{"id":1111,"date":"2019-05-17T18:39:54","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1111"},"modified":"2019-05-20T16:05:22","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T16:05:22","slug":"fundamental-understanding-summative-assessment","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/chapter\/fundamental-understanding-summative-assessment\/","title":{"raw":"Summative Assessment","rendered":"Summative Assessment"},"content":{"raw":"<b>Summative\u00a0<\/b><b>assessments<\/b>\u00a0are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period\u2014typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn. In other words, what makes an assessment \u201csummative\u201d is not the design of the test, assignment, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used\u2014i.e., to determine whether and to what degree students have learned the material they have been taught.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic\u2014i.e., they are more appropriately used to determine learning progress and achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, or make course-placement decisions, among other possible applications.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Summative-assessment results are often recorded as scores or grades that are then factored into a student\u2019s permanent academic record, whether they end up as letter grades on a report card or test scores used in the college-admissions process. While summative assessments are typically a major component of the grading process in most districts, schools, and courses, not all assessments considered to be summative are graded.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<blockquote>Summative assessments are commonly contrasted with\u00a0<a title=\"Formative Assessment\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/formative-assessment\/\">formative assessments<\/a>, which collect detailed information that educators can use to improve instruction and student learning while it\u2019s happening. In other words, formative assessments are often said to be\u00a0<i>for<\/i>\u00a0learning, while summative assessments are\u00a0<i>of<\/i>\u00a0learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, \u201cWhen the cook tastes the soup, that\u2019s formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that\u2019s summative assessment.\u201d It should be noted, however, that the distinction between\u00a0<i>formative<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>summative<\/i>\u00a0is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may have divergent interpretations and opinions on the subject.<\/blockquote>\r\nSome of the most well-known and widely discussed examples of summative assessments are the\u00a0<a title=\"Standardized Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/standardized-test\/\">standardized tests<\/a>\u00a0administered by states and testing organizations, usually in math, reading, writing, and science. Other examples of summative assessments include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>End-of-unit or chapter tests.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>End-of-term or semester tests.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Standardized tests that are used to for the purposes of school accountability, college admissions (e.g., the SAT or ACT), or end-of-course evaluation (e.g., Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Culminating\u00a0<a title=\"Demonstration of Learning\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/demonstration-of-learning\/\">demonstrations of learning\u00a0<\/a>or other forms of \u201cperformance assessment,\u201d such as\u00a0<a title=\"Portfolio\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/portfolio\/\">portfolios<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0<a title=\"Student Work\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/student-work\/\">student work<\/a>\u00a0that are collected over time and evaluated by teachers or\u00a0<a title=\"Capstone Project\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/capstone-project\/\">capstone projects<\/a>\u00a0that students work on over extended periods of time and that they present and defend at the conclusion of a school year or their high school education.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhile most summative assessments are given at the conclusion of an instructional period, some summative assessments can still be used diagnostically. For example, the growing availability of student data, made possible by online grading systems and databases, can give teachers access to assessment results from previous years or other courses. By reviewing this data, teachers may be able to identify students more likely to struggle academically in certain subject areas or with certain concepts. In addition, students may be allowed to take some summative tests multiple times, and teachers might use the results to help prepare students for future administrations of the test.\r\n\r\nIt should also be noted that districts and schools may use \u201cinterim\u201d or \u201cbenchmark\u201d tests to monitor the academic progress of students and determine whether they are on track to mastering the material that will be evaluated on end-of-course tests or standardized tests. Some educators consider interim tests to be formative, since they are often used diagnostically to inform instructional modifications, but others may consider them to be summative. There is ongoing debate in the education community about this distinction, and interim assessments may defined differently from place to place. See\u00a0<a title=\"Formative Assessment\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/formative-assessment\/\">formative assessment<\/a>\u00a0for a more detailed discussion.\r\n<h3>Reform<\/h3>\r\nWhile educators have arguably been using \u201csummative assessments\u201d in various forms since the invention of schools and teaching, summative assessments have in recent decades become components of larger school-improvement efforts. As they always have, summative assessments can help teachers determine whether students are making adequate academic progress or meeting expected learning standards, and results may be used to inform modifications to instructional techniques, lesson designs, or teaching materials the next time a course, unit, or lesson is taught. Yet perhaps the biggest changes in the use of summative assessments have resulted from state and federal policies aimed at improving public education\u2014specifically, standardized\u00a0<a title=\"High-Stakes Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/high-stakes-testing\/\">high-stakes tests<\/a>\u00a0used to make important decisions about schools, teachers, and students.\r\n<h3>Debate<\/h3>\r\nWhile there is little disagreement among educators about the need for or utility of summative assessments, debates and disagreements tend to center on issues of fairness and effectiveness, especially when summative-assessment results are used for high-stakes purposes. In these cases, educators, experts, reformers, policy makers, and others may debate whether assessments are being designed and used appropriately, or whether high-stakes tests are either beneficial or harmful to the educational process. For more detailed discussions of these issues, see\u00a0<a title=\"High-Stakes Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/high-stakes-testing\/\">high-stakes test<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Measurement Error\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/measurement-error\/\">measurement error<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Test Accommodations\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/test-accommodations\/\">test accommodations<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Test Bias\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/test-bias\/\">test bias<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Score Inflation\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/score-inflation\/\">score inflation<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Standardized Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/standardized-test\/\">standardized test<\/a>, and\u00a0<a title=\"Value-Added Measures\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/value-added-measures\/\">value-added measures<\/a>.","rendered":"<p><b>Summative\u00a0<\/b><b>assessments<\/b>\u00a0are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period\u2014typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn. In other words, what makes an assessment \u201csummative\u201d is not the design of the test, assignment, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used\u2014i.e., to determine whether and to what degree students have learned the material they have been taught.