How to Set Up Formative Assessments for Summative Success

If you or your students are surprised by summative assessment results, consider how you’re using formative assessments. Think about a runner preparing for a big race. The goal on race day—the summative assessment—is to hit their target time. But achieving that goal doesn’t happen by chance; it’s the result of consistent, purposeful training—formative assessments.

While this analogy sets the stage for discussing what makes formative assessments effective, what does this look like in the classroom? To make formative assessments effective, we need to consider five key ideas.

1. Teach the why: When it comes to formative assessments, the goal isn’t just to check a box or collect grades—it’s to ensure that students are developing the skills and understanding they need to succeed beyond the lesson.

Start by clearly explaining that formative assessment is about understanding students’ current ideas and learning and identifying areas of growth, which classroom learning and assessment research shows impacts student learning. A Driving Question Board is a great way for students to track their initial ideas and visualize their learning through a unit.

2. Integration within instruction: The most effective formative assessments don’t stand out as separate “quizzes” or rigid checkpoints. Instead, they feel like natural extensions of teaching—woven into discussions, hands-on activities, quick writes, or reflective prompts.

Sequence of instruction research shows that the best formative assessments are seamlessly integrated into the flow of learning, allowing teachers to gauge understanding in real time without disrupting the rhythm of the lesson. These integrated assessments help teachers gauge understanding in real time and adjust their instruction to meet students’ evolving needs. A quick fist to five question at the end of the lesson is an easy but important action a teacher can take before they move on or before students leave for the day.

3. Focus on learning, not performance: Formative assessments should help students see their progress, reflect on what is working or not for their understanding, and plan their next steps

When students engage in self-reflection and goal-setting, they develop the skills to take ownership of their learning. How often do we ask our students, “How did you prepare for this assessment” or “How did what we did today help us understand the driving phenomena?” These small but impactful questions empower students to grow with purpose and intention.

4. Create low-stakes environments: Ensure that students feel comfortable making mistakes and being honest about their understanding. This encourages them to engage authentically with formative assessments. Formative assessments should be low-stakes so that students focus on improvement. Studies show that when the pressure of a high or impactful grade is removed from the formative assessment, students are more likely to focus on learning rather than having a fear of failure. Having a growth mindset helps students focus more on what they are learning rather than what they don’t know, and a Driving Question Board can make a growth mindset more exciting.

5. Model feedback: Give students structured prompts or templates to guide their own analysis of their formative assessments. Putting the exact rubric that teachers will use right next to the question helps students know what the teacher is assessing. This structure provides a model to help students understand the criteria for success at different levels. Students can also look at examples of student work (with identifiers removed) to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and next steps.

Whether analyzing their own formative assessments or models of others’, students begin to develop what the research calls “feedback literacy.” After a summative assessment, make a copy of students’ work and hand one copy to them. With it, give them the rubric you will be using to assess, and compare how close your assessment is. If the difference is under three points, maybe throw in some extra credit!

When formative assessments are done with intention and made explicit to students, they begin to view it as preparation for their developing learning success.

Putting Formative Assessment into Practice: Energy Transfer

Let’s observe “formative assessment” as a direct mechanism for student development in an energy transfer lesson, a cornerstone of science education. Keep in mind that although demonstrated within this specific energy transfer context, these formative assessment strategies are highly versatile and effective in numerous educational settings.

Begin by sparking curiosity and uncovering prior knowledge with the “Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires” assessment probe. Encourage students to articulate their initial thoughts before anonymously sharing their predictions (regarding the one to four wires) on the board.

This visual display immediately highlights the range of ideas within the classroom, amplifying engagement in a low-stakes environment, and shows students that they’re not alone in their thinking and that we’re working together as a science community to figure these things out.

Next, students investigate each prediction. Surprisingly, they’ll discover that all scenarios illuminate the bulb; however, the assessment probe’s context reveals that only a single wire is necessary to complete the electrical circuit.

Once they have this evidence, they construct an evidence-based claim, typically comprising data, identified patterns within that data, and a scientific conclusion, a key element of sensemaking lessons. By color-coding these components, students visually reinforce the structure of their claims.

Following this individual reflection, the teacher facilitates a collaborative evaluation of three model student evidence-based claims, each created by the teacher and strategically designed to illustrate different scenarios: an accurate claim with conflicting evidence, an inaccurate claim with flawed evidence, and an accurate claim supported by evidence. This collective analysis empowers students to refine their own evidence-based claims based on the insights gained from the classroom discourse.

To visualize abstract energy flow, use simulations like the PhET Circuit Construction Kit. Students can see the movement of electrons, which they refer to as “electricity,” and develop their understanding according to what is called for by standards for learning about energy transfer.

The formative assessments used in the learning process prepare students for summative assessments on complex circuits, using switches, and exploring series/parallel configurations.

By framing formative assessments as the necessary “training” for summative success, we highlight their value not as isolated activities but as an integral part of a larger process. Just as a runner’s race day performance might be influenced by unpredictable factors, students can have off days. However, a consistent misalignment is a trigger for reflection and worth exploring more deeply. This mindset shifts the narrative from simply measuring performance to actively fostering growth—both in running and in the classroom.