Formative and Summative Assessment

January 2022

Panelists
Colleen Visconti, PhD, CCC-SLP, Baldwin Wallace University
Jessica Messersmith, PhD, CCC-A, University of South Dakota
Jennifer Friberg, EdD, CCC-SLP, Illinois State University

Facilitators
Kelsey Klein, AuD, PhD, The University of Tennessee
Grace Hao, PhD, CCC-SLP, North Carolina Central University

Description
As part of the year-long teaching symposium, seven synchronous online peer discussions were held. In the fourth session, the panelists were asked to address formative and summative assessment, and attendees were encouraged to engage with the panelists. Below is summary of the discussion.

QUESTIONS/TOPICS DISCUSSED
(Resources are embedded throughout)

Descriptions and examples of formative and summative assessment
How do we get students to not view formative assessments as “busywork?”
How do we approach summative assessments as an instructor?
How should we be structuring assessments differently to alleviate student anxiety?
How can we embed assessment in a variety of ways?
Summary

Descriptions and examples of formative and summative assessment

What Is a Formative Assessment?

Are used to evaluate students as they are learning.
Are collected “just in time” so that teaching may be adjusted to meet
student needs.
Can be applied beyond an individual class or course.
Formative assessments may be used throughout an entire program for
improvements, changes, or assessment.
Examples of Formative Assessment
Examples of classroom assessment techniques: Practice tests, reflection
surveys, Kahoot learning games
Anonymous paragraph or a few sentences submitted by students with
one thing students still don’t understand (see “Classroom Assessment
Techniques” as examples)
Class discussions
Exit surveys/polls

What is a Summative Assessment?

Consists of more “typical” tests, quizzes, and term papers.
Is intended to evaluate rather than provide feedback.
Example of Formative Assessments:
Using exit tickets to hear from students about what they learned in class
and what they anticipated was coming next.
Benefits of Formative Assessments:
Understand more clearly what students are thinking and what they see
as important.
Can include a reflective question to demonstrate care for students
(e.g., How are you going to take time for yourself this week? How are
you going to check in with yourself? How are you going to use your
strengths this week?).
Instructor becomes more accepting of receiving feedback.
Instructors are reflecting and assessing their teaching—if what students
view as important differs from what the instructor tried to convey, this
is an indicator [that] there may need to be revision to the approach
before this concept is taught again.

Resources/suggestions for formative assessments:

The K. Patricia Cross Academy (kpcrossacademy.org/) is a helpful resource for different formative
assessment techniques.
Top Hat (tophat.com) is a classroom response system for large undergraduate classes. It reflects
their understanding at the moment, encourages participation, and helps redirect and revise
teaching based on students’ learning needs.
It is helpful if a robust program planning system with formative and summative assessment
planning is built into the design of speech-language pathology programs.
Some programs encourage their students to use an anonymous feedback link for constructive
criticism and praise. Feedback can be addressed during the semester when something can be
done about it.
Other ideas for getting feedback from students:
o Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching:
www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/assessment-and-evaluation/mid-term-formative-evaluationusing-a-plusdelta-assessment-technique/
o Using the Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ):
www.stephenbrookfield.com/critical-incident-questionnaire
The Teaching Commons offers this helpful resource for assessment in large classes:
www.uregina.ca/ctl/assets/docs/pdf/Guide_large_classroom_assessments_FINALa.pdf

How do we get students to not view g\formative assessments as “busywork?”

Help students understand why the instructor is doing what they’re
doing.

After assessments, have the students write down three things they
would do differently next time and discuss what they think the instructor
could do differently. This allows them to do a self-reflection and going
over the feedback in class allows them to understand why the instructor
is doing what they’re doing.
At the end of every month, have them do a quick writing [exercise]
on what’s going well in the class, what they wish was different, and
how the teacher can help in their learning. Then, during the next class
period, walk through the feedback given, and explain.
Replicate the same idea of clearly communicating to your clients/
patients the purpose of their activities in speech and language therapy
into instruction. Students should understand the purpose behind the
teaching approaches and assessments.
Building classes backwards is a useful strategy. Do this by identifying
specific skills or knowledge for student outcomes by the end of the
course, and then decide how to assess those. Finally, build the content
of the course around that. Each assessment should be having students
perform tasks in a meaningful way. The work should not seem like
“busywork.”

How do we get students to not view formative assessments as “busywork?”

Reduce the number of formative assessments to one formative
assessment format that comes in multiple parts. Start the assignment
with a description stating the importance, then discuss expectations.
Remember: If it feels like busywork to grade it, then it likely feels like
busywork to the students completing it.
Be sure there are truly low-stakes tasks (meaning, 5–10 points are given
for submission) as well as higher-stakes projects with written feedback
provided. These assignments should build on each other so students
can see the connection.
Have students utilize a notecard at the end of each course meeting.
They use that to create a question (and answer) from the information.
Then, use those cards as a review of information prior to a summative
assessment. The size of the note card seems to keep students from
being overwhelmed with a busy task, but they also feel that it is
valuable because of how it is utilized in a review session. Additionally,
it allows instructors to see the students’ level of understanding of the
material following instruction.

Resources/suggestions from chat:

TILT framework, framework for transparency: tilthighered.com

How do we approach summative assessments as an instructor?

