15 Summative Assessment Examples for Elementary Students
Summative assessment examples don’t have to mean another unit test. Here are 15 ways elementary students can show what they learned at the end of a unit, from comic strips to board games, plus how to grade them fairly.
I taught 3rd through 5th grade for 13 years. The unit test always has a place, but it’s not the only way to find out who really got it.
A summative assessment checks what students learned at the end of a unit, term or year. Elementary examples include unit tests, posters, comic strips, podcasts, student-made board games, essays and slideshow presentations. Pair any project with a simple rubric so the grade reflects the standard, not the glitter.
What are Summative Assessments?
A summative assessment measures what a student knows and can do at the end of a unit, term or school year. It usually counts toward a grade, and it tells you how well the unit worked.
That’s the big difference from a formative assessment, which is the quick check you do while you’re still teaching so you can change course. (Here are 15 formative assessment examples if you want the other half.)
| Formative | Summative | |
|---|---|---|
| When | During the unit | At the end of the unit, term or year |
| Purpose | Adjust your teaching | Measure what was learned |
| Graded? | Usually not | Usually yes |
| Examples | Exit tickets, thumbs up, whiteboards | Unit tests, projects, presentations |
A test is one kind of summative assessment. The 15 below are others, and they show you things a multiple-choice test can’t.
15 Summative Assessment Examples and Ideas for Elementary Students
1. Create a Trailer or Video
Students will create an original video or movie trailer explaining the topic. This alternative assessment idea is a fun summative assessment that showcases their cognitive skills.
2. Create an Anchor Chart or Poster Board
Students will create an anchor chart or poster that integrates graphics and text to teach the topic. It’s a great way to gauge students’ proficiency in a specific area.
3. Create a Comic Strip
Students will create a 10-frame comic strip focusing on teaching the topic. This form of performance-based assessment lets students demonstrate their understanding creatively.
4. Create a Podcast
Students can create a radio-style podcast report that highlights details about your topic. This is an authentic assessment method, building communication skills.
5. Build a Model or Diorama
Students can create a model or diorama to show what they’ve learned about the topic. This encourages project-based learning and taps into students’ critical thinking.
6. Write a Song, Skit, Poem, or Play
Students will write (and perform, if they want!) a song, poem, skit, or play that teaches the topic at hand, allowing for creative expression and student success.
7. Create your Own Board Game
Design your own board game or use one of these templates to help you. Students create question cards to show what they’ve learned. This is a practical problem-solving project that works well in small groups.
Bonus tip: Give students time in class to play their created games with other students!
Here’s my full guide to using student-created board games in the classroom, from planning to playing.
8. Create an Art Collage
Students can create a collage using a variety of images and words to visually show what they’ve learned about the topic. This is an engaging way to see how students interpret the learning objectives.
9. Become a News Reporter
Students can write, record, or present a news report about the topic, helping them practice their communication skills while demonstrating their understanding.
10. Create Your Own Kahoot! Or Jeopardy Game
Allow students to create a game online and play it with classmates. This activity not only helps review key content but also involves edtech tools for a more modern approach to learning. My students have loved Kahoot! and JeopardyLabs.
Want other engaging ideas? Grab the Math Engagement Cheat Sheet!👇
11. Make a Google Slides or PowerPoint Show
Students create a presentation that includes text and images to teach key points about the topic. It’s a comprehensive summative assessment showing their ability to synthesize information.
12. Write Your Own Test Questions & Answer Key
Instead of taking a test, students write their own test questions. This helps them reflect on what’s important and showcases their deep understanding of the specific criteria.
13. Write an Essay
Some students will excel with this traditional type of assessment. They write a 4- or 5-paragraph essay about the topic, a great example of a research paper and critical thinking.
14. Design an Advertisement
Students can create a radio ad, magazine ad, or a TV commercial to share key points about the topic, a fun way to gauge skill acquisition in a creative format.
15. Create a Google Site
Students create a website that teaches the topic in a creative way. It’s a modern capstone project that integrates tech skills while reflecting their knowledge.
Yes, these projects can often be more time-consuming to grade. Yes, it often takes up valuable class time. But I have discovered that it is worth it every.single.time.
BONUS TIP! Create a rubric so you and your students will know exactly how to get a good grade and show what they’ve learned. It may help to also create a checklist for students to know exactly what topics they need to cover in their project to show that they’ve accomplished the task.
How do you grade a project-based summative assessment?
Keep the rubric short so you can actually use it on a stack of 25 projects.
- Pick 3 or 4 things to grade. At least two should be the standard itself (for example, “explains how the water cycle works” or “solves multi-step word problems correctly”).
- Use a 4-point scale for each one, with one plain sentence describing what a 4 and a 2 look like.
- Give the rubric to students on day one so they know what counts.
- Grade the content first. Neatness and creativity can be a small part, never most of the grade.
If you teach math, the same idea works for any project in your 5th grade math project post.
I’ve had several students like this throughout my career, but let’s name this one Carlos. Carlos was disengaged during traditional unit tests and high-stakes exams. He always knew he wasn’t a great performer on tests, so why try? I turned a traditional paper-pencil test into a project-based assessment, and Carlos blossomed! His creativity showed as he designed an eco-friendly city model for a social studies project. He detailed the reasoning behind every element and showed deep understanding far better than any multiple-choice test could. This demonstrated to me the effectiveness of summative assessments when they are done creatively.
Want math activities with the proof of learning built in?
If you teach 3rd, 4th or 5th grade math, the Sneaky Learning Club gives you activities that feel like games but still show you exactly who got it. Every activity has a way for students to show their work, so you’re never guessing at the end of a unit. Same math. Different feel.
You don’t have to swap every test for a project. Pick one unit this year, offer two or three of these options, and grade them with the same short rubric. You’ll learn something about your students that a test wouldn’t have shown you.
Checking understanding during the unit too? Here are 15 formative assessment examples for elementary students.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s an assessment at the end of a unit, term or year that measures what students learned. It’s usually graded. A unit test is the most common one, but projects, presentations and essays count too.
Formative assessment happens during learning so you can adjust your teaching, like an exit ticket. Summative assessment happens at the end and measures what was learned, like a unit test or final project.
No. A poster, podcast, comic strip, board game or slideshow can all be summative assessments. What makes it summative is that it comes at the end and measures mastery of the standard.
Use a short rubric with 3 or 4 criteria, and make most of them about the standard. Share it with students before they start so they know exactly what counts.
Unit tests still work, but you can also have students write and solve their own test questions, build a review board game, or teach a skill in a short video. Each one shows whether they can do the math and explain it.
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