What is formative assessment?

Formative assessment is primarily a tool for evaluating student learning during the instructional process. It is a continuous method that educators use to monitor student understanding, skills, and progress throughout a lesson or unit. By implementing formative assessments, teachers can gather feedback that helps them identify which students may need support, which concepts are not yet mastered, and how to adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.

This type of assessment emphasizes learning and development rather than simply assigning a grade at the end of an instructional period. Formative assessments can take many forms, including quizzes, classroom discussions, observations, and informal assessments that inform both the teacher and the student about the learner's progress and understanding.

In contrast, the other options describe assessments that do not align with the principles of formative assessment. Final grading methods typically evaluate only the end results instead of guiding students during their learning journey. Standardized tests are designed to measure student performance on a broader scale, often at the end of a term or year, rather than assessing progress over time. Measurement of teacher effectiveness focuses on the performance of educators and is not directly linked to assessing student learning during instruction.