Assessment Types

Many types of assessments are administered in schools. Some are developed by classroom teachers, some are developed at the district or state level, and others are developed by testing companies. 

The following definitions and examples may be helpful in understanding the various types of assessments used in Berkeley County School District.

• Formative Assessments – assessments that are used to provide immediate feedback to teachers and students for the purpose of modifying instruction and assessing learning 

• Summative Assessments – assessments that are used to determine a student’s level of performance at the conclusion of a specifically defined period of time.

• Alternate Assessments – assessments that are used to evaluate performance of students on alternate achievement standards who are unable to participate in regular state assessments; typically administered to students who have significant cognitive disabilities

• Authentic and Performance Assessments – assessments that generally require demonstration of a student’s ability to apply knowledge or skills used in “real world” settings and for which rubrics are used to evaluate level of mastery

• Readiness Assessments – assessments that are used to determine readiness for a particular program; provides information about a student’s strengths and areas for growth relative to specific readiness standards

• National Assessments – assessments that are used to gauge the progress of America’s students in Reading, Mathematics and Science; administered to randomly selected students in randomly selected schools every two years

• Placement Tests – assessments that are used to determine the level or class in which a student should be enrolled and/or what intervention is needed to support academic success