we have
come to realize that new, alternative ways of thinking about learning and
assessing learning are needed." Research lead by Gardner, Fodor, Sternberg,
Perkins and Gruber has"...shown that creative individuals do not have unique
mental modules, but they use what they have in more efficient and flexible
ways." Definitions of Terms Several terms are used in the discussion of
assessments other than traditional assessments.

Alternative Assessment
Alternative assessment is a blanket term that covers any number of alternatives
to standardized tests. While the traditional paper and pencil tests may be
effective to assess some of the skills (such as listening), they are not sufficient
to assess the productive skills of speaking and writing. The nature of proficiency
oriented language learning calls for a variety of assessment options reflecting
the numerous instructional strategies used in the classroom. Authentic
assessment, performance-based assessment, and portfolio fall under this
category.

Winking, D. (1997). Critical issue: Ensuring equity with alternative assessments

[online document]. NCREL (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory), Oak
Brook: IL. Available online:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/methods/assment/as800.htm

Reeves, T. C. (2000). Alternative assessment approaches for online learning

environments in higher education. Educational Computing Research, 3(1) pp. 101-
111.