In a jurisdiction with a focus on digitalized assessment reforms, policymakers are well-positioned to implement increased data collection efforts for evidence-based decision-making to improve school performance and allocate resources accordingly. So, policymakers aim government-funded assessment programs to address both broader learning trends and focused feedback, supporting instructional utility by providing actionable insights for educators. In this context, the key question for stakeholders remains: with the growth of digitalization and the increasing accessibility of assessments, to what extent should various types of assessments be integrated into the learning environment to maximize their impact on teaching and learning?

Responding to this question requires first picturing assessments within the learning process. This approach can help policymakers and educators visualize and identify the optimal points for intervention, including decisions on whether to implement voluntary or mandatory measures. The goal here would be to build a unified system that supports continuous feedback, progress monitoring, and final evaluations through the use of through-year assessments, which incorporate aspects of formative, interim, and summative assessments.

This article explores the practical use of assessment types within a jurisdiction’s educational system, addressing the complex politics behind each policy option for assessment integration while offering insights for policymakers and educators to develop an informed and localized assessment policy that nurtures learning outcomes and supports student growth.

Building the System: Assessment Types in Focus

Assessments, whether formative, interim, or summative, collectively support an education system by providing feedback to guide instruction (formative), periodic progress checks to inform adjustments (interim), and systemic evaluations to measure national achievements (summative).

Currently, depending on the jurisdiction’s readiness for digitalization in assessments and its maturity in evidence-based decision-making, the focus within an education system may shift toward provincial, school-led, or classroom-level formative, summative, and interim assessments, aiming to support instructional policies and practices.

Below is a breakdown table of assessment types presented by Crane in 2010, based on ideas initially developed by Perie, Marion, and Gong (2007) and later refined by Perie and colleagues (2009), with practical examples to clarify terminology, applications, and potential intervention points:

Formative assessments, incorporated within daily instructional practices, are increasingly recognized for their potential to provide real-time feedback that improves teaching strategies and supports personalized student learning, though they often face challenges in scalability and consistency across classrooms.

​​Interim assessments, conducted periodically throughout the year, are valued for monitoring progress and predicting outcomes, but their continuous implementation requires alignment with educational goals, standards, and substantial investments.

Summative assessments, such as standardized large-scale national and international tests and end-of-year exams, are prioritized for modernization due to their role in measuring national educational outcomes, despite offering only a limited snapshot of performance and being politically motivated to showcase achievement levels. 

In summary, the current landscape of educational assessments reflects a shift toward modernizing summative assessments, transitioning to interim assessments, and integrating formative assessments as part of an evolutionary approach to assessment modernization.

Driving Assessment Modernization: Catching the Momentum

In the politics of education, the drive to enact change with a shift in political leadership is a persistent force, especially within the accountability-driven environment of policy-making. Building on this momentum for change, politicians face the challenge of pursuing either long-term or short-term reforms, depending on their leadership style, vision, public pressure, available resources, and political willpower. Short-term efforts may involve using summative assessment results to identify potential interventions based on available resources. Long-term planning, on the other hand, would require a focus on developing and implementing formative assessment programs. A potential middle ground could involve implementing interim assessments, providing an opportunity to balance reform efforts, avoiding both extremes of short-term and long-term approaches, while sustaining momentum for meaningful changes in the educational system.

Upcoming Webinar: Best Practices in Implementing Interim Assessments

Through this article, I aim to encourage discussions around interim assessments, whether initiated from a summative or formative baseline, reflecting the complexities inherent in each scenario. To continue this conversation, I will be arranging a virtual discussion on this topic to share best practices that are followed internationally. If you are interested in participating in this upcoming discussion and hearing from our peers in the assessment industry, feel free to message me on LinkedIn. I will provide you with the webinar details.

About the Author

Vali Huseyn is an educational assessment specialist, recognized for his expertise in development projects of various aspects of the assessment cycle. His capability to advise on the improvement of assessment delivery models, administration of different levels of assessments, innovation within data analytics, and creation of quick, secure reporting techniques sets him apart in the field. His work, expanded by collaborations with leading assessment technology firms and certification bodies, has greatly advanced his community's assessment practices. At The State Examination Centre of Azerbaijan, Vali significantly contributed to the transformations of local assessments and led key regional projects, such as unified registration and tracking platform of international testing programs, reviews of CEFR-aligned language assessments, PISA-supported assessment literacy trainings, and the institutional audit project, all aimed at improving the assessment culture across the country and former USSR region. 

Vali has received two prestigious scholarships for his studies: he completed an MA in Education Policy Planning and Administration at Boston University on a Fulbright Scholarship and also studied Educational Assessment at Durham University on a Chevening Scholarship.

Discover guided practices in modernizing assessments and gain insights into the future of educational assessments by connecting with Vali on LinkedIn.