Assessment approaches

Diagnostic assessment is completed before teaching a topic or concept to assess what students already know. Adjustments can then be made to the teaching schedule.

Formative assessment is where information is gathered continuously and used by teachers to adjust their teaching strategies, and students to adjust their learning strategies.

Summative assessment can be a class test, quiz or a formal standardised assessment such as NAPLAN. Used to grade, measure and track students’ progress.

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Assessment approaches

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Teachers' guide to assessment

A guide to assessment practice for teachers in Australia (from ACT Catholic Education)

A diagnostic assessment is commonly given before a concept is taught and then repeated after teaching (pre- and post-assessment), to see how students’ thinking and understanding have developed. Teachers use the diagnostic assessment data to plan which areas they need to spend more time on. Teachers can also use diagnostic assessments to identify common misconceptions and create individualised learning programs for those students who need individual support and extension. Regardless of what type of assessment tool is chosen, sufficient time must be factored into the assessment process for considered analysis of the data.

Points to consider before choosing/investing in a particular diagnostic tool:

  • What is the purpose of the assessment?
  • How will the data be used and by whom?
  • How will students receive feedback?
  • When will the assessment be administered?
  • On what platform will the assessment be administered?
  • How long does the assessment take to administer?
  • On what evidence is the tool based?

There are many diagnostic tools available, some free and some with a one-off or ongoing cost.

Freely available diagnostic tools

Formative assessment is low-stakes, non-graded, continuous assessment that is focused on making frequent, minor adjustments to teaching to improve student learning. The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning and to provide ongoing feedback. This feedback can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.

Summative assessment is used to measure where a student is at the end of a sequence of learning. A diagnostic assessment can be used as a summative assessment, if it is repeated at the end of a unit, depending on how the data is used. The exams taken at the end of schooling are a form of summative assessment. Standardised tests, such as NAPLAN and PATM, are also summative.

There are two international assessments that are often reported in the news, PISA and TIMSS. These assessments are used to track how students in different countries are progressing.