What are the most effective ways to use peer and self-assessment in formative and summative assessment?

1 Formative vs summative assessment

Formative assessment is the ongoing process of collecting and analyzing evidence of student learning to inform instruction and provide feedback. Summative assessment is the final evaluation of student achievement at the end of a unit or course. Peer and self-assessment can be used for both purposes, but they have different goals and implications. For formative assessment, peer and self-assessment can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses, monitor their progress, and plan their next steps. For summative assessment, peer and self-assessment can help students demonstrate their learning outcomes, justify their grades, and reflect on their overall performance.

2 Criteria and rubrics

One of the most important aspects of peer and self-assessment is to have clear and specific criteria and rubrics that guide the students' judgments. Criteria are the standards or expectations that define the quality of the work. Rubrics are the scoring tools that describe the levels of performance for each criterion. Criteria and rubrics should be aligned with the learning objectives, shared with the students in advance, and discussed and practiced before the assessment. This will help students understand what is expected of them, how to evaluate their own and others' work, and how to improve their work.

3 Feedback and dialogue

Another essential element of peer and self-assessment is to provide constructive and meaningful feedback and dialogue. Feedback is the information that helps students understand how well they are doing and what they need to do next. Dialogue is the interaction that allows students to ask questions, clarify doubts, and share opinions. Feedback and dialogue should be timely, specific, actionable, and respectful. They should focus on the strengths and areas of improvement, not on the personality or the grade. They should also encourage students to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively.