Summative Assessment
Evaluating levels of student achievement.
The Importance of Summative Assessments
Summative assessments gauge student achievement after the completion of learning activities. While many of these are common such as exams, projects and essays, there are a larger variety of ways to measure student learning. For example, activities like research presentations contain both the learning activity as well as the assessment. Regardless, summative assessments occur after the completion of learning activities, they assess student achievement, and they ultimately reflect the impact of course activities.
Using Summative Assessment in Your Course
Direct and Indirect Methods
Direct methods allow students to demonstrate what they know and can do; indirect methods help us to infer what students know and can do. Try to use direct methods over indirect methods.
Direct methods
- Objective tests
- Written assignments
- Performance of authentic tasks
- Portfolios
Indirect methods
- Student surveys
- Course evaluations
- Grades
For examples of authentic assessments and tasks, see the additional resources.
Types of Summative Assessment
There are many types of summative assessment. The following are some ideas for ways to assess learning outcomes.
Adapted from Chicago Grass Roots.
- Research Paper
- I-search Paper
- Autobiography
- Media Review
- Movie/PSA script
- Pamphlet/brochure
- Historical fiction
- Fact sheet
- Current article
- Outline
- Flowchart
- eZine
- Children’s story
- Literary analysis
| - Biography
- Modern day myth
- Compare/contrast
- How-to-book
- Local tour/history
- Poem
- Letter to…
- Narrative
- Proposal
- Issue brief
- Editorial/Op-ed
- Creative story
- Call to action
- Song lyrics
| - Written speech
- Timeline summaries
- Graphic novel
- Comic strip storybook
- Historical analysis
- Personal essay
- Case study
- Survey/inquiry results
- Group essay
- Resume
- Journal/logs
- Letter to future generation
|
- Speech/oral report
- Play/dramatization
- Newscast
- Tribunal
- Panel discussion
- Data display
| - Clay model
- Musical piece
- Role playing/skit
- Exhibition of products
- Debate
- Information workshop
| - Experiment
- Museum walk/ exhibit
- Diorama
- Poetry open mic
- Physical model
- Host a conference
|
- Spreadsheet
- Computer program
| - Consumer product
- Scientific instrument
| |
- PowerPoint/slide show
- Music CD compilation
- Collage
- Drawing/painting
- YouTube Channel
- Class blog
| - Podcast
- Tumblr site
- Map
- Video/PSA
- Photo album
- Oral history
| - Website page
- Sculpture
- Scrapbook
- Class Facebook page
- Graphic design
|
ePortfolios are purposeful collections of student work that can be used to showcase their efforts and ideas, and act as archives of learning, discovery, progress, achievement and self-reflection.
- Project evaluation (self and others)
| | |
- Lists/notes from outside readings
- Reflective lesson logs
| - Homework assignments
- Questions/response from lecture
| - Problem-solving entries
- Science observations
|
- Quote of the day response
- Personal experience reflection
| - Literary responses
- Event descriptions/analysis
| - Connection making between subjects or topics
|
| | - TV commercial
- Community tour
|
Next Steps
When you are done choosing or creating summative assessments continue:
- Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D., eds. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.