Summative evaluations represent the final evaluative judgment of the merit, worth, or value of a program. They are often conducted for the benefit of external audiences and/or decision makers to determine the efficacy of the evaluand. Summative evaluations are often conducted by external evaluators, due to the potential for a Conflict of Interest among internal evaluators.
According to Russ-Eft & Preskill, the 4 main purposes of conducting summative evaluations are:
Monitoring + Auditing - To determine if a program was administered in ethical or legal ways, and to gauge if resources and funding were used appropriately
Example: Were the project results worth the project costs?
Outcome Evaluation - Assessment of the result of a program, based on changes in knowledge, attitude, and practices of the participants.
Example: To what extent did the program meet its goals?
Impact Evaluation - A form of outcome evaluation that assesses the net effect of a program as compared to the absence of the program
Example: To what extent has the program improved employee productivity?
Performance Measurement - Documentation of results based on either program process, product, or services delivered.
Example: In what ways did the participants benefit from the program?
Reference:
Russ-Eft, Darlene, & Preskill, Hallie (2001). Evaluation In Organizations: A Systematic Approach To Enhancing Learning, Performance, and Change (1st ed.) Perseus Publishing.
