What role does formative assessment play in the classroom?

Formative assessment plays a crucial role in the classroom by focusing on the continuous monitoring of student learning throughout the instructional process. It is designed to provide ongoing feedback that can help both educators and students identify areas of improvement. This feedback allows teachers to adjust their teaching methods to better meet the needs of their students, while also guiding students in their own learning by helping them understand their strengths and weaknesses.

In contrast to final evaluations or grades, which are associated with summative assessments, formative assessments are not designed to measure cumulative performance at the end of a learning period. Instead, they are integrated into the learning process, providing multiple checkpoints for understanding and skill acquisition. This approach fosters a more dynamic learning environment, encouraging growth and improvement rather than just evaluating past performance.