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Relationship between Formative and Summative Assessments

Assessments are the key to certifying competency. Contrary to a general belief that “Assessment” and taking a "Test” is similar, it is pertinent to mention that assessments are much broader.  A “Test” may check someone’s knowledge to ascertain / establish what the learner has learnt, or it may also establish the level of skill / knowledge acquired. Whereas, “Assessment” process documents skills, knowledge and attitude in a manner which can be measured. The aim of assessment is not to freeze the judgement but to open the window for improvements.

The Assessments are governed by a set of principles which must be applied to make the assessments relevant. Just to recapitulate, the Assessment should be:

  • ·         Valid
  • ·         Reliable and Consistent
  • ·         Transparent
  • ·         Inclusive
  • ·         Integral to the program design
  • ·         Manageable
  • ·         Purposeful

In addition, the principle of providing timely feedback to trainees / students and competency enhancement of those involved with assessments are no less important.

These non-negotiable principles apply equally to both the “Formative” and “Summative” Assessments. 

As a best practice, the training at the centres require both “Formative” and “Summative” Assessments. Here the objective of the “Formative Assessments” is to test the learner’s progress at different stages as they work through the training programme and to adjust / adapt training in line with the findings from the formative assessments.  Some or all of this assessment may count towards the learner’s final result. This is particularly the case where competence in a role covers a wide range of knowledge and skills which have developed over time. Irrespective of whether or not the results of such Formative Assessments count towards the final results, it is near mandatory to record evidence of progress for each learner and share these records with the External Assessors as evidence of training for each candidate. The objective of the “Summative Assessment” is to measure the learner’s overall achievement against the “Assessment Criteria” for a qualification to decide if the qualification can be awarded. The tools of assessment for both Formative and Summative Assessment may be same, the only difference being the “Internal Assessors” in the former and “External Assessors” in the latter case.

Keeping in view the principle of “Integral to the program design” all elements of the qualification to be assessed using formative assessments must be identified as part of the overall assessment strategy. Hence, the Awarding Body and the Training institute must work hand in hand for better outcomes. It is therefore important that the “Trainer” delivering the training must be trained to act as an “Internal Assessor”.

The concept of integrating the Formative and Summative assessments to a large extent depends on trust and integrity of the stakeholders. Hence the processes defined for implementation must support the principle of “transparency”. Any compromise can derail the quality. This gains more importance in a scenario where the skills eco-system is largely driven by Government sponsored schemes and payoffs to stakeholders are based on number of certifications.

However, since it is an important aspect and the concept of Formative Assessments is new for most of the training centers with the exception of a few, it becomes important that the policies and processes are made to “support” the concept rather than just “monitoring  / policing”  the stakeholders.


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