Correlation of Formative Assessments as the Means of Predicting Summative Performance in Paramedic Students

Background: Paramedic programs use formative assessments to determine cognitive competency. Understanding the number of failed units as a probability of passing the summative exam will allow programs to set additional benchmarks. The purpose of this study was to determine whether failure in formative exams determines success on a summative exam. Methods: Formative and summative scores from 2011 - 2016 for paramedic students with accounts in Fisdap, an Internet-based administrative database, were retrospectively reviewed for the following criteria: provided consent for research, completed all six formative (unit) examinations, and completed a summative (comprehensive) examination. Analyses were performed with Pearson correlations and linear regression. Results: A total of 1,406 student records were included based on inclusion criteria. Correlation with each formative and the summative examination were all significant, p \u3c0.001: Cardiology 0.597; Airway 0.571; Medical 0.571; Trauma 0.566; Ob/Pediatrics 0.549; Operations 0.495. The cardiology exam was shown to have a moderate correlation on summative performance, whereas the operations exam had the weakest correlation. The number of formative examination failures was a significant predictor of the probability of passing the summative examination, t(1405) - -31.02 p\u3c0.001. Zero failed unit examinations yielded a 100% probability of passing. Three failed formative exams yielded a 60.4% probability. Four failed attempts yielded a 44.8% probability. Failure of all six formative exams yielded a 13.4% probability of passing the Paramedic Readiness Exam Version 3. Conclusion: Not all formative examinations hold the same predictive power on the probability of passing a summative examination. Each had their own correlation value. Students who did not fail formative examinations have a 100% likelihood of passing the summative examination

Correlation of formative assessments as the means of predicting summative performance in paramedic students

Background: Paramedic programs use formative assessments to determine cognitive competency. Understanding the number of failed formative units as a probability of passing the summative exam will allow programs to set additional benchmarks. The purpose of this study was to determine whether failure in formative exams determines success on a summative exam. Methods: Formative and summative scores from 2011 – 2016 for paramedic students with accounts in Fisdap™, an Internet-based administrative database, were retrospectively reviewed for the following criteria: provided consent for research, completed all six formative (unit) examinations, and completed a summative (comprehensive) examination. Analyses were performed with Pearson correlations and linear regression. Results: A total of 1,406 student records were included based on inclusion criteria. Correlation with each formative and the summative examination were all significant, p \u3c 0.001: Cardiology 0.597; Airway 0.571; Medical 0.571; Trauma 0.566; Ob/Pediatrics 0.549; Operations 0.495. The cardiology exam was shown to have a moderate correlation on summative performance, whereas the operations exam had the weakest correlation. The number of formative examination failures was a significant predictor of the probability of passing the summative examination, t(1405) = –31.02, p \u3c 0.001. Zero failed unit examinations yielded a 100% probability of passing. Three failed formative exams yielded a 60.4% probability. Four failed attempts yielded a 44.8% probability. Failure of all six formative exams yielded a 13.4% probability of passing the Paramedic Readiness Exam Version 3. Conclusion: Not all formative examinations hold the same predictive power on the probability of passing a summative examination. Each had their own correlation value. Students who did not fail formative examinations have a 100% likelihood of passing the summative examination

Can you fail your way to success?

Do one or more formative examination failures predict a summative examination failure