Assessment is a crucial part of the teaching and learning process. It helps educators gauge student understanding and tailor instruction. This section explores three main types: formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments.

Each type serves a unique purpose in education. Formative assessment provides ongoing feedback, summative evaluates overall learning, and diagnostic identifies starting points. Understanding these types helps teachers create effective assessment strategies.

Types of Assessment

Formative and Diagnostic Assessments

• Formative assessment monitors student learning to provide ongoing feedback teachers can use to improve their teaching and students can use to improve their learning
• Involves low-stakes activities such as discussions, exit tickets, and quizzes that identify areas where students are struggling and need more support
• Diagnostic assessment is a type of formative assessment used to identify students' current knowledge, skills, and capabilities before instruction begins
• Helps teachers determine where to focus their instruction and identify areas that need to be addressed (gaps in knowledge, learning difficulties)

Summative and Continuous Assessments

• Summative assessment evaluates student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against a benchmark or standard
• Includes high-stakes tests (final exams, standardized tests) and projects that are used to measure student mastery of learning objectives
• Continuous assessment is an ongoing process of evaluating student performance throughout a course or academic year
• Utilizes both formative and summative assessments to provide a comprehensive picture of student progress over time

Assessment Purposes

Assessment for Learning vs. Assessment of Learning

• Assessment for learning (formative assessment) is used to monitor student progress during the learning process and provide feedback to improve teaching and learning
• Helps teachers identify areas where students need additional support or challenge and adjust their instruction accordingly
• Assessment of learning (summative assessment) is used to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit or course
• Measures student mastery of learning objectives and assigns grades or scores based on their performance

Criterion-Referenced vs. Norm-Referenced Assessment

• Criterion-referenced assessment measures student performance against a predetermined set of criteria or learning standards
• Focuses on whether students have mastered specific knowledge or skills, regardless of how their peers perform (passing a driving test)
• Norm-referenced assessment compares student performance to that of their peers or a national average
• Establishes student rankings and is often used for high-stakes decisions (college admissions tests like the SAT or ACT)

Assessment Strategies

Pre-Assessment and Feedback Loop

• Pre-assessment is a type of diagnostic assessment that determines students' prior knowledge, skills, and misconceptions before instruction begins
• Helps teachers plan instruction that builds on students' existing knowledge and addresses their learning needs (pre-test on multiplication before teaching a unit on division)
• Feedback loop is a continuous cycle of assessment and feedback that supports student learning and informs instructional decisions
• Involves setting learning goals, assessing student progress, providing feedback, and adjusting instruction based on student needs

Strategies for Formative Assessment

• Exit tickets are short, informal assessments given at the end of a lesson to gauge student understanding and identify areas that need clarification
• Can be a quick quiz, a reflective prompt, or a problem to solve that provides immediate feedback to the teacher (3-2-1 exit ticket: list 3 things you learned, 2 questions you have, and 1 thing you found interesting)
• Other formative assessment strategies include:
  • Think-pair-share discussions
  • Concept maps or graphic organizers
  • Journal reflections
  • Peer and self-assessments