Formative Assessment: Getting the Focus Right

Writing in 1967, Michael Scriven suggested two roles that evaluation might play. On the one hand, “ it may have a role in the on-going improvement of the curriculum” (Scriven, 1967 p.41) while in another role, “ the evaluation process may serve to enable administrators to decide whether the entire finished curriculum, refined by use of the evaluation process in its first role, represents a sufficiently significant advance on the available alternatives to justify the expense of adoption by a school system” (pp. 41-42). He then proposed “to use the terms 'formative' and 'summative' evaluation to qualify evaluation in these roles.” (p. 43).