A summative assessment is an assessment of the learning and development of a group during a specific period of time. After a time period that can range from a few hours to a few months, the learner will take a test that asks questions concerning the material taught during that period. After the test, a teacher or authoritative figure will review the test and provide a score. Using the score, a teacher or authoritative figure can determine strengths and weaknesses in a given area.
A formative assessment is used during the teaching and learning process, and occurs before a summative assessment is administered. A teacher or authoritative figure will teach concepts to the learner during this period. Depending on how the learner responds to the information, the teacher will adjust teaching methods accordingly. A teacher or authoritative figure may set goals and criteria before the summative assessment, and make observations to see if the learner is on task or needs clarification.
Summative and formative assessments will either be subjective or objective. If the assessments are objective, then the form of questioning used will have only one correct answer. Objective questioning includes true or false answers, multiple choice, matching questions and multiple response. If the assessments are subjective, then the form of questioning may contain one or more ways of expressing the correct answer. Correct responses are sometimes subject to the teacher's interpretation of the learner's answer. Subjective questioning includes essay response, written answer and extended response questions.
An assessment can be compared against an established criteria, the performance of other learners or performances from previous years. Assessments that are compared to an established criteria are used to determine competence in a specific area. A norm-referenced assessment is relative to the other learners instead of an established criteria. Ipsative assessments compare an individual learner's abilities in a specific test over a long period of time.