Summative Assessments are given periodically to determine, at a particular point in time, what students do and do not know. Often, summative assessments are used as part of the grading process.
Summative Assessment in my Rm. 201:
Assessment | Frequency | Assessment Function | Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) |
MEAP | Once a year for a two week period (Oct.) | *Reading Comprehension, Writing strategies, summarizing, etc. | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03, R.CM.04.04 |
DRA Testing | Once a year (Sept.) | *Word identification, reading comprehension, narrative and expository text, fluency, etc. | R.WS.04.03, R.WS.04.05 R.WS.04.06, R.WS.04.07 R.CM.04.02, R.CM.04.03 |
STAR Reading Test | Once a year (Sept.) | *Reading Comprehension, word identification, etc. | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03 |
Gates Reading Test | Once a year (Sept.) | *Reading Comprehension, word identification, etc. | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03 |
In Rm. 201, formative assessments are given in order to inform our teaching. When Mrs. R and/or I observe and record our students’ thoughts, ideas, strategies, etc. during our literacy programs we are able to reflect on our instruction and adjust in order to better meet the needs of our students.
Formative Assessment in Rm. 201:
Assessment | Frequency | Assessment Function | GLCEs |
Spelling Test | Once a week (Fridays) | *Spelling and handwriting | W.SP.04.01, W.HW.04.01 |
Writing prompts (as determined from Lucy Calkins Writing Curriculum) | Once a unit | *Summary, writing strategies, organization and focus, personal & fictional narratives with descriptive elements | W.GN.04.01, W.GN.04.02 W.GN.04.03, W.GN.04.04 W.PS.04.01 W.AT.04.01 |
Student Literacy Goals (self-assessment) | Beginning of every unit | *Meta-cognitive development | R.MT.04.02 |
Student Learning Reflections | End of every unit | *Meta-cognitive development | R.MT.04.02 |
Teacher/student Conferencing and peer/peer conferencing | Every day | Assess where students are in the writing process, how they are progressing as “writers | Writing. |
Journal writing | Every day | Reading comprehension | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03, R.CM.04.04 |
Grammar worksheets | Once a week | Grammar | W.GR.04.01 W.SP.04.01 |
Observations | Every day | *Reading comprehension, fluency, summarizing, writing strategies, reading strategies, etc. | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03, R.CM.04.04 R.WS.04.01 R.NT.04.01, R.NT.04.02 R.NT.04.03, R.NT.04.04 S.CN.04.02, S.CN.04.03 S.CN.04.04, S.CN.04.05 S.DS.04.01, S.DS.04.02 S.DS.04.03, S.DS.04.04 |
Discussion | Every day | *Reading comprehension, discourse, etc. | R.CM.04.01, R.CM.04.02 R.CM.04.03 R.WS.04.01 R.NT.04.02, R.NT.04.03 R.NT.04.04 S.CN.04.02, S.CN.04.03 S.CN.04.04, S.CN.04.05 S.DS.04.01, S.DS.04.02 S.DS.04.03, S.DS.04.04 |
The authors of How People Learn stated:
“Formative assessments—ongoing assessments designed to make students’ thinking visible to both teachers and students—are essential. They permit the teacher to grasp the students’ preconceptions, understand where the students are in the “developmental corridor” from informal to formal thinking, and design instruction accordingly. In the assessment-centered classroom environment, formative assessments help both teachers and students monitor progress.”
(National Research Council, 2000, p. 24)
I believe an important aspect of formative assessment if the ability to engage students in the process. One of the key components of engaging students in this ongoing assessment of their OWN LEARNING is providing them with descriptive feedback as they learn. Descriptive feedback provides students with an understanding of what they are doing well, and how to progress to the next step.
As I draw inferences from the observations I have made, I’ve realized that a successful literacy framework depends on a balanced curriculum that includes both Summative and Formative assessments. In order to better understand student learning, teachers need to consider information about the products (paper or otherwise) students create, the tests they take, observational notes, and reflections on the communication that occurs between teacher and student, or peers. When a comprehensive assessment framework at the classroom level balances formative and summative assessments, a clear picture emerges of where a student is in relation to learning targets and standards.
