Assessment portfolios are formative evaluation tools that assess students' long-term performance. They include a record of a student's work and their specific learning achievements. Teachers use these records continuously to assess their student's progress in different subjects. Grading through assessment portfolios focuses more on students' progress than on competition with other students. Self-assessment involves students as well as they manage their portfolios.
The use of index cards or reaction cards is part of formative evaluation. Teachers uses these cards after a class session to assess whether students met the learning goals for that session. Teachers assess students by asking them to write down what they have learned on their cards. Teachers compare this information to the learning goals they set initially. This tool combines both the evaluation of students and active learning.
The teacher uses rubrics as evaluation tools to measure student performance with regard to real-life problem-solving activities. The teacher observes his students perform these tasks, monitors their progress and issues them feedback. Teachers can use the rubric tool in all aspects of a school curriculum. It measures student performance across a range of levels that show the degree to which learning objectives have been achieved.
Teachers generally use summative evaluation tools to rank students' achievement according to how they have performed in relation to other students. The teachers usually administers these tools after a period of instruction. Summative evaluation tools come in the form of tests or exams. The most common summative evaluation tools include state exams, school district interim assessments, end-of-unit tests, end-of-chapter tests and end-of-semester exams, quizzes and continuous assessment tests.