“Is this quiz recorded?” Every teacher hears that question, and the answer comes down to formative vs summative assessment. Under DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026, it depends on one distinction: whether the assessment is formative or summative. Get it right and the class record reflects what learners can do. Get it wrong and a practice quiz taken on the first day of a lesson ends up pulling down a term grade.
This guide explains formative vs summative assessment in plain terms, shows which DepEd assessments count toward the grade this school year, gives practical examples of each, and covers how to record and use both. It also touches on diagnostic assessment, which is neither, and on the common grey areas teachers ask about.
The 10-second answer: Formative assessment happens during learning to guide teaching — it is not graded and does not enter the computation. Summative assessment happens after learning to measure it — under DO 15 it is recorded in the graded components: Written Works, Performance Tasks, and Examinations, where two summative tests and a term examination weigh 30%, 30%, and 40%. The same quiz can be either; what decides it is how you use the result.
Formative and summative assessment: the definitions
Both kinds of assessment ask learners to show what they know. The difference is timing and purpose — when the assessment happens and what the result is used for. That is why the same activity can be formative in one lesson and summative in another.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is assessment for learning. It happens while learning is still in progress, and its job is to tell the teacher and the learner what to do next: reteach, practise more, or move on. Mistakes on a formative check are expected and useful — they are information, not penalties.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment is assessment of learning. It happens after a block of teaching, and its job is to measure how much of the intended learning was achieved. Summative results are what go into the class record and, through it, the grade on the report card.
Formative vs summative assessment at a glance
Most of the confusion between the two disappears when they are put side by side. The table below compares them on the points that matter in a real classroom.
| Formative | Summative | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Guide teaching and learning | Measure learning that has happened |
| Timing | During the lesson or unit | After a block of lessons, a term, or a year |
| Graded? | No — it informs teaching only | Yes — it enters the class record |
| Typical form | Short, frequent, often informal | Planned, structured, scheduled |
| What happens next | The teacher adjusts the next lesson | The result becomes part of the grade |
| Mistakes | Expected, used for feedback | Count against the score |
What counts toward the grade under DO 15, s. 2026
DO 15 keeps the familiar structure of graded work while reorganising the school year into three terms. Knowing exactly which assessments are graded removes most of the “is this recorded?” questions before they start.
The graded (summative) components
Grades are still computed from three components: Written Works, Performance Tasks, and Examinations. The weights of each component depend on the learning area and grade level, as explained in our grading system guide; for Senior High School, see SHS grade computation under DO 15.
The Examinations component
Inside the Examinations component, each term has two summative tests and one term examination. Summative Test 1 covers roughly the first fifteen instructional days, Summative Test 2 the next fifteen, and the term examination the whole term. They weigh 30%, 30%, and 40%, with each test converted to its own percentage first. The full timing is in our three-term assessment calendar.
Formative assessment is not graded
Formative assessment does not enter the computation. It informs teaching; it does not become part of the grade. That rule did not change with DO 15 — see what else carried over in what actually changed in the three-term school year.
Examples of formative assessment
Good formative assessment is quick, frequent, and immediately useful. The best checks take a few minutes and tell you something you can act on in the same lesson or the next one.
- Exit slips: one or two questions answered on a slip of paper before leaving.
- Show-me boards: every learner writes an answer on a small board or paper and holds it up at once.
- Thumbs up, sideways, or down after an explanation, followed by targeted questions.
- Short ungraded quizzes checked together in class.
- Think–pair–share with the teacher listening in on pairs.
- Observation during seatwork, noting which learners are stuck and where.
- Drafts with feedback before a performance task is submitted for grading.
Under DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2026, the ILAW lesson plan includes a formative assessment for each lesson — an actual task or set of questions, not just the word “quiz.” Our guide on paano gumawa ng lesson plan sa ILAW shows where it fits.
Examples of summative assessment
Summative assessments are planned in advance, cover a defined block of learning, and are recorded. Under DO 15, they fall under the three graded components.
- Written Works: graded quizzes, unit tests, and written outputs given after the lessons they cover.
