Summative Assessments: What are we trying to Assess?

How are these assessments interpreted and utilised by practitioners in different contexts?  Let us find out!

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Over the years, the understanding on the domain of assessments and its relevance in teaching-learning has substantially evolved. There is now more clarity on summative and formative assessments, how they are different and what purpose do they serve. However summative assessments continue to be almost synonymously associated with examinations. They have also been criticised time and again for their tendency to promote rote learning, generating anxiety among students, dictating the way teachers teach, etc. But are summative assessments truly restrictive in their scope?

Educators often grapple with this challenge of conceptualising and executing summative assessments that are competency-based, contextual, inclusive and quality-wise sound in terms of truly assessing what they intend to assess. The timing of these assessments, how to utilise the assessment results, more importantly how to report the assessment results to all the concerned stakeholders are some areas where educators often struggle. In fact, one can also observe a large variety in terms of how summative assessments are interpreted and utilised by practitioners in different contexts.

  • Summative assessments in the current educational context
  • Making summative assessments meaningful and competency-based
  • Summative assessments in domains such as vocational education
  • Reporting summative assessment such that all related stakeholders, including students, teachers and parents, etc., have definite takeaways

Join us for a panel discussion where practitioners and policy experts come together to discuss these key questions.

This panel discussion will be moderated by Anupama Raj, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.

Manju Balasubramanyam, Principal, DPS Bangalore North, is a keen lifelong learner, a technology enthusiast and above all a passionate teacher who finds herself exploring newer areas of learning and teaching. She is a voracious reader, an avid traveller and firm believer in inclusion and that diversity enriches the world.  She is a recipient of the National Award for Teachers (President of India), 2018 and the Fulbright Distinguished Award for Teachers, 2014.  She has been an attendee and speaker at various national and international conferences and summits.

Sadhna Gurung, Lecturer of Science Education, DIET, Gyalshing Sikkim, has been working in the field of education as a Teacher Educator.  Amongst her other accomplishments, she has completed the PG Diploma in Educational Assessment from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru and is contributing to the State of Sikkim in the area of assessment.  She has been a member of the STET Assessment Framework for Sikkim, the ECCE Curriculum for Sikkim Government Schools and also a member of Assessment Cell, SCERT, Sikkim. 

Ronita Sharma is a part of the Assessment team associated with the School of Continuing Education and University Resource Center (SCE-URC). The fields of assessment and social science pedagogy have been a major focus of her work for more than two decades. Among her responsibilities is the development and facilitation of courses in assessment and social science education for teachers and teacher educators. As part of her work with government institutions (SCERT), she develops textbooks and teaching-learning materials. 

Nimrat Kaur Duggal Khandpur is part of the School of Continuing Education and University Resource Centre, Azim Premji University and also contributes to the Field Research and Publications teams. Her doctoral degree is from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. Nimrat has contributed to the development and validation of individual and institutional quality frameworks based on secondary research and field engagement. These frameworks have been used in various academic and field engagements across states.