Instructors should take a step back and consider the assessment tools
being used. If students are consistently violating academic integrity,
the assessment is likely designed toward the lower levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, and the assignment should be pushed toward the upper
levels. Or, if it is kept at the lower levels, consider allowing [assessments
to be] open book or open resource.
When considering programmatic summative assessments, start by
looking at the “what.” What is to be learned, and what are the student
outcomes to be obtained by the end of the program?
Refer to curriculum maps, and consider the courses where certain
concepts are being introduced, developed, and mastered. Once this
is established, facilitate faculty discussions to create faculty buy-in to
improve the program.
Have faculty brainstorm ideas of where the useful artifacts are for
assessment purposes, what is already built into the curriculum, and
if anything needs to be developed or created as a final summative
assessment.
The focus should be [on] “how to make things better.” Meaning, how
to continue to develop a program by getting faculty to buy in and
establish committees to be responsible for doing the assessment.
Move away from comprehensive exams and instead develop portfolios
to be evaluated by the entire department. Students must demonstrate
competency in the Big 9 areas of clinical practice in speech-language
pathology. Departments use these portfolios to identify gaps within the
program as well as [to pinpoint] where the program is excelling. This
can help inform the department, university, advisory board, alumni
groups, etc., regarding the status of the program.
Don’t be afraid of finding/reporting a lack of reliable data. Just have a
plan moving forward for how to adapt and change to get reliable data.
Expectations have changed through the years at the programmatic
level in terms of meeting set goals. If you are continually meeting
outcomes, [then] your goals need to change.
When developing programmatic assessment, look for double dip tools.
If they do not have to be different, do not make them different.
Incorporate programmatic assessment into classes so it does not
require more of the instructors’ time—the only exception being surveys
sent out to students or to recent graduates.
Programs should look across the institution to see what resources are
available.
Incorporate a mid-term chat with an unbiased person. The
representative meets with students and asks questions about what is
working, what is not, what are you not doing that would help you be
more successful, and what suggestions do you have for the program?
Students must come to a consensus on what will be shared from their
small group and then the groups decide as a class on what will be
shared with the department.

Resources/suggestions from chat:

A framework for thinking about Bloom’s Taxonomy and assessment: louisville.edu/delphi/
resources/-/files/resources/pages/Blooms-Taxonomy-Handout.pdf
Authentic Assessment Toolbox: jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm

How should we be structuring assessments differently to alleviate student anxiety?

Allow students to review their test after it is given—and give them
a chance to go back and look at mistakes, correct mistakes, and
potentially allow partial credit for corrected answers.
Allow students to engage in low-stakes testing or practice tests that
allow them to correct their mistakes.
Reconsider the weighted percentage placed on final summative
assessments and how decreasing that percentage may mitigate some
of the pressure felt by students.
Look at standards-based grading. If a student makes a mistake on a
test but can come in and be successful on a similar problem or in a
different format, then they are given credit for achieving mastery of that
skill. This can also encourage students to be more involved and active
in attending office hours.
Incorporate multilevel and multifaceted assessments. Incorporate a
variety of different assessment approaches (creative, scientific, etc.),
and include more than one strategy in each class in each semester
with balanced weight toward the grade.
Before handing back graded tests, give a blank copy of the test, and
go through the entire test discussing with the class what the correct
answers would be and why. This allows reflection and diminishes
argument/misunderstanding regarding grades.
Open the exam so students can know what is on it before taking the
exam. For example, give them eight cases knowing that they would
have to write about four of them.
Use a beginning-of-semester survey about how students learn best,
what they are most stressed about, how a significant learning semester
might look, and what home life is like, and ask if they would like to
meet.
Create a wisdom wall (voice thread) where students in the current class
give advice to the next class through audio recordings.
Have a balance of high-stakes and low-stakes tests. Example: One
high-stakes [test] as a final exam, but four low-stakes [tests] leading up
to it. If students get less than an 80 on the low-stakes exams, they get
remediation to receive support and engage with the professor.
The final class can be scheduled as a final review guided by students.
Students submit questions to ask in advance. Any of the questions
asked stand to [have the potential to] appear on the final exam.
Look at high-impact practices like low-stakes testing, practice testing,
talking to students about how to prepare for assessments, and assuring
them [that] they should be making mistakes as they are learning, and
[that] they should be asking questions.
Faculty also must be transparent in demonstrating [that] they do not
know everything. Instructors must be vulnerable in the classroom
and be comfortable admitting what they do not know so they can
demonstrate the level of acceptance surrounding questions/mistakes.
Lauren Sharp (behavioral neuroscientist) has done research in teaching
with metacognition. She specifically encourages the use of exam
wrappers for students to think about the questions asked and reflect
on how they prepared for the test and what they can learn from any
mistakes.

Resources/suggestions from chat:

Help students reframe their anxiety. Many students think that being “nervous” is somehow a bad sign that they are not prepared. Invite them to consider the alternative explanation of nervousness as a normal reaction to a test, presentation, etc.
Alleviate the “opening up the unknown / what’s going to be on this exam” nervousness by opening the exam up in class and showing students every essay question on the mid-term (and the final) and talk through each one so that they know what they are going to have to do.
Consult these helpful resources on the concept of “un-grading”: Blog post by Susan Bloom: www.susanblum.com/blog/ungrading Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode: teachinginhighered.com/podcast/ungrading/
Read this article by Carnegie Mellon University on the concept of exam wrappers:
www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/examwrappers/
Read this article in Change magazine: doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2018.1540816

How can we embed assessment in a variety of ways?

Using tic-tac-toe boards – Nine different ways to demonstrate
knowledge, and they must choose three. This allows students to use
the modes of learning [that] they are most confident in, to demonstrate
their understanding.
Have the class create a question bank for the exams. They [the
students] are assessed on the quality of [their submitted] questions,
and they know [that] the questions on the exam would be developed
by them and their peers for the most part

Summary