Friday, February 13, 2015
Blog #5 Assessments and UDL
Discuss the value of formative and summative assessment. Both have a place in education, and when dealing with the needs of all learners, it is very important to know the difference and be able to implement both in your curriculum. How does that fit into the Universal Design for Learning? Be sure to address both! Blog by Wednesday, Feb. 18th, and respond to your compass group by Sunday, Feb. 22nd.
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While both formative and summative assessments are valuable teaching tools, neither is of any value to teachers or students without the other. For example, the more commonly used summative assessment establishes standards and evaluates whether students have mastered the material at the point when they are assessed, but it does not allow for student revision. Student revision, as a matter of fact, is the major upside of the formative assessment. Formative assessments are essentially checkpoints that lead up to the summative assessment to monitor student progress along the way. These checkpoints can be either formal (e.g. practice tests, discussions, or blogs) or informal (i.e. classroom observations), but ultimately aim to close the gap between students' current status and the final goal of the lesson, through descriptive feedback. This feedback can include writing comments on a student's practice test, discussing areas of concern with a struggling student, or pretty much anything that goes beyond simply putting a grade on the top of an assignment.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the UDL, it is important to find out which students profit more from which type of assessment. Although it is generally not ideal to group certain types of students together, it is likely that disabled students will benefit from several formative assessments prior to taking a summative test, since most disabled students typically learn at a slower rate. Actually, formative assessments are usually good for all students, with the possible exception of gifted children, at the opposite end of the spectrum, as they learn more quickly and could become bored, and thus misbehave, if they are continually assessed over the same material - material that they mastered right away.
Formative assessment is more necessary in the learning process of education. There are various formative assessments done before the summative assessment, if there is one, is given. This is especially true in the younger grades where the basic skills are necessary to master in order to build on information later. Summative assessment then takes that information, which the students have hopefully internalized, and has them show that they know the information well through a paper, test, presentation, or whatever it may be. Once the students have taken this assessment, it's on to the next topic or unit of study. The UDL gives insight into the multiple different ways situations can be rectified or approached. Also,it gives ideas for variation of instruction. In order to really teach all students the material and make sure you assess correctly that they know the material, the educator should have a multitude of avenues in which he or she cold take to teach the lesson and formatively and summatively assess that they know the material. Some students work better with visual aids and others with an interactive game. All possible approaches should be incorporated into the lesson as at least options to the students.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen working with young children, that's definitely true. The main concept is that they learn that basic information - letters, sounds, blends, numbers, whatever it is - in order to move on since that is such a critical thing to know as they move through school.
DeleteAs a future elementary educator, I see myself using more formative assessments. Like you said, they are to help ensure they know the basic building blocks for further learning. I like UDL because it makes me feel like I can help each individual kid learn the material in their own way. I feel like I will understand and know my kiddos on a different level after helping them learn in their own way.
DeleteI agree that formative assessment is more necessary in the classroom, but summative assessments have their place. I like that the UDL gives such great suggestions for multiple ways of instruction. I agree with you once again, that all possible approaches should be incorporated, so long as someone needs each one.
DeleteFormative and summative assessments are widely used in the education world. Each one has an impact on not just the students, but the teacher as well. Formative assessment is used when a teacher wants to observe student learning while providing feedback that can help improve learning. Very often, this is seen in reflection papers, creating a concept web map, or having small quizzes thought the year to determine if the students understand the material or not. Summative assessment is the complete opposite of formative. This assessment focuses on the evaluation of student performance through a specific comparison. Summative assessments will often count for a higher grade then the formative assessments. These assessments often include final exams at the end of the year, a paper due at a specific date, and end of course presentations. When looking at these two assessments, you need both of them to run a successful classroom. In the end, you need to balance both of the assessments to make sure you are allowing your students to learn and succeed.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the UDL side, formative and summative assessments would help teachers accommodate to students who require more assistance. For some students, the summative assessment would work the best, then you have students that will benefit most from formative assessments. Formative can help all students when it comes to learning, but for students who struggle and need individual help, they can get the most out of formative assessments. Although a summative assessment will need to be placed at some point, it is best for teachers to use many different forms of formative assessments to prepare their students for a summative test, there by increasing their overall grade and performance.
I agree with your point that several different forms of formative assessments should be used to prepare students for the summative assessment. When a teacher bases his or her grade off of only homework, participation, and a large test, it creates a lot of pressure on the students to do well on the test because it can have a huge impact on their grade.
