---
title: "Formative vs. Summative Assessments"
artifact: "highlights"
resource_person: "Dr Lindsay O'Neill"
resource_person_role: "Instructional designer and educator"
vertical: "assessment"
module: "Assessment Principles"
lesson: "Formative vs. Summative Assessments"
lesson_key: "formative-vs-summative-assessments"
source: "curated"
source_channel: "Lindsay O'Neill, MLIS, EdD"
---
# Formative vs. Summative Assessments: Highlights

**Resource person:** Dr Lindsay O'Neill - Instructional designer and educator

**Curated from:** Lindsay O'Neill, MLIS, EdD

1. Formative assessment supports decisions during learning.
2. Summative assessment judges achievement after a substantial learning period.
3. Purpose and use determine the category more reliably than the format of the task.
4. Formative evidence should lead to an identifiable next action.
5. Summative tasks should represent the course outcomes and expected level of performance.
6. A balanced design gives learners time to use feedback before an endpoint judgment.