Formative and summative assessments are used in literacy to...

Formative and summative assessments are used in literacy to...

• A. They are two terms that refer to the same type of assessment.
• B. Formative assessments evaluate learning after instruction; summative assessments monitor ongoing progress.
• C. Formative assessments monitor ongoing progress; summative assessments evaluate learning after instruction; both guide instruction and measure outcomes.
• D. They are only used in math, not literacy.

Answer: (C)

Formative and summative assessments in literacy serve different times and purposes, with formative checks happening during learning to guide instruction and summative checks happening after instruction to evaluate what was learned. In literacy, a formative example might be a quick exit ticket after a reading lesson, a running record during guided reading, or a short fluency check—these give immediate feedback and help the teacher adjust the next day’s focus. A summative example would be a unit reading test, a final writing project, or a portfolio review that shows overall achievement at the end of a unit. Because both provide information about student learning, they work together to shape teaching and to measure outcomes: formative informs ongoing instruction, while summative confirms what students have mastered. The idea that they refer to the same type misses the essential difference in timing and purpose. The notion that formative assessments occur after instruction swaps the roles of the two, and the claim that these practices are only used in math overlooks their widespread use in literacy classrooms.

Formative and summative assessments in literacy serve different times and purposes, with formative checks happening during learning to guide instruction and summative checks happening after instruction to evaluate what was learned. In literacy, a formative example might be a quick exit ticket after a reading lesson, a running record during guided reading, or a short fluency check—these give immediate feedback and help the teacher adjust the next day’s focus. A summative example would be a unit reading test, a final writing project, or a portfolio review that shows overall achievement at the end of a unit. Because both provide information about student learning, they work together to shape teaching and to measure outcomes: formative informs ongoing instruction, while summative confirms what students have mastered.

The idea that they refer to the same type misses the essential difference in timing and purpose. The notion that formative assessments occur after instruction swaps the roles of the two, and the claim that these practices are only used in math overlooks their widespread use in literacy classrooms.