Assessments

There are three main types of assessments; formative, summative, and authentic.  A formative assessment is a quick check to see if the students are grasping the concept, it is a quick check for understanding.  A summative assessment is a more formal "test".  It may be an end of a unit test, a portfolio, a presentation, a project, etc...  An authentic assessment is a special type of assessment that relates to the "real world."  If you were doing a lesson or unit over a famous person, you could have your class write them a letter.  If were teaching nutrition, you could have the students plan snacks for the week for plan a dinner for home, shop, cook it and report about it.  Authentic is something that they would actually do in real life, something that happens in the real world.
I have many formative assessments built into my lesson plans.  I always feel that you should check for understanding with your students.  It can be something very simple.  I also have an authentic assessment in my 1st lesson, the webquest.  It asks the students to write a letter to the president of the United States.  I also have a couple summative assessments in my lesson plans too.  Both happen to be pretty small quizzes or tests, nothing too big because it is not over a unit, just a lesson.  I think that assessments can be fun, they do not always have to be pencil and paper "tests."  They can be a game of Jeopardy, creating something, writing a letter, presenting something.  I feel that if you make assessments more creative, students will learn that they don't really hate them