Summative vs. Formative Assessment

When I first heard the terms "summative assessment" and "formative assessment" I was confused. With a little research, I learned the differences between these tools and realized I was already using both types of assessments all the time in my classroom!

Formative assessments monitor a student's understanding throughout the instructional process, while a summative assessment measures student understanding at the end of a unit or course.

While both are important, they serve different purposes. Formative assessments provide actionable feedback, while summative assessments measure student understanding at the end of a unit or course.