ACTRC is a partnership between

the University of Melbourne and the

University of the Philippines, supported
by the Australian Government.

Building Assessment Competence: Session 1

Assessment and its Purposes

Objectives:
1. Recognize the important role of assessment in the teaching-learning process.
2. Determine whether the assessment is formative or summative.
3. Differentiate between formal and informal formative assessment.
Key Understandings:
1. Assessment provides feedback to both teachers and students and should be
primarily aimed at improving instruction.
2. Assessment evidence can either be used for formative or summative purposes, or
both. 
3. Formative assessment has two types—formal and informal.

Highlights:
Importance of Assessment in Teaching and Learning
• Through assessment, teachers can monitor student learning and progress, evaluate
the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process, and make informed instructional
decisions.
• Through assessment, learners can track and reflect on their learning, and change
their learning strategies to improve their own learning.

Differences between Formative and Summative Assessment:

Purpose of the assessment
Occurrence in the teaching-
learning period
Role of the teacher
Formative Assessment
Improving instruction and
student learning
outcomes
Can happen anytime
Facilitator of Learning
Summative Assessment
Evaluating student
outcomes
Toward the end of a period
of learning/unit
Assessor
Types of Formative Assessment with Examples (From Ruiz-Primo & Furtak, 2006, p.60)

FORMAL: Designed to provide evidence about students’ learning

Gathering Interpreting Acting

Teacher collects or Teacher takes time to Teacher plans an action

brings together analyze information to help students achieve
information from students collected from students learning goals
at a planned time

Example: giving quizzes Example: reading student Example: writing or

or embedded work and providing written changing lesson plans to
assignments comments to all students address the state of
student learning

INFORMAL: Evidence of learning generated during daily activities

Eliciting Recognizing Using

Teacher brings out or Teacher reacts on the fly Teacher immediately

develops information by recognizing students’ makes use of information
in the form of verbal responses and comparing from the students during
response from them to accepted scientific the course of ongoing
students ideas classroom narrative

Example: asking Example: repeating or Example: asking students

students to formulate revoicing students’ to elaborate on their
explanations or to responses responses, explaining
provide evidence learning goals, promoting
argumentation

Differences between Formal Formative Assessment and Informal Formative

Assessment (Table from Cagasan et al, 2020, p. 260)

DIFFERENCE FORMAL INFORMAL

Identified prior to the Typically spontaneous;

Timing of Tasks lesson proper arises from classroom
conversations

Changes made in On-the-spot

Timing of Modification subsequent lessons adjustments to the
lesson

Planned structure of Student-teacher

events at the class conversation level;
Level and Structure
level; considers time gives “just in time”
and curriculum feedback
Summary
• Assessment plays a vital role in teaching and learning. It helps diagnose student
progress toward learning goals and inform instructional decisions.
• Assessment evidence can either be used for formative or summative purposes,
or both. When assessment evidence is used to improve instruction, it is used
formatively. When it is used to evaluate student learning for grading and
promoting, it is used summatively.
• Assessment methods/tools used formatively can be formal or informal
depending on three aspects: timing of task, timing of modification, and level and
structure.
• Assessment is an ongoing process that involves planning, evidence collection,
interpretation of assessment evidence, use of assessment interpretation, and
evaluation of assessment process to inform continuous improvement cycles.
 www.actrc.org
info@actrc.org

ACTRC is a partnership between the University of Melbourne and the University of the Philippines, supported by the Australian
Government.