DeleteI also agree and think that several forms of formative tests should be used to prepare your students as well. I think this well help in the long run for the students. I personally think that classes that strictly rely on tests for grades stink.
DeleteFormative and summative assessments are both useful in education. Formative assessments should be given before the end of a unit to see how students are learning and help them understand what they don't understand. Summative assessments are more for a teacher's benefit and being able to give a grade. They gauge how well a student understood information at the end of a unit, and are useful in abiding by course standards and in modifying the way the unit is taught in the future. Both need to be used in a classroom, but formative assessments should be used more frequently so that students receive feedback many times throughout one unit.
ReplyDeleteWith UDL, formative and summative assessments can help teachers differentiate their classroom and accommodate different students. Many students have test anxiety, and if they are given more formative assessments where they know they will learn rather than simply receive a grade, then they may be able to retain the information and improve their understanding. Also, a combination of both assessment types can help students actually gain knowledge about the topic rather than simply memorizing the information and then forgetting it after a test.
I like the distinction between formative and summative assessments. The differences in the forms of the assessments allow teachers to use them in different ways for the betterment of the students. The idea of using more formative assessments rather than summative would be good for the students. Students can get nervous and therefore not do the work they are capable of. If they know it is not for a grade, they can relax and preform better.
DeleteI like your point about teacher's using summative assessments to adjust how they teach the information in the future. Even though they can't adjust how the current students learned the information they can be reflective and adjust for next year or next semester. I agree with how using both types of tests helps students learn the information better rather than memorizing it for the test then losing it.
DeleteI really like what you said when you discussed how teacher's use summative to adjust their styles of teaching to help develop not only their students but their overall teaching and knowledge of how to present their information effectively.
DeleteSummative and formative assessments are both very valuable in education. Formative assessments are good for checking students progress and knowledge before you have the final summative assessment. Formative takes some of the pressure off of a big chapter test or final exam. If you look at UDL through these assessments, its great for accommodating the different types of learners. For some of the students with learning disabilities, it would help them to learn if they did multiple formative assessments instead of just one huge paper at the end of a lesson. The practice will allow the teacher and student to see what they need help on and what they can fix before it becomes a big problem.
ReplyDeleteYour points about formative assessments are on point! I completely agree with your thought that formative assessments should be done before a summative assessment to give students a good idea of where they stand before a big exam or paper comes around. Struggling writers will also really benefit from a formative assessment such as a rough draft of a paper so they can gain confidence and improve their writing skills.
DeleteKelsi, I liked the way you describe formative assessments as progress and knowledge evaluation. Summative assessments are more accurate when students have had the chance to receive proper re-direction.
DeleteI agree that formative assessments help accommodating learners with different types of learning styles. When i was younger i was diagnosed with a reading disability so doing formative assessments rather than a big paper or exam really helped me out in the class because I've never been a outstanding test taker.
DeleteBoth types of assessments have their place in the classroom because students learn differently, teachers teach differently and information and knowledge is communicated differently. Being able to measure the effectiveness of student learning is an important aspect of teaching which summative and formative assessments both do. Formative assessments give students the chance to go back and relearn the information by making corrections or doing alternative assignments. This occurs after they receive initial feedback indicating if they are learning what they are supposed to be learning. Summative assessments can effectively measure, but the students don't get a chance to go back if they didn't understand it. Summative assessments are generally more useful to teachers who are self-reflective and can take that year's summative assessment scores and figure out how to improve them for the next year's students.
ReplyDeleteThese assessments fit the UDL because you aren't teaching a one size fits all, if you implement both types of assessment in your classroom success for students is likely to be much higher. Formative assessments let students learn by doing, no matter the type of assessment they do it, then receive feedback and do it again until they get it right. Research says we learn best when we actually do something, you can't learn to drive a car if you don't ever get behind the wheel. Summative assessments let students see if they learned the information. In a good classroom the formative assessments and other activities will have the students well prepared for the summative assessment so that when they take it and do well it builds confidence and enthusiasm for the subject. Success breeds success.
Both types are needed in the classroom. I like the thought of teachers using summative assessments for self-reflection. I never thought of that. You have the same idea as Katie that we should use more formative assessments rather than summative. This allows them to make corrections and do something with the assignment. The students will learn better by doing something.
