Three Types of Assessment (2024)

Formative Assessment

This occurs in the short term, as learners are in the process of making meaning of new content and of integrating it into what they already know. Feedback to the learner is immediate (or nearly so), to enable the learner to change his/her behavior and understandings right away. Formative Assessment also enables the teacher to "turn on a dime" and rethink instructional strategies, activities, and content based on student understanding and performance. His/her role here is comparable to that of a coach. Formative Assessment can be as informal as observing the learner's work or as formal as a written test. Formative Assessment is the most powerful type of assessment for improving student understanding and performance.

Examples: a very interactive class discussion; a warm-up, closure, or exit slip; a on-the-spot performance; a quiz.

Interim Assessment

This takes place occasionally throughout a larger time period. Feedback to the learner is still quick, but may not be immediate. Interim Assessments tend to be more formal, using tools such as projects, written assignments, and tests. The learner should be given the opportunity to re-demonstrate his/her understanding once the feedback has been digested and acted upon. Interim Assessments can help teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction, and ideally teachers address these before moving on or by weaving remedies into upcoming instruction and activities.

Examples: Chapter test; extended essay; a project scored with a rubric.

Summative Assessment

This takes place at the end of a large chunk of learning, with the results being primarily for the teacher's or school's use. Results may take time to be returned to the student/parent, feedback to the student is usually very limited, and the student usually has no opportunity to be reassessed. Thus, Summative Assessment tends to have the least impact on improving an individual student's understanding or performance. Students/parents can use the results of Summative Assessments to see where the student's performance lies compared to either a standard (MEAP/MME) or to a group of students (usually a grade-level group, such as all 6th graders nationally, such as Iowa Tests or ACT). Teachers/schools can use these assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses of curriculum and instruction, with improvements affecting the next year's/term's students.

Examples: Standardized testing (MEAP, MME, ACT, WorkKeys, Terra Nova, etc.); Final exams; Major cumulative projects, research projects, and performances.

Three Types of Assessment (2024)

FAQs

Three Types of Assessment? ›

There are three types of assessment: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Although are three are generally referred to simply as assessment, there are distinct differences between the three.

What are the 3 main types of assessment? ›

There are three broad types of assessments: diagnostic, formative, and summative. These take place throughout the learning process, helping students and teachers gauge learning. Within those three broad categories, you'll find other types of assessment, such as ipsative, norm-referenced, and criterion-referenced.

What are the 3 components of assessment? ›

There are three key elements of Assessment for Learning: assess, diagnose, and remediate. But it shouldn't stop there. The three key elements of Assessment for Learning are cyclical. After completing the last remediation step, you can assess the pupil again to determine if they have understood the concept.

What are the 3 fundamental principles of assessment? ›

Principles of assessment
  • Validity. A valid assessment assesses exactly what it claims to assess. ...
  • Reliability. A reliable assessment gives a consistent result each time it is carried out, including by different people. ...
  • Flexibility. ...
  • Fairness.

What are 3 criteria of good assessment? ›

Consequently, criteria such as validity-coherence, reproducibility-consistency, and equivalence are of the most importance.

What is the most important types of assessment? ›

Formative Assessment is the most powerful type of assessment for improving student understanding and performance. Examples: a very interactive class discussion; a warm-up, closure, or exit slip; a on-the-spot performance; a quiz.

What is the most common of assessment? ›

Common assessment methods are mainly two types. Formative assessments that are conducted regularly, at least with every class, and summative which may take place after a period, such as after a class, or semester.

What are the 4 major types of assessment? ›

A Guide to Types of Assessment: Diagnostic, Formative, Interim, and Summative. Assessments come in many shapes and sizes. For those who are new to assessment or just starting out, the terms can be hard to sort out or simply unfamiliar.

What is assessment for learning 3? ›

Assessment for learning (AFL) is an approach to teaching and learning that creates feedback which is then used to improve students' performance. Students become more involved in the learning process and from this gain confidence in what they are expected to learn and to what standard.

What is the basic of assessment? ›

Assessment is the systematic basis for making inferences about the learning and development of students. It is the process of defining, selecting, designing, collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and using information to increase students' learning and development.

What are the 3 fundamental elements of a learning situation? ›

The three elements of a learning design: learning tasks, resources and supports, and their interactions with each other. A key point is the central location of assessments (from Oliver and Herrington, 2001; Agostinho et al., 2008).

What are the 4 rules of assessment? ›

There are 4 Principles of Assessment:
  • Fairness.
  • Flexibility.
  • Validity.
  • Reliability.
Mar 7, 2024

What is an effective assessment? ›

Effective Assessment Is Ongoing and Continuous

Assessment that is woven into daily instruction offers students frequent opportunities to gain feedback, to modify their learning approaches and methods, and to observe their progress. Teachers provide informal assessment by questioning students and offering comments.

How many types of need assessment are there? ›

Types of needs assessment. Methods of needs assessment can be classified into seven main types, each of which can take many different forms in practice.

What are the 4 assessment tools? ›

Educational Assessment Tools

These include standardized tests, quizzes, essays, portfolios, and practical demonstrations. Teachers and educators use these tools not only to grade students but also to understand their learning progress, identify areas needing improvement, and tailor teaching strategies accordingly.

What are the 4 areas of assessment? ›

Answer. There are four components of the assessment process. These include observation, written records, portfolios, and family information.

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