What is the primary purpose of formative assessment?

The primary purpose of formative assessment is to provide ongoing feedback about student learning. This type of assessment occurs throughout the instructional process, allowing teachers and students to gauge understanding, identify areas that need improvement, and adjust teaching strategies accordingly. By utilizing formative assessments, educators can collect valuable data on student comprehension and progress in real-time, which fosters a responsive and adaptive learning environment. This ongoing feedback process supports both student engagement and instructional effectiveness, improving educational outcomes.

The other options, while related to assessment, do not align with the ongoing, developmental nature of formative assessment. Summarizing learning typically relates to summative assessments, which evaluate student learning after a unit or course. Comparing student performance against a standard is more related to benchmark assessments or evaluative assessments rather than formative ones. Evaluating administrative effectiveness is a separate concern that does not pertain to the individual learning processes of students.