What is formative assessment intended to provide?

Formative assessment is designed primarily to offer feedback from ongoing activities that educators can use to adapt and inform their instruction. It focuses on monitoring student learning throughout the teaching process rather than at the end. This assessment type helps teachers identify areas where students may be struggling and allows for timely interventions that can enhance learning outcomes. By receiving continuous feedback, learners can also adjust their study habits and understanding before they reach summative points of evaluation.

In contrast, the final evaluation of student learning typically characterizes summative assessments, which aim to measure what students have achieved at the conclusion of an instructional period. Standardized scores serve a different purpose, primarily for comparison purposes across different educational settings or groups, rather than for real-time instructional decisions. An overview of class performance might summarize outcomes but does not delve into the individual feedback necessary for formative assessments to facilitate effective teaching strategies and personalized student learning adjustments.