Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom Summary Formative assessment is primarily used to educate and enhance a child’s performance by testing how much that child is learning. The formative assessments allow teachers to take feedback and improve the child’s learning and instruction (Dixson, 2016, p. 154). Formative assessment can also help in preparation of summative assessments (Dixson, 2016, p. 154). Formative assessments can occur in two ways spontaneous or planned. A spontaneous, formative assessments can be performed in three different ways: first when a teacher reads misunderstanding in the body language of students during a class session and queries the student about her understanding, second when a teacher calls on a student to provide an example of a concept just covered, and third when question-and-answer sessions are conducted during a lesson (Dixson, 2016, p. 155). A planned formative assessment is an assessment like a quiz or homework assignment. Never the less, both of the two different types of formative assessments tells the teacher what kind of instruction is working for the child and what skills…show more content… Unlike formative assessments, summative assessments are not given as much, they are usually given at the end of a unit or period of instruction, and there is usually no more further instruction on the subject that was assessed. The commonly seen summative assessments are final exams, state tests, college entrance exams, final performances, and term papers (Dixson, 2016, p. 156). Summative assessments are often times used as entrance exams, like in elementary and middle school, they are often times used to determine if a child should move on to the next grade level. In high school, summative assessments are used to give awards or scholarships, and also to determine college acceptance (Dixson, 2016, p.