Assessment is how teachers figure out what students actually know. It can be a quiz, a project, a portfolio, a performance, or a standardized test. The word covers both the instrument and the process. Good assessment does more than assign a grade. It informs instruction. If most of the class missed question five, the teacher reteaches the concept.

There are two main types. Formative assessment happens during learning: exit tickets, rough drafts, peer reviews. Summative assessment happens at the end: final exams, term papers, recitals. Both have a place, but formative assessment tends to help students more because it catches gaps early.

Critics argue that high-stakes testing narrows the curriculum and stresses students. Supporters say it provides comparable data across schools. The truth is messy. A single test score rarely tells the full story, but patterns across multiple measures can reveal real inequities.

Common forms

• Quizzes and exams
• Essays and research papers
• Projects and presentations
• Portfolios of student work
• Observations and performance tasks