Which assessment is used for checking student progress so that instruction can be adjusted?

The correct choice of formative assessment is essential for monitoring student progress during the learning process. This type of assessment is conducted frequently and allows educators to gather information about students' understanding and skills in real time. By reviewing the results of formative assessments, teachers can determine whether students are mastering the material and make necessary adjustments to their instructional strategies accordingly.

For example, if a teacher notices that a significant number of students struggle with a specific concept, they can re-teach that concept, use different teaching methods, or provide additional support to enhance understanding. This ongoing feedback loop is crucial in helping students succeed, as it provides opportunities to address learning gaps immediately rather than waiting until the end of a unit or course.

In contrast, summative assessment typically evaluates what students have learned at the end of an instructional period, providing a snapshot of their overall performance, but not the timeline or feedback needed to adjust teaching. Diagnostic assessments are normally utilized prior to instruction to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, offering critical insights but not serving as a means for ongoing instructional adjustments. Criterion-referenced assessments measure student performance against a set standard or criterion but do not provide the iterative feedback necessary for adapting instruction throughout a learning sequence.