Traditions of Diagnosis: Learning from the Past, Moving Past Traditions

Assessment is about judgment and it always is interpretive. Summative assessments, which are often the result of legislative initiatives requiring data collection at speci ed times, examine individuals, schools, and/or programs and facilitate making judgments about past learning. On the other hand, formative assessments, which are assessments for learning, happen during the process of teaching and inform decision-making relative to the instructional process (Chappuis & Chappuis, 2007). Both summative and formative assessments have essential roles to play in literacy education because they provide differing perspectives on learners, but summative assessment is given a wider public platform than formative assessment.