Global

Assessment literacy for trainers and educators: Designing fair, useful formative and summative assessments

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 8 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
Before a trainer writes their first test or quiz
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Grey areas: flawed items and fair grading
What would you do?

A multiple-choice question has two answers a reasonable expert could defend

Try it: this is one of 21 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Scenario, timeline, tabs, sorting activity and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, word cloud, poll, ranking slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 390.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentn/aWhole course
SO 390.1Distinguish diagnostic, formative and summative assessment by purpose and timingBest practiceWhole course
SO 390.2Build a simple blueprint that links learning outcomes to assessment itemsStandards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME) [check before build]Whole course
SO 390.3Spot common flaws in test items and rewrite themStandards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students [check before build]Whole course
SO 390.4Use a rubric and checks for understanding to give feedback that learners can act onClassroom Assessment Standards for PreK-12 Teachers (Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation) [check before build]Whole course
SO 390.5Apply the organisation's grading, fairness and adjustments rules and use results to adjust teaching + your infoOrganisation's assessment policyWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 8 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

A test that told nobody anything

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
The Friday quizTextImage
What went wrongTimelineQuiz
2

Purpose first: diagnostic, formative, summative

3 pages

7 min
Three purposesTabs
Which purpose?Sorting activity
MythsFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

From outcomes to items: a simple blueprint

3 pages

7 min
Five stepsProcess
A blueprint on one pageTableChecklist
Order the stepsTimelineQuizMulti-select quiz
4

Grey areas: flawed items and fair grading

3 pages

7 min
Spot the flawAccordion
Fix the itemScenarioQuiz
Fairness and gradingScenarioSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Use the results and speak up

3 pages

7 min
Feedback and rubricsTabsQuote
Use results to adjustScenarioQuiz
When assessment is not workingProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
6

Next steps and final assessment

2 pages

5 min
Your next stepsChecklistNote
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "no statistics needed
Word cloudOne word for how you feel about writing a test
PollHow do you usually write a test?
ContentThree purposes of assessment (diagnostic, formative, summative) and the five-step blueprint
QuizA pre-module poll on current knowledge is… Formative · Diagnostic ✔ · Summative · A rubric
QuizTwo answers could be defended in a question. You… (Fix the wording and re-trial ✔)
RankingOrder the five blueprint steps
ScaleHow confident are you spotting a flawed test item?
Open-ended / Q&AAn assessment dilemma you have faced
Content · customiseClosing {{LD_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. What do you use to plan a test? multiple choice
  6. How confident are you writing a rubric? 1-5 scale
  7. What is one assessment problem you want solved? short text
  8. I feel safe asking a colleague to review my test. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the organisation's assessment policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

8 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Ld contact{{LD_CONTACT}}
  • Training standards link{{TRAINING_STANDARDS_LINK}}
  • Concern route{{CONCERN_ROUTE}}
  • Support and adjustments route{{SUPPORT_AND_ADJUSTMENTS_ROUTE}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
Show all 8 fields
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run assessment literacy for trainers and educators: Designing fair, useful formative and summative assessments training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

Before a trainer writes their first test or quiz; when a programme moves to a new assessment approach; annually for the whole training team.

Who needs this training?

Trainers, facilitators, mentors, instructional designers and teaching staff who design, mark or interpret assessments for adult learners or colleagues; run by the head of L&D, training academy lead or staff-development office.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck