Formative

vs
Summative
Assessments
 Formative & Summative Assessments

Formative and summative assessments are two of the most

important parts to gauging a student’s progress in any class.

But what are they, exactly? And why are they different?

Here’s the short answer.

Formative assessments are tests, quizzes, games, or group work

designed to evaluate how well a student is learning the material in a class.
The goal of this assessment is to understand what your students know
and what you’ll have to review before the class concludes.

Summative assessments are quizzes, tests, exams, or other formal

evaluations of how much a student has learned throughout a class. The
goal of this assessment is to get a grade that corresponds to a student’s
understanding of the class material as a whole, such as with a midterm or
cumulative final exam.

Naturally, there’s more to each kind of assessment than can be

summarized in a single page.

On the next two pages, you’ll find more detail on formative and
summative assessments, ideas on how to administer each kind of
assessment, and how you can track them to indicate how successful you
are in the classroom.

aeseducation.com/blog/formative-vs.-summative-assessments-what-do-they-mean
 Formative Assessments

DEFINITION

Formative assessments evaluate a student’s learning

progress in a classroom.

FORMATS TRACKING
Grades
- Quizzes Grades are excellent for tracking student
progress for a class. But when grades are
- Games used too frequently, they add extra stress
- Projects to students as well. Finding a balance of
graded and ungraded assessments is key
- Presentations to a healthy classroom!

- Group activities
Instinct
Your teacher instincts may lead you to
discoveries that grades could never show
you. Sometimes you just have a feeling
EXAMPLES about a student, and that’s all you need to
help them learn. On the other hand, this
isn’t quantifiable or trackable.
Make an ad
Combine visual and text into one item
to sell an idea Data
Idea comparisons Student data is any graded or non-graded
Compare and contrast important information you track, like questions that
concepts you’ve covered in class students have frequently answered
incorrectly. Completed assignments,
Misconceptions classroom participation, and other
Mix truths and lies about a concept and indicators are all great student data.
have students differentiate them

aeseducation.com/blog/formative-vs.-summative-assessments-what-do-they-mean
 Summative Assessments

DEFINITION

Summative assessments evaluate what and how much

a student has learned in a classroom.

FORMATS TRACKING

- Tests Grades
- Final exams
Grades are the prime method of tracking
- Reports student success in the classroom when
it comes to summative assessments.
- Papers
- End-of-class projects For summative assessments, grades can
also extend to scores that students have
earned on standardized tests. That gives
you a clear picture of a student’s strengths
and struggles throughout their entire
academic career.
EXAMPLES In addition, grades are intended to be a
reflection of how much a student knows
In-depth reports after going through a class.
Students choose a topic in your class
and research it in great detail Summative assessments test that exact
quality in a student.
Cumulative projects
Students create a comprehensive With that in mind, grades are truly the
project illustrating a relevant idea best and most valuable measurement of
summative assessment tracking that
Personal evaluation you could use!
Students reflect on classroom concepts
and apply them to their own lives

aeseducation.com/blog/formative-vs.-summative-assessments-what-do-they-mean
 Using Formative & Summative Assessments

Formative and summative assessments work best when

you use them in the classroom together.

When you use each kind of assessment and make the

most of its strengths, you can change your classroom.

But that’s easier said than done.

That’s why AES provides digital curriculum to educators

throughout the United States!

Digital curriculum comes with pre-made assessments,

automatic grading, student data tracking, and more. All
of it helps you administer formative and summative
assessments in your class!

Want to learn more? Just check out the AES page on

digital curriculum!

https://www.aeseducation.com/digital-curriculum

aeseducation.com/blog/formative-vs.-summative-assessments-what-do-they-mean