DeleteI agree that both assessments have their place in a classroom. They are both useful to students, and to teachers. There really isn't a one size fits all teaching, and UDL can help teachers prepare to meet the needs of all their students.
DeleteI also agree both are necessary for success as a teacher and student in the classroom. Both have their purpose and their pro's and con's. The UDL can also help teachers understand what and how they teach their students.
DeleteI think that to become a successful teacher one must implement formative and summative assessments in their classrooms. The age of the students can have an effect on which type of assessment fits best in the classroom and also content area plays a role as well. Formative assessments are essential for the students to keep track of their understanding of the material and also for the teacher to be able to critique their teaching to find out what the students do not comprehend and what they might need to address a second or third time. One benefit of a formative assessment, such as a discussion held between all class members can help students realize what material they are uncomfortable with and should review and allows the teacher to hit on the frequently misunderstood topics. I firmly believe that positive feedback from a teacher can be hugely beneficial to the learning of all students. Summative assessments are important as well because a classroom without grades will result in the possibility of students not putting forth as much effort as they should. Unit tests and final papers do a good job of seeing how much information a student has learn and attained throughout a unit of study. The Universal Design for Learning enables teachers to develop a curriculum that fits both learners who are “in the margins” and the “average” students. The UDL is a great tool that is available for all educators to bring into their classrooms but in order for it to truly make a difference; the individual teacher must take what the UDL teaches them and put it into action. Assessments are one of the four components that make up the UDL curriculum and it is up to the teacher to make sure those assessments are both formative and summative to best benefit their unique batch of students. The UDL is a guideline for teachers to use in their classroom to aid all types of students in learning but so is the idea of using both formative and summative assessments. Its up to the teacher to take initiative to assess students in the way that most benefits them and also use components of the UDL to make their classroom as successful as possible.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, your ideas on age correct assessments and how resourceful our UDL packet is. The UDL shows several reasons why differentiation in the class room is needed and how to approach differentiation.
DeleteI completely agree that positive feedback from a teacher can make a huge difference in a student's view on school work. Rewards go a long way when teaching children. They seem to strive for greater when they get a prize when they reach their goal.
DeleteI think your point on summative assessments was great and kinda of changes my opinion a little bit. Without grades in a classroom will result in some students not trying as hard as they can to understand the material you are trying to teach them because they can rely on knowing that they will be aloud to redo it.
DeleteBoth formative and summative assessments are very important in education. Types of formative assessment gives valuable feedback to the students to let them know whether they need more work on a subject and is a learning tool. They also let the teachers know which students are understanding the material and what areas to work on with the students more. Feedback is a very beneficial aspect of formative assessments. Summative assessment, on the other hand, may include an end of the unit test where students don't get a chance to fix anything or improve upon that subject for future assignments. Summative assessments give teachers the information about which students are grasping the information, and which are not. They can also show whether the teacher is doing their best job to get the information across, depending on how well the students did overall. Furthermore, without summative assessments, the students wouldn't need to put as much effort into their work if they weren't graded on it. The UDL gives teachers strategies and ideas for different types of instruction and how to accommodate the learning styles of all of the students. By incorporating different types of both formative and summative assessments while using UDL, teachers are giving their students the best opportunity for learning and success.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part I agree with you but students won't necessarily work harder when they are given a Summative assessment. Formative assessments are still graded just not in the same style as a Summative assessment; plus it's easy enough to turn assignments from Summative to formative, for example our quiz.
DeleteI like how you mentioned the teacher's aspect of giving these assessments. It's hard to gage where a student is at by just giving formative assessments, so summative assessments are important as well. Teachers need to be sure the students have grasped the information before giving summative assessments, though.
DeleteBoth forms of assessment are needed in a typical classroom. The formative assessment allows students to receive feedback and make corrections to the assignment. The students will be reviewing the material multiple times and be doing more with the work than just doing the homework. This makes the students learn the information better. The summative assessment takes place at the end of a unit or class. This can be used to adjust the curriculum for future years. This fits into the UDL by giving the students did ways to look at and do the same information. The curriculum can change according to the needs of the students. Some students will do better by doing. Others learn better by listening and having a little pressure. The UDL allows the teacher to meet both students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both types of assessment are very important in any classroom. Formative assessments can help students know that they need to improve on, and they will learn as they make corrections. A summative assessment can help teachers know how well they taught information. With UDL, teachers can improve and help reach more students.
