Summative (final-grading) assessment is the comparison of a student's performance with the requirements at the end of an educational phase. The learner is categorized and graded based on their performance.
Summative assessment summarizes, gives a rating at a stage of education, e.g. how the student met the requirements at the end of the school year or school. The most common forms of summative assessment are the semester and year-end grades, as well as the exams. Through feedback, all three types of assessment facilitate pedagogical planning.
The qualification has a special function, it selects and filters the students: with a certain result below a certain level (a certain grade) the student cannot progress to the given type of school, or with a certain result (admission scores) the student's chances for further education or employment may be limited. . A prerequisite for its effectiveness is to measure students' knowledge to the same standard and to provide objective, credible and reliable information.
A common form of summative assessment is the exam, which can fulfill several functions: it can certify the degree, the appropriate qualification, it can fulfill the function of further education selection, it can be a tool for career orientation. In addition to these main functions, it can also have additional educational functions: motivation, development of self-esteem.
Summative evaluation is predominant in Hungarian practice, diagnostic evaluation is rare, and formative evaluation has been relegated to the background. Experience has shown that the mixing of the three assessment functions and types causes a wide range of confusions.