What does formative assessment primarily aim to do?

Formative assessment primarily aims to provide ongoing feedback to improve student learning. This approach focuses on gathering data throughout the learning process, allowing educators to understand students' learning needs and progress in real-time. By assessing students continuously, teachers can identify areas where students may be struggling and adjust their instruction accordingly. This cycle of feedback and adjustment helps optimize learning opportunities and ensures that teaching strategies effectively support all students.

In contrast, evaluating student performance at the end of a unit is characteristic of summative assessment rather than formative. Likewise, ranking students for standardized testing or identifying the most gifted students in a classroom does not align with the fundamental purpose of formative assessments, which is focused on individual student development rather than competition or categorization.