Determines student's strengths and weaknesses in a particular domain or standard (informed instruction). It is the most powerful type of assessment for improving student understanding and performance. 

Enables the teacher (learning coach) to immediately rethink instructional strategies, activities, and content based on student understanding and performance

Examples: 

Interactive class discussions; warm-ups; exit tickets; on-the-spot performances; pop quizzes, observing student work or a short written test. 

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Occurs in the short term, as learners are in the process of learning new content and previously learned content. 

• OnTrack/Curriculum-Aligned District Formative Assessments (CADFAs)​

• Texas Formative Assessment Resource (TFAR)

The purpose of interim testing is to assess each student’s likelihood of meeting some criterion score on the end-of-year test and predict student performance. These assessments can also help teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction.

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Administered in cycles throughout the school year

• TEA Interim​

• NWEA MAP Growth

• MAP Reading Fluency​

• CIRCLE

• mCLASS Dibels/Lectura

• Credit By Exam (CBE)​

This also includes chapter tests; extended essays; projects scored with a rubric. 

23-24 HISD Student Assessment Fall Training Calendar

Summative assessments are used to determine the effectiveness of a course, program, or teacher. These assessments evaluate achievement or impact. Teachers/schools can use these assessments to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum and instruction, with improvements affecting students next year. 

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Summative Assessments are given once a year. Results are primarily used for the teacher's or school's use and may take time to be returned to the student/parent.

• STAAR/STAAR Alt 2​

• TELPAS/TELPAS Alt​

• PSAT/SAT/ACT​

Data Rich Year

Assessment Strategy Overview

Teaching Comes First

Resetting Your Assessment Strategy