formative and summative evaluation

Formative evaluation occurs during the development of a project or program, providing ongoing feedback to improve and refine it. Think of it as a check-up to ensure things are on the right track. Summative evaluation happens after the project’s completion, assessing its overall success and impact. It’s like a final report that summarizes what was achieved and how well it worked. Both are essential: formative helps guide improvement in real-time, while summative offers judgment on the final outcomes.