Summative And Formative Assessment

In their 1998(a) paper, Black and Wiliam refer to assessment as any activity undertaken by teachers or students to provide evidence of the progress in learning. There are two types of assessment, summative and formative. Summative assessment is a clear method in which to record a pupil’s progress. This form of assessment is usually carried out after a certain period of time, usually in the form of an exam, to determine how well a pupil has understood the required information and they are then assigned a grade. Formative assessment, on the other hand, focuses on assessing pupils throughout the learning process so that teachers can make any possible changes to the teaching methods being used and can provide pupils with the necessary feedback

However, Shepard (2007) claimed that the research into formative assessment had lead to a quick increase in the number of products, schemes and classroom methods being developed, but that these were very poorly implemented. This was due to education authorities wanting to ‘tick boxes’, rather than focussing upon the necessary principles underlining formative assessment. A large amount of research was then undertaken to identify the necessary requirements for effective formative assessment. Sadler (1989) identified three concepts as being

It was argued that formative assessment helps consolidate learning, increase motivation and helps pupils become more effective learners. The research focuses on the learner rather than focusing on the role of the teacher. Formative assessment encourages the learner to develop his or her own attitudes and skills, promoting learning rather than relying on being ‘fed’ the information. Harlen and James (1996) furthered this idea by suggesting that “pupils need to be active in their own learning”, and unless they are given sufficient and useful feedback, they will not fully understand the strengths and weaknesses in their learning and are therefore unable to make the necessary changes to