<\/li>\n<li>Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic\u2014i.e., they are more appropriately used to determine learning progress and achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, or make course-placement decisions, among other possible applications.<\/li>\n<li>Summative-assessment results are often recorded as scores or grades that are then factored into a student\u2019s permanent academic record, whether they end up as letter grades on a report card or test scores used in the college-admissions process. While summative assessments are typically a major component of the grading process in most districts, schools, and courses, not all assessments considered to be summative are graded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Summative assessments are commonly contrasted with\u00a0<a title=\"Formative Assessment\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/formative-assessment\/\">formative assessments<\/a>, which collect detailed information that educators can use to improve instruction and student learning while it\u2019s happening. In other words, formative assessments are often said to be\u00a0<i>for<\/i>\u00a0learning, while summative assessments are\u00a0<i>of<\/i>\u00a0learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, \u201cWhen the cook tastes the soup, that\u2019s formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that\u2019s summative assessment.\u201d It should be noted, however, that the distinction between\u00a0<i>formative<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>summative<\/i>\u00a0is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may have divergent interpretations and opinions on the subject.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Some of the most well-known and widely discussed examples of summative assessments are the\u00a0<a title=\"Standardized Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/standardized-test\/\">standardized tests<\/a>\u00a0administered by states and testing organizations, usually in math, reading, writing, and science. Other examples of summative assessments include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>End-of-unit or chapter tests.<\/li>\n<li>End-of-term or semester tests.<\/li>\n<li>Standardized tests that are used to for the purposes of school accountability, college admissions (e.g., the SAT or ACT), or end-of-course evaluation (e.g., Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams).<\/li>\n<li>Culminating\u00a0<a title=\"Demonstration of Learning\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/demonstration-of-learning\/\">demonstrations of learning\u00a0<\/a>or other forms of \u201cperformance assessment,\u201d such as\u00a0<a title=\"Portfolio\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/portfolio\/\">portfolios<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0<a title=\"Student Work\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/student-work\/\">student work<\/a>\u00a0that are collected over time and evaluated by teachers or\u00a0<a title=\"Capstone Project\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/capstone-project\/\">capstone projects<\/a>\u00a0that students work on over extended periods of time and that they present and defend at the conclusion of a school year or their high school education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While most summative assessments are given at the conclusion of an instructional period, some summative assessments can still be used diagnostically. For example, the growing availability of student data, made possible by online grading systems and databases, can give teachers access to assessment results from previous years or other courses. By reviewing this data, teachers may be able to identify students more likely to struggle academically in certain subject areas or with certain concepts. In addition, students may be allowed to take some summative tests multiple times, and teachers might use the results to help prepare students for future administrations of the test.<\/p>\n<p>It should also be noted that districts and schools may use \u201cinterim\u201d or \u201cbenchmark\u201d tests to monitor the academic progress of students and determine whether they are on track to mastering the material that will be evaluated on end-of-course tests or standardized tests. Some educators consider interim tests to be formative, since they are often used diagnostically to inform instructional modifications, but others may consider them to be summative. There is ongoing debate in the education community about this distinction, and interim assessments may defined differently from place to place. See\u00a0<a title=\"Formative Assessment\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/formative-assessment\/\">formative assessment<\/a>\u00a0for a more detailed discussion.<\/p>\n<h3>Reform<\/h3>\n<p>While educators have arguably been using \u201csummative assessments\u201d in various forms since the invention of schools and teaching, summative assessments have in recent decades become components of larger school-improvement efforts. As they always have, summative assessments can help teachers determine whether students are making adequate academic progress or meeting expected learning standards, and results may be used to inform modifications to instructional techniques, lesson designs, or teaching materials the next time a course, unit, or lesson is taught. Yet perhaps the biggest changes in the use of summative assessments have resulted from state and federal policies aimed at improving public education\u2014specifically, standardized\u00a0<a title=\"High-Stakes Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/high-stakes-testing\/\">high-stakes tests<\/a>\u00a0used to make important decisions about schools, teachers, and students.<\/p>\n<h3>Debate<\/h3>\n<p>While there is little disagreement among educators about the need for or utility of summative assessments, debates and disagreements tend to center on issues of fairness and effectiveness, especially when summative-assessment results are used for high-stakes purposes. In these cases, educators, experts, reformers, policy makers, and others may debate whether assessments are being designed and used appropriately, or whether high-stakes tests are either beneficial or harmful to the educational process. For more detailed discussions of these issues, see\u00a0<a title=\"High-Stakes Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/high-stakes-testing\/\">high-stakes test<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Measurement Error\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/measurement-error\/\">measurement error<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Test Accommodations\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/test-accommodations\/\">test accommodations<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Test Bias\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/test-bias\/\">test bias<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Score Inflation\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/score-inflation\/\">score inflation<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Standardized Test\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/standardized-test\/\">standardized test<\/a>, and\u00a0<a title=\"Value-Added Measures\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/value-added-measures\/\">value-added measures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1111\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Summative Assessment. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: S. Abbott (Ed.). <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Great Schools Partnership. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/summative-assessment\/\">http:\/\/edglossary.org\/summative-assessment\/<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: The Glossary of Education Reform. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":160900,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Summative Assessment\",\"author\":\"S. Abbott (Ed.)\",\"organization\":\"Great Schools Partnership\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/edglossary.org\/summative-assessment\/\",\"project\":\"The Glossary of Education Reform\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1111","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":911,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160900"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1131,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1111\/revisions\/1131"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/911"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1111\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/olemiss-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}