Combining and integrating formative and summative assessment in mathematics teacher education

Contrary to the opinion that formative and summative assessment approaches are not compatible, this article presents a theoretically grounded way in which different forms of assessment can be combined and integrated in university mathematics teacher education. Two mixed-assessment approaches are demonstrated through the analysis of a case study involving a practice-based seminar accompanying a school internship. First, a formative eportfolio assessment was combined with a summative panel survey to assess the learning opportunities of mathematics pre-service teachers. Second, the formative eportfolio approach was integrated with a summative oral course examination to make statements about the learning processes and learning outcomes of the pre-service teachers. Our analyses conclude that combining and integrating the two forms of assessment present the possibility of evaluating different aspects of the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of opportunities to learn. Benefits, validation aspects and limitations of the two approaches of combining and integrating assessment forms are discussed.