In education, assessment isn’t just another word for “test.” It’s a spectrum that encompasses different ways of gaining insight into how students are progressing on their learning journey. From day-to-day check-ins to formal, end-of-year evaluations, assessment helps educators monitor learning, measure achievement, and inform instruction.
At different points along this assessment spectrum, we find formative and summative assessment. These can differ greatly in purpose, tone, and technique, but as you’ll see in this article, they work together to create a comprehensive picture of student learning.
What are formative and summative assessments?
First, let’s define formative and summative assessment and explain their role in measuring and supporting student learning.
What is formative assessment?
Formative assessment is an ongoing process used to monitor student understanding and guide instruction during learning. It’s a low stakes (or even no stakes) way to embed assessment in day-to-day instruction.
When it’s done right, formative assessment doesn’t feel like assessment—it just feels like touching base. And unlike traditional tests, formative assessment is not for grading.
What is summative assessment?
In contrast to formative assessment, summative assessment is an evaluation of student learning that takes place at the end of a unit, course, or instructional period. Unlike the informal check-ins of formative assessment, summative assessments are usually graded. That tends to make them feel higher stakes, as students know all too well.
State-mandated tests are the classic example of summative assessment, and it’s worth noting that while this type of assessment is critical for measuring what students have learned, it typically comes too late for teachers to course correct.
The purpose of formative and summative assessment
Want to know how student learning is going in real time? Formative assessment is the best tool available. It helps teachers adjust instruction in the moment, while helping students understand where they currently stand in their learning.
Want to wrap up a unit, course, or period by understanding what students learned? Summative assessment was designed for this purpose. It allows teachers to measure what’s been learned, shows whether the instruction and curriculum students received worked as intended, and often generates grades or accountability data.
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
Let’s take a closer look at the differences between formative and summative assessment.
Formative vs. summative assessment comparison chart
Sometimes the clearest way to see the differences is side by side. Here’s how formative and summative assessment stack up:
| Formative assessment | Summative assessment | |
| Purpose | Guide instruction while learning is happening | Measure what students learned after instruction |
| Timing | Ongoing, throughout a lesson or unit | At the end of a unit, course, or year |
| Stakes | Low or no stakes; not graded | Higher stakes; usually graded |
| Frequency | Frequent (daily or weekly) | Infrequent (once per unit, term, or year) |
Characteristics of formative and summative assessment
Timing is one of the biggest differentiators between the two types of assessment. Formative assessment happens continuously and is woven into everyday instruction rather than reserved for a single moment. Summative assessment, on the other hand, happens at defined endpoints: the end of a unit, semester, or school year.
Stakes and feedback mechanisms follow a similar pattern. Because formative assessment is low or no stakes, students can take risks and make mistakes without worrying about their grade. They get immediate feedback that’s meant to shape what happens next in the lesson. Summative assessment, meanwhile, is typically a graded, higher-stakes event. Feedback usually arrives after the learning window has closed, leaving little or no time to course correct.
Similarities between formative and summative assessment
Despite their differences, formative and summative assessment share a number of goals and characteristics. They’re both parts of a balanced assessment system that also includes interim assessments, like MAP® Growth™. And even though they differ in formality, they both need to be done with intention and high quality.
When formative and summative assessments are designed well and implemented carefully, they align to learning goals and standards and help students show what they know and what they can do. Most importantly, both types of assessment exist for the same ultimate reason: to support student learning, not just produce a score.
Why are formative and summative assessments important?
Educators use both formative and summative assessment to support learning, measure progress, and improve outcomes. Here’s why these assessment types matter.
Benefits of formative and summative assessment
One of the major benefits of formative assessment is that it happens in real time and happens continuously. That means teachers can catch a misunderstanding while there’s still time to act, rather than discovering it too late. It also helps students build ownership of their own learning, since formative practices like self-assessment and peer feedback ask students to reflect on their own progress, not just wait for a grade.
Summative assessment offers something different: a clear, cumulative picture of what students have learned by the end of a unit or school year. That data supports grading and reporting to families and caregivers and helps schools and districts understand whether their curriculum and instruction are working. Good summative assessments have predictive power, too—they show us how students are likely to perform on other high-stakes measures down the road.
