Rear view of students in class sitting at desks in front of computers facing a female teacher with her back turned drawing on a chalkboard, illustrating students taking formative or summative assessments.

Formative vs. Summative Assessments: Differences and Best Practices for Educators

Formative and summative assessments are an important part of every educator’s toolkit, but they can be time-consuming to implement and scale effectively. By strategically administering these types of assessments online, teachers can engage students while saving time and resources for classroom instruction. In this article, we look at some essential characteristics of formative and summative […]

College age male student sitting in a lecture hall taking a summative evaluation on his laptop.

What Is Summative Evaluation? Best Practices for Educators and Administrators

Summative assessments have traditionally played a key role in educators’ evaluation strategies, but they can be difficult to align across different classrooms and ability levels. As a result, teachers and administrators often struggle to manage software and make assessments accessible to all students.  However, with educators shifting towards a more personalized, formative approach to testing, […]

5 Formative Assessment Strategies for Engagement in Online Learning

What Are the Different Types of Formative Assessment?

Formative assessments are issued throughout a learning period to give educators and students insight into progress against learning objectives. However, they can be time-consuming to issue and grade, eating away at opportunities for classroom instruction and student engagement. Meanwhile, at the district level, it can be difficult to ensure that the data teachers collect from […]

Young female teacher in a classroom leaning over a female student's desk and pointing at her computer demonstrating the concept of benchmark assessments

Insights on Benchmark Assessments from 3 Educators

Benchmark assessments can provide educators with critical insight into student progress. However, a lack of proper implementation can lead to missed opportunities for growth, poor student engagement, and a lack of actionable insights.  To get the most from benchmark assessments, educators need to involve parents, take a granular approach to data, and adopt a regular […]

Female teacher leaning over a young male student sitting in a computer class that has implemented digital assessment strategies

3 Innovative Assessment Strategies That Improve Student Outcomes

In a perfect world, assessments give teachers a precise snapshot of students’ true abilities. But that isn’t always the case—especially for traditional assessments that don’t always engage all students or accommodate different learning needs and preferences. When tests aren’t personalized, students may not perform to their potential. Fortunately, a variety of innovative formative and summative […]

Computer science teacher and high school students having a class in the classroom overcoming the challenges of online learning.

Overcoming the Top 4 Challenges of Online Learning: Solutions for Educators

Online learning is here to stay, and the fact is that  hybrid or virtual learning modalities present a whole new set of challenges to educators. Without the opportunity to interact with one another face to face, students often find themselves distracted and disengaged in virtual environments.  Yet, while the challenges of online learning are unique, […]

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