DeleteI agree the formative assessment is a good teaching tool because students will revisit the information multiple times through corrections rather than taking the test and moving on. UDL is important to accommodate for all the different types of learners we will be teaching in our classrooms. Being flexible and understanding by changing the curriculum but keeping the information the same is important to differentiating instruction.
DeleteFormative assessment is a useful tool when it comes to receiving feedback and criticism on what you need to learn as a student. I agree with that aspect of formative assessments. The UDL like discussed can help teachers improve their techniques and strategies to help improve the classroom experience.
DeleteI feel that formative assessment is the best way to teaching children because it gives them the proper feedback that students need to succeed.
DeleteFormative and summative assessment, like everyone has already and everyone else probably will say as well, both have their place in the classroom. Formative assessment, in my opinion, should be more prevalent in a classroom, because like life, formative assessment gives you a chance to try again at something you failed at. Very rarely do you only get one opportunity to do anything in life, and I believe this works well as a metaphor for life and lets students know that failing one test will not kill you. Summative assessment works more as a tool for determining what students have learned, and more importantly what they have retained. In regards to Universal Design for learning, both forms of assessment need to be used, so that students from every single learning category/limitation/etc. can learn the material--as comfortably as possible.
ReplyDeleteI do agree in that formative assessments should be used more often. Students have an opportunity to LEARN something through that, instead of just taking a test (that maybe they were poorly prepared for) and being done with it.
DeleteI like your point about getting to try again with formative assessment. We are human and we are not going to be perfect. Summative assessments do have their place though. I really like UDL and how each student can learn the same material differently.
DeleteI do agree that formative assessment should be utilized more in the classroom, but I do not necessarily agree that life gives more than one chance in many situations. For example, if I do poorly at a Cross Country meet, then I cannot undo my time or go back a redo the race and have it count towards my times. Now, I do have other races ahead of me, but they will not be the same race or hold the same level of importance to the team.
DeleteI think the value of formative assessments is reflection and the value of summative assessments is performance. Formative assessments used in the classroom allows teachers to evaluate how their students are understanding the material that is being presented. The teacher can then give descriptive feedback that re-routes the student toward the right idea and it provides a recourse that the student cant reflect back to. Summative assessments when used correctly test the overall performance or degree of understanding that a student possesses but offer no room for improvement. They both fit into UDL because they both should be used. But in order for summative assessments to be effective in measuring how much a student knows, the students needs to be able express an understanding and then be able to reflect on it so that something can be gained.
ReplyDeleteI like the way that you worded what formative and summative judges. It is very true that students can reflect on a formative assessment and that the value of summative assessments is performance. This a major reason why you need to use both in the classroom.
DeleteDennis, I agree with your statement that formative assessments used in the classroom allow teachers to evaluate how their students are understanding the material, but a summative test at the end of the unit serves the same purpose. What makes it a formative assessment is the ability for the teachers to give feedback and for the students to assess their own learning and understanding. Also, summative assessments can offer improvement by a student performing poorly on one unit test, then changing something about their study habits to perform better on the next but you're right the summative assessment itself won't offer room for improvement.
DeleteI agree that both formative and summative assessments are needed in a classroom but i think formative is more important to implement into a class. If you use a lot of formative assessments for students to use throughout a unit i believe they will understand the material more than they would by doing summative assessments.
DeleteFormative and Formative and summative assessments are both important in education. Formative assessments are key to help increase summative assessment scores. The better you understand what your students know, and how they learn best, the more ways you can help them. I like formative assessments and think they are important because they give students and teachers more opportunities to grow and have more chances. I always liked pretest as a kid because I got to figure out that we were about to cover. The teachers learn from formative and summative assessments by being able to learn from what worked and did not work with different types of kids by how the summative assessments turn out. They can better their teaching abilities by adjusting their lessons year to year, and student to student. That is where the UDL comes in.
ReplyDeleteI liked pretests too! It gives the teacher the opportunity to plan their lessons around what the students know and don't know. It's helpful to the class and educator.
DeleteLike Ashley, I too, enjoy pre-tests, they're a great tool for determining the course of the unit and what needs to be addressed first. Summative assessments are key for teachers, more than students, because they test how well the unit was taught.
DeleteLikewise, I agree that pretests are a great way to gauge where the class is as whole in terms of the knowledge on that subject. Also, I think that the art about adjusting lesson plans each year and for each student that needs adjustments is a very important point. I have had teachers that will keep the same slide shows from year to year and some are so outdated that the material is not even correct anymore.