Used together, formative and summative assessment give students, teachers, families, and caregivers a fuller picture of learning than either could provide alone.
How do formative and summative assessments work together?
Think of it this way: Formative assessment is one of the key practices—done early and often—that prepares students for the summative assessments that will come later. The frequent, low-stakes check-ins build the skills, knowledge, and confidence that summative assessments will later measure.
Picture a class working on a project that unfolds over time and will wrap up at the end of the school year. Along the way, students might practice their skills in small groups and get formative feedback that helps them adjust and pivot as needed. Eventually, they complete the project and get a summative assessment for a grade. Neither piece works as well without the other; the formative practice makes the summative outcome possible.
When to use formative and summative assessment
Use formative assessment throughout instruction: when introducing new content, during practice, and especially in the run-up to a summative assessment. This approach gives students plenty of opportunities to get the practice they need before the big test.
In contrast, use summative assessment at defined endpoints—like the close of a unit, term, or year—when the goal shifts from guiding learning to determining what was learned.
Types of formative and summative assessments
Formative assessment can take many forms: quick comprehension checks like a thumbs up/down or a show of hands, exit tickets at the end of a lesson, whiteboard responses, structured discussion techniques, and opportunities for peer or self-assessment.
Summative assessment tends to be more formal and structured. Unit or chapter tests, final exams, end-of-term projects and portfolios, and state-mandated standardized tests are all common examples.
Formative and summative assessment strategies
When it comes to formative assessment strategies, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Using a combination of your own instincts and proven best practices, you have many strategies and tactics to choose from, whether it’s exit tickets, quick polls, or structured discussions. The important thing is to be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish.
For ideas you can start using right away, check out “27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning.”
Summative assessment strategies look a little different, since the goal isn’t to gather in-the-moment evidence but to fairly and accurately measure what’s been learned. Building a brief self-assessment step into a summative task—asking students to reflect on their own work before they submit it—can reinforce ownership of learning while also making grading faster and more consistent.
Examples of formative and summative assessments
Let’s say a teacher pauses mid-lesson for students to respond on a whiteboard. Later, students get feedback while working in small groups. And at the end of the day, an exit ticket asks students to summarize the day’s key concept. These are all examples of formative assessment.
On the summative side, examples include a unit test at the end of a math chapter, a final exam, a state-mandated end-of-year assessment, or a culminating project that students complete independently after weeks of guided practice.
Frequently asked questions about summative vs. formative assessment
Here are answers to some of the most common questions educators ask about formative and summative assessment.
Is a quiz formative or summative assessment?
It depends on how it’s used. An informal, ungraded quiz meant to check understanding mid-lesson could be considered formative, while a graded quiz that counts toward a final grade is summative.
Is homework formative or summative assessment?
Homework is typically formative when it’s used as low-stakes practice with feedback. But if the homework is graded and counts heavily toward a final grade, then it’s probably summative.
Is an essay formative or summative assessment?
It depends on the stage. A draft that receives feedback before revision is formative, while a final, graded essay is summative.
Is a project formative or summative assessment?
The same logic applies as with an essay. The feedback that students get while working on a project is formative, while the grade they get for their finished project is summative.
Are exit tickets formative or summative assessments?
Exit tickets are formative. They’re quick, low stakes, and designed to inform the very next instructional move.
Are benchmark assessments formative or summative assessments?
It depends. Benchmark assessments that are used to measure mastery after instruction are summative, while interim assessments used throughout the year, like MAP Growth, can be considered formative because they help monitor progress and guide instruction.
Can an assessment be both formative and summative?
Sometimes! It depends on how the results are applied. A practice essay draft can serve a formative purpose, and once it’s revised and graded, it becomes summative. That said, it’s important to remember that formative data is always meant to help students move forward and never to pass judgment on what they’ve accomplished so far.
Two sides of the same coin
Formative and summative assessment are two sides of the same coin. Formative assessment is an ongoing, daily practice that keeps teaching and learning responsive, while summative assessment is less frequent and captures what’s been learned. Used together, these two assessment types give educators, students, and families the full picture of a student’s learning progress.
For more, explore our archives of articles on assessment, formative assessment, and using assessment data here on Teach. Learn. Grow.
