What is a key characteristic of formative assessment?

A key characteristic of formative assessment is that it is conducted to modify teaching and learning activities. This type of assessment is ongoing and typically occurs during the instructional process. The primary purpose of formative assessment is to gather feedback that can be used to adjust teaching strategies and improve student learning while the instruction is still taking place. It focuses on helping educators identify students' needs, so they can make timely adjustments to their teaching based on students' understanding and areas of difficulty.

In contrast, other options refer to characteristics of different types of assessments. For example, assessments that occur after instruction is completed usually fall under summative assessments, which aim to evaluate learning at the end of an instruction period. Furthermore, providing a final measurement of student learning aligns with summative assessments rather than formative ones. The idea that formative assessment is only used in standardized testing also misrepresents the nature of formative assessments, which can be carried out in various classroom situations and formats outside of standardized tests.