Summative assessment (or summative evaluation) refers to the assessment of the learning and summarizes the development of learners at a particular time. After a period of work, e.g. a unit for two weeks, the learner sits for a test and then the teacher marks the test and assigns a score. The test aims to summarize learning up to that point. The test may also be used for diagnostic assessment to identify any weaknesses and then build on that using formative assessment.

Summative assessment is commonly used to refer to assessment of educational faculty by their respective supervisor. It is imposed onto the faculty member, and uniformly applied, with the object of measuring all teachers on the same criteria to determine the level of their performance. It is meant to meet the school or district's needs for teacher accountability and looks to provide remediation for sub-standard performance and also provides grounds for dismissal if necessary. The evaluation usually takes the shape of a form, and consists of check lists and occasionally narratives. Areas evaluated include classroom climate, instruction, professionalism, and planning and preparation.^[1]

Summative assessment is characterized as assessment of learning and is contrasted with formative assessment, which is assessment for learning.

It provides information on the product's efficacy (its ability to do what it was designed to do). For example, did the learners learn what they were supposed to learn after using the instructional module. In a sense, it does not bother to assess "how they did," but more importantly, by looking at how the learners performed, it provides information as to whether the product teaches what it is supposed to teach.

Characteristics[link]

1. It is the procedure to assess or grade educators' level of learning in certain period of time.
2. It tends to use well defined evaluation designs (i.e. fixed time and content).
3. It provides descriptive analysis (i.e. in order to give a grade, all the activities done throughout the year are taken into account).
4. It tends to stress local effects.
5. It is unoppressive and not reactive as far as possible.
6. It is positive, tending to stress what students can do rather than what they cannot.

See also[link]

• Examination
• Assessment
• Formative assessment
• Computer aided assessment

References[link]

External links[link]

• Summative Assessment tool: ClassComm

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (January 2011)

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (October 2009)

Rick Wormeli, one of the first Nationally Board Certified teachers in America, is a national educational consultant and author. Rick has taught math, science, English, physical education, health and history for over 20 years. He was the recipient of Disney's American Teacher Awards 1996 Outstanding English Teacher of the Nation.^[1] His work in middle school instruction is considered by many to be the defining work in that subject. He writes regular columns for the National Middle School Association's Middle Ground magazine ^[2] and ASCD.^[3]

Notable works written by Rick include the award-winning Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an Accomplished Middle Level Teacher, the best-selling books Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers and Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom and the first tape of the video series At Work in the Differentiated Classroom.^[4]

Media coverage of Rick's work include reports in ABC's Good Morning America, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, and the Washington Post. He actively participates in Webcasts ^[5] and online professional development for educators, and is a featured speaker with Knowledge Delivery Systems.^[6]

Topics that Rick specializes in:
Differentiated Instruction
Grading/Assessment
Teaching Diverse Learners
Cognitive Theory and Neuroscience
Motivating Colleagues
Instructional Games for the Classroom
Reading and Writing
Teaching Gifted Students
Classroom Management
Racism
The Middle School Concept
Practical Strategies for First Year Teachers

Notes[link]

1. ^ http://disney.go.com/disneyhand/learning/teacherawards/honorees_list.html
2. ^ http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleGround/tabid/437/Default.aspx
3. ^ http://www.wsascd.org/pdf/past/0720Wormelifair.pdf
4. ^ http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=1100
5. ^ http://www.middleweb.com/MWLresources/ricktalk.html
6. ^ http://www.kdsi.org