Underlying concepts

Summative assessment involves measuring what has been learned through formal assessment. Formative assessment in its widest sense refers to any process by which pupils are made aware of how they can make progress. Summative assessment requires careful record keeping, whereas much of the formative assessment process may not be recorded by the teacher, though it may be an aspect of personal learning planning. Black and Wiliam’s influential Black box [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   literature identified key strategies shown to improve pupils' learning.

Many strategies can be said to help pupils understand where they are in the learning process, what progress they should aim for and how to make that progress. Studying the issue of gender may be helpful in some situations, in considering formative assessment strategies with boys, for example; understanding of emotional intelligence, or learning styles may be more useful for many teachers.