Formative: an in-process assessment that gages where the student is at during the lesson or unit and provide real time feedback on what the students are learning through the lesson or unit.

Summative: an assessment that is usually given at the end of a unit or project. It measures the student's ability to apply the skills that have learned over a specific period of time.

Performance: They are assessments that don't look like normal assessments. They are sometimes called "authentic assessments" because it is a more authentic representation of the student's ability in that specific skill. They are having to do something instead of answering questions like a traditional assessment.