DeleteI think Formative assessments can be used thought a unit to assess how students are doing and help you recognize what they're needing help with, while they have the opportunity to learn that material. Summarize seem to be more of an end of unit type of assessment to see how well the students learned. This really seems to be mostly for a teachers benefit because the students really don't have the opportunity to learn from a test, but instead show what they know. I think formative assessments are important to implement often to keep track of student progress. Having pretests and activities to assess what students already know going into a unit would benefit the teacher and the class. Then the unit can be individualized around the students and what they know already and haven't learned. Like we read in the UDL packet, curriculum really needs to be individualized to all students in order to be taught effectively.
ReplyDeleteI think summative tests help teachers learn what strategies worked and what did not. To me it is also a learning tool, like a formative assessment, on being able to try something else for the next unit. Individualizing units are so important for teachers to individualize lesson plans for all of their students to grasp the concepts
DeleteI agree formative assessments help assess what students have learned mid-unit and summative assessments are mostly used to determine how well the unit was taught by the teachers, by determining how well students retained the information.
DeleteAlthough summative assessment does benefit the teacher because he or she has a better idea of what the class has learned through the previous formative assessments, it does benefit the students to some degree as well. After I take a test, I am more aware of the topics in the chapter that are more important and I can look back at the ones I was fuzzy on and see what it was that I forgot. Similarly, I can feel more confident in what I did see as easy or that I understood more thoroughly. If a student does well on a test, then he or she has a renewed sense of confidence in themselves, but if they don't do as well, then this could be the sign to pay more attention in class or get some extra help or study more /in a different way.
DeleteThese forms of assessment both are very important though they have different goals. A formative assessment is more beneficial for students because it allows the students to become more familiar with the material that they are studying. Summative assessments are more helpful for the teacher in the fact that they let the teacher know where the students are at in thier learning. This fits universal design in the fact that they both need to be used in order to more effectively reach every student.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that both formative and summative assessments are important to effectively teach the students. Formative assessments provide feedback, which helps the students to learn the material more effectively than with summative assessments, when the teachers are just grading whether the students are grasping the information, and whether they are teaching the students well enough.
DeleteI also think both assessments are important to effectively teach students information. I think a bigger focus should be put on formative assessment though, because they are more beneficial for UDL learners. Summative assessments do help teachers gage where a student is at, but they aren't very diverse.
DeleteI think that formative assessments are beneficial when it comes to unit or chapter effectiveness. I think that they are a great way to see how students are doing or what they need to work on in the class. As the teacher you will know what they get and what you may need to touch upon again or in the future maybe change how you teach it so people. The only problem I have with formative is the fact that you as the teacher are deciding what is important and what the students need to know whether then the students deciding what they think they need to know or what they will use in THEIR lives. Curriculum needs to be individualized for students to actually learn best because everyone understands things differently and relates to what they are taught differently.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of the students deciding what is important. The students do deserve some say in the mater. I also think that the teacher still knows best in a classroom and should have the final say in the mater of what is important and what is not maybe so important. Giving the students some say will peck their interest more and give them a mental ability to learn more.
DeleteI agree that both assessments are useful. Formative assessments can be difficult since the teacher has to decide what is important, and the students may have a different understanding. It is important for curriculum to needs of individual students since everyone learns differently.
DeleteI believe Formative and Summative assessments both have a place in a classroom. Formative assessment allows the teacher to see how the students are understanding the material that is being taught. The student is able to receive feedback from the teacher on what they need to improve on and gives them another chance, its not a one and done. Summative assessment shows the teacher what all the students learned at the end of a unit but doesn't allow the student to go back and learn what they didn't understand.
ReplyDeleteKyle, despite all the different uses for classroom assessments I like your statement about how they both have their place in the classroom. Both can be effective if administered in the right order and pace.
DeleteI agree with you that both assessments have their place in the classroom. The student and teacher must be aware of how they are doing in the class before they are given a summative assessment. The teacher and student will benefit from this way of teaching.
DeleteKyle, I like your statement about a formative assessment not being a "one and done" type of assessment. I have taken many exams and have seen the mistakes that I have made but not gotten the chance to fix them and I'm sure this will be very beneficial to all learners in any school subject.
