Summative assessment: a historical perspective

Summative assessment: a historical perspective.

Spermatozoa: A Historical Perspective

The 100,000th scientific article on the subject of spermatozoa was recently published. Many studies have evaluated the characteristics of this important cell leading to great discoveries. Since its first observation and description in 1677, many important characteristics have been described regarding this highly fascinating gamete. In this review, our objective has been to provide a historical ...

The Local Limit Theorem: A Historical Perspective

The local limit theorem describes how the density of a sum of random variables follows the normal curve. However the local limit theorem is often seen as a curiosity of no particular importance when compared with the central limit theorem. Nevertheless the local limit theorem came first and is in fact associated with the foundation of probability theory by Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fer...

Formative and Summative Assessment: A cybernetic viewpoint

This paper considers alternative assessment, feedback and cybernetics. For more than 30 years, debates about formative and summative assessment have served as surrogates for discussions about the workings of the mind, the social implications of assessment and, as important, the role of instruction in the advancement of learning. Currently, alternative assessment lives uneasily with its classica...

Research on Classroom Summative Assessment

A ssessment is unquestionably one of the teacher’s most complex and important tasks. What teachers assess and how and why they assess it sends a clear message to students about what is worth learning, how it should be learned, and how well they are expected to learn it. As a result of increased influences from external high stakes tests, teachers are increasingly working to align their CAs with...