Differences between formative evaluation and summative evaluation

1. Formative assessments are given more frequently than summative assessments.

2. Formative assessments are less formal than summative assessments.

3. Formative assessments are used to determine how much the students have learned and what they still have to learn, while summative assessments are used to determine a student’s overall performance in a certain unit.

4. Formative assessments allow teachers to assess their teaching methods and make changes to help students understand the lesson, while summative assessments will allow teachers to change her teaching methods for the next school year, if students did not perform well.

5. Formative assessment grades do not carry much weight, while summative assessment grades are the basis for determining the readiness of the student to take statewide tests and in evaluating his overall academic performance.