DeleteI think that both formative and summative are great for education. The way that formative assessment gives students feedback that is important for them to continue gaining more knowledge and understanding where they are in their learning process. Also summative assessment test students on the material that they have gained throughout a semester. both of these types of assessment accommodate vast varieties of learners. I think formative is better for special needs and summative is good for high achievement learners. this make Universal design easier for teachers because they can administer both of these types of assessments throughout the school year.
ReplyDeleteI agree and it will also make the teachers more organized for future classes
DeleteI agree that both formative and summative assessments are necessary (formative because they provide crucial feedback and summative because students need to have the material mastered at some point, ideally through formative assessments) and that formative assessments should be used more frequently than summative assessments (so that material can be mastered through feedback).
DeleteI think formative assessment is more valuable in the classroom in summative assessment. The feedback that formative assessment provides is more beneficial for students to gain and retain knowledge. With formative assessment there also isn't as much pressure, so the learning environment is more relaxed, encouraging better learning. Summative assessment is important, but it is hard to differentiate summative assessment so all learners get the best results. Formative assessment is more beneficial for UDL because it can be adapted to certain learning styles, the whole point of UDL.
ReplyDeleteSummative assessment helps teachers know what changes they need make so that students will fully grasp a concept. Like you said, Formative Assessment helps the students more.
DeleteI agree that formative helps students more, but I also agree with Danelle that summative is mostly for the teachers. It tells them how well the students learned the material and what they can do to improve the learning process.
DeleteI believe that sometimes formative assessment at times is more valuable than summative assessment. Formative assessment gives the student the opportunity to revise what they have done and gain positive feedback on their work to improve it. Summative assessment has too much pressure on some students. They might feel like if they make one simple mistake they are ruined. Formative assessment can help UDL because it gives the student a chance to improve while summative assessment you can't at all.
ReplyDeleteformative and summative assessments are both very important in education. I think formative assessments are more important that summative, because of the importance of the feed back the students receive. When they get feed back they can work on their mistakes so they can get them right the next time. The summative assessments may stress students out since they are graded and are weighted on their grades. the UDL gives teachers different ways to deliver material to students and these two fit right in there.
ReplyDeleteI agree that feedback is very important because it allows the students to improve on what they have done and they will be able to learn more.
DeleteI think that you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the finality of summative assessments. Both summative and formative provide feedback, but students may be fearful to use the feedback on summative assessments because all they are focused on is their grade. In addition, formative assessments provide feedback much quicker, meaning that students can learn and master the content much quicker.
DeleteAlthough formative and summative assessments are both highly important in education, they both have very different roles, especially from a UDL standpoint. Each and every learner is so diverse, and they need to be treated accordingly. Summative assessment in the form of a final exam or test can be even detrimental to some learners who have text taking anxiety or struggle with recall or visual learning. Having formative assessments throughout the unit can be very helpful, and can allow for so much more diversity in assessing strategies. It can also help struggling learners track their progress and learn from their mistakes. They are both important, and UDL helps knowing when and how to apply them most effectively.
ReplyDeleteI agree that formative assessments can help struggling learners track their progress. It is also a way for the teacher to track their progress and make adjustments in the way he/she presents the material in hope that it would be more beneficial for the students.
DeleteI thought it was cool how you brought up the fact on how summative assessments can cause anxiety and make the students struggle academically. There are some positives for using summative though, same goes for formative assessments with pros and cons. As a teacher, you need to know when to use them in the classroom to help your students do the best they can in their course work.
DeleteI also think it is a good way to help struggling learners. This is a point that I would not have though of myself. Yes tests of all sorts cause stress an anxiety to the best of us, but I am glad you brought this up as well.
DeleteI think that formative assessments and summative assessments are necessary in the classroom. I think that formative assessments should play a larger role in the classroom however, because formative assessments challenge students to think about subjects more in depth. Summative assessments do not necessarily require students to think in depth, but rather they only test students on how much knowledge they have instead of having them apply that information. It is still important however because our society puts a lot of emphasis on standardized tests which are summative assessments. I believe educators should still have some form of summative assessments but only because it will help them prepare for the standardized test that the take. I also believe that these summative assessments should be for less points than all of the formative assessments given in the class.
ReplyDeleteI agree that summative assessments test more about knowledge of facts and summative is more application based and to me that is when the learning is most effective.
DeleteI agree with your point that formative assessments require students to think about topics more in depth, but I am not sure I agree that summative assessments only test what students know. Depending on how the summative questions are set up, they could require students to make connections to other subjects or current events as they answer the question(s).