- Performance Tasks: projects, demonstrations, presentations, and products assessed with a rubric — see how to make a rubric for a performance task.
- Examinations: Summative Test 1, Summative Test 2, and the term examination.
For the term examination itself, our guide to the periodical test with answer key and TOS covers the full set of documents.
Diagnostic assessment: the third kind
A diagnostic assessment happens before teaching, to find out what learners already know and where the gaps are. It is a close cousin of formative assessment — also ungraded, also used to plan teaching — but it looks backward at prior learning rather than at the current lesson.
A short pretest at the start of a unit is the classic example. Its value is in what you change because of it: skipping material most learners already know, or adding a review of prerequisites many are missing.
The grey areas teachers ask about
Real classrooms produce situations the definitions do not settle on their own. These are the cases that come up most often, and how to think about each.
Can the same quiz be formative and summative?
Yes — what decides it is how the result is used, not the format. A ten-item quiz given halfway through a lesson to check understanding is formative. The same ten items given after the lessons are complete and recorded as Written Work are summative. Decide in advance and tell learners which it is.
Should I record formative results at all?
You can keep formative results to track progress — many teachers do — as long as they stay out of the grade computation. A separate tracking sheet or notes column keeps them visible without affecting the grade.
What about a summative test most of the class failed?
A summative result can be used formatively too. If most learners missed the same items, that is a signal to reteach before the term exam, and possibly to look at whether those items were fair. An item analysis and the class’s mean percentage score show where the problem is.
How does assessment work in Grade 1 reporting?
Grade 1 reports descriptively rather than with numerical grades. A competency is rated only after the learner has done a series of formative tasks and activities and a relevant summative assessment, and the rating reflects the learner’s most consistent performance across varied evidence. See our guide to the Grade 1 PACE form and progress report.
Using both well: a simple rhythm for each term
Formative and summative assessment work best as a cycle rather than as separate events. A simple rhythm keeps both doing their jobs across the term.
- Check prior knowledge with a short diagnostic at the start of a unit.
- Check understanding every lesson with a quick formative task, and adjust the next lesson.
- Give Summative Test 1 after the first block of about fifteen instructional days.
- Start remediation early. Under DO 15, remediation begins as early as Week 5, right after ST1, for learners consistently below expectations — see a remediation plan that actually runs.
- Repeat for Summative Test 2, then the term examination.
- Analyze each summative test and carry what you learn into the next block.
How Skoolari supports both
Skoolari keeps formative and summative work in their proper places. In DepEd mode, the Assessment tool lets you choose the assessment type — including a formative test — so a quick check and a summative test are prepared differently from the start. The ILAW lesson plan generator includes the formative assessment for each lesson and can draft sample questions for you to review.
For graded work, the class record keeps Summative Test 1, Summative Test 2, and the term examination as separate columns weighted 30/30/40, converts each to a percentage before weighting, and shows a remediation watch based on DO 15 so learners who need help are visible after ST1. Each test column also shows its MPS and result analysis. You can start free; the plans page lists what each plan includes. To build the tests themselves, start with how to construct a test.
Frequently asked questions
These short answers cover the questions teachers ask most often about formative and summative assessment this school year.
Is a long quiz formative or summative?
It depends on when it is given and whether it is recorded. A long quiz given after the lessons it covers and recorded as Written Work is summative. If it is used only to check progress and adjust teaching, it is formative and should stay out of the grade.
Are performance tasks always summative?
The graded submission is summative. The drafts, rehearsals, and feedback rounds before it are formative, and they are what make the final performance task fair.
Does formative assessment have to be written?
No. Observation, questioning, show-me boards, and brief conversations are all formative assessment. What makes it formative is that you use the information to adjust teaching.
Do learners need to know which kind an assessment is?
Yes. Learners take a check more honestly when they know a mistake will not cost them, and they prepare properly when they know a test is recorded. Say which kind it is before every assessment.
DepEd guidance for SY 2026–2027 is still being clarified by memoranda. Check the details in this guide against the current issuances and your school’s assessment policies.