In most courses, most teachers combine two types of assessment to check student learning outcomes. One is Formative Assessments, which are assessments conducted during the teaching and learning process to understand student learning and to identify problems in teaching and learning in a timely manner. Formative assessment is often conducted in the form of informal examinations or unit tests. It places more emphasis on the learning process and students’ experiences in learning; it emphasises human interaction and teacher-student communication. Another type of assessment is Summative Assessments, which are also a way of assessing students’ learning, but have a different focus from formative assessments. Summative assessment is the appropriate evaluation of the results achieved in the classroom. It refers to the evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching and learning at the end of the activity. It is the evaluation of the final outcome at the end of a unit, a module or a semester.
The difference between formative and summative assessment lies in the different timing and purpose of the assessment. Formative assessment is conducted in the middle of a lesson, semester, or academic year. Summative assessment is the assessment at the end of a lesson, semester or school year.
For the purpose of assessment, diagnostic assessment is to find out the student’s knowledge base and readiness, formative assessment is to identify problems in teaching and learning in a timely manner, and summative assessment is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning in the future.
After reading your blog, I found that evaluation is very important for students. I think formative evaluation, this kind of long-term focus on the usual performance of students, rather than blindly acknowledging differences between individuals. Teachers understand the weaknesses faced by students, and then improve teaching. The developmental evaluation of students will improve their self-correction. However, in some places, the assessment strictly adopts grading and sorting, which rigidly tests the learning ability of students. The failure of students will be subject to a series of “punishments”, which discourages students’ enthusiasm and desire for knowledge. Therefore, the problems faced in diagnosis and teaching need to be further improved.