DeleteBased on what you said, there needs to be a balance between summative and formative assessments, Teachers cannot just do one without the other. Formative, like you said, challenges students on different levels to explore the subjects they are studying. Summative is needed to compare tests scores between their classmates. Using both in the classroom will benefit you as a teacher and your students as well.
DeleteI personally think it depends on how each are used in a classroom to say which is more important. So I don't really think one can be more important in my classroom not saying that is how or should be in your classroom. I am just stating my opinion.
DeleteI believe Formative and Summative assessments both have a place in a classroom. Formative assessment allows the teacher to see how the students are understanding the material that is being taught. The students are able to receive feedback from the teacher on what they need to improve on and gives them another chance. Summative assessment shows the teacher what the students learned and they can see areas where the teacher needs to improve or spend more time on a topic. I also think that using reflections after both types of assessments would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of reflections after having a reflection after the summative exam because it forces students to focus on what they still need to learn, whereas the traditional system of giving an exam and moving on to the next lesson entails that students focus solely on their grade or what they missed but now how to correct their mistakes.
DeleteI think that the idea of using a reflection at the end of both types of assessments is a great idea as well. This allows for students to provide feedback to the teacher so that he/she can adjust the way in which he/she teaches, so that it would meet the needs of his/her students.
DeleteDefinitely think that student reflection is a great idea! This will make students feel valued and cared about, and they will be confident knowing that their opinion matters.
DeleteBoth formative and summative assessments have important places in education. Formative assessments allow both the students and the teacher to see how well they retained the information from a lesson or unit. For students, this can give them a chance to see where they need to improve and study more without it hurting their grade. For teachers, formative assessments can give them a chance to see what they need to do a better job of focusing on within the lesson. Summative assessments are how grades are calculated. It gives the students a chance to show what they learned throughout the unit and the teacher can see how well the students comprehended the information. Both types of assessment can be used in the Universal Design for Learning. Formative can be used to see what specific learning needs need to be met by the teacher, and summative assessments give the teacher a way to make sure those needs were met.
ReplyDeleteI agree that formative assessment can be used for the teacher to evaluate the needs of the students. I disagree that summative assessments are a way to make those needs met. Summative assessments can only give the teacher the result of if they were met or not. I think to make sure the needs are met the teacher may sometimes have to go back and review the material again after a summative assessment.
DeleteI like how you pull out what is the positive for each assessment. Each has a different impact on the teacher and the students. Formative is a great way to encourage students to look at what they know and what they need to work on. Summative is good for grades, but it is hard to use it to see where students are currently with their knowledge on the information.
DeleteI also like how you will use parts from both formative and summative in your classroom. I think this is the right directions to head towards. I also believe that is good not to be solely reliable upon one type and use both.
DeleteI think that they each have a place in the classroom, but not always the same classroom. Depending on the subject, grade, and students, a formative OR summative might be the best option. Formative allows the teacher to see what the kids know and give them feedback on what they need to know.this would be helpful in a lower grade level in a science class. A summative is perfect for mid-high level math classes. However when they are put together they create a complete circle of learning that makes sure students completely comprehend the subject.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that it depends on the classroom when determining what type of assessment to use. I would challenge you to think of maybe some formative assessments that could also be implemented in a mid-high level math class.
DeleteI like how you described the "complete circle of learning." I think that's a great way to phrase it! Sometimes formative can be more helpful, sometimes summative can be more helpful, but at the end of the day, it is the balance of the two that really provides the most effective teaching feedback and understanding.
DeleteI believe that formative and summative assessments are equally important in the classroom. formative assessments gives the students a chance to figure out what they need to practice more.
ReplyDeleteNot only does it show the student what they need to practice more, but it shows the teacher what they need to focus on more. It can also be a useful tool for parents to track their student's work if they are interested.
DeleteI believe that both summative and formative are a very important factor to use while in the classroom. At least I mean to say that I will use both methods in the classroom. I will want to see what my students are learning. If they are not doing as well as I would hope, then I would change my teaching styles to some else. This way it will be better for them to retain more information. Then by doing this, they should end up doing better on the more important, bigger test. I think doing these "pre" tests will help them out farther in their careers as students.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how formative assessments are just as useful for teachers as they are for students! That way, we can see how WE need to change and grow as teachers, rather than accusing the students of not learning correctly.
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