What distinguishes formative assessments from summative assessments?

Formative assessments are designed to monitor progress during an intervention, making them essential for providing ongoing, real-time feedback that can inform and improve the intervention process as it unfolds. This allows practitioners to identify areas of strength and weakness in clients' understanding or skills, enabling adjustments to be made to teaching methods or intervention strategies in order to meet the client's evolving needs.

This focus on real-time feedback stands in contrast to summative assessments, which evaluate overall outcomes after a significant period or after an intervention has been completed. While summative assessments are important for understanding the final results, they do not provide the iterative feedback necessary to foster immediate improvement or adjustment in practice.

Understanding the dynamic nature of formative assessments is critical in any assessment framework, as they not only guide practitioners but also empower clients by involving them in their own progress. This approach fosters a more effective and responsive intervention strategy, ultimately leading to better outcomes.