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Evaluation methods

Diagnostic assessment

Purpose
  • Providing teachers with information on the specific needs of each student in order to guide planning and teaching practice.
Features
  • It gives an initial picture of the students' knowledge and skills.
  • It enables students' learning difficulties to be identified.
Relevance
  • By providing specific information about students‘ individual needs and guiding teachers’ planning and pedagogical practices, diagnostic assessment contributes directly to improving student learning.

Diagnostic assessment, carried out at an early stage in the teaching-learning process, aims to provide teachers with specific information about the needs of each student, guiding planning and pedagogical practice. As a result, diagnostic assessment contributes to improving student learning.

Formative evaluation

Purpose
  • To regulate and improve the students' learning process.
Features
  • Continuous practice integrated into the teaching-learning process. It takes place over time, not just at specific moments;
  • Centred on assessment for learning (aims to understand what students know and how they learn);
  • Its purpose is to help students progress in their learning.
The role of the teacher
  • Gathering relevant information in a systematic and organised way to help students understand their academic development;
  • Mobilising diverse skills - with feedback as a core competence.
Relevance
  • Improving teaching practice (formative assessment can help teachers reflect on their teaching practice);
  • Improved student learning (enables students to identify their difficulties and take steps to overcome them / helps students to learn more and better).
Feedback
  • Emphasis on feedback as a core competence to ensure a positive impact on student learning;
  • During the teaching-learning process;
  • Essential for guiding students' learning, providing information on their performance and directing actions to achieve objectives;
  • It focuses on the learning process, self-regulation strategies and teaching methods;
  • Fundamental to formative assessment, which aims to promote meaningful student learning.

Formative assessment is a pedagogical process linked to teaching and continuous learning, with the aim of supporting and improving student learning. The collection of information by teachers to provide feedback to students encourages active participation.

Summative assessment

Purpose
  • Evaluate and classify students based on what they have learnt.
Features
  • It is not integrated continuously into the teaching-learning process; it usually takes place afterwards. Occasional, it takes place at specific times (e.g. at the end of a semester or study cycle);
  • Centred on assessment for learning, it results in the award of a grade.
Relevance
  • It determines academic progression or the end of a study cycle;
  • Fundamental to certifying students.
Feedback
  • Carried out later, but useful for providing a clear and timely assessment for students;
  • Students tend to ignore feedback when it is accompanied by grades, since teachers' comments are more valued when they are not associated with a grade.

In summative assessment it is essential to define assessment criteria to describe different levels of performance, set standards, select appropriate assessment methods and analyse the results to make decisions.