What type of assessment checks for understanding prior to instruction?

The correct answer is diagnostic assessment, which serves a critical role in the educational process by evaluating students' knowledge, skills, and understanding before instruction begins. This type of assessment aims to identify students' strengths and weaknesses, thereby informing instructors about the specific areas that need to be addressed in their teaching approach. By gathering this information upfront, educators can tailor their lesson plans to meet the diverse needs of their students, ensuring more effective instruction.

In contrast to diagnostic assessment, summative assessments are typically conducted at the end of an instructional period to evaluate what students have learned over time. They are more focused on measuring learning outcomes rather than gauging prior knowledge. Formative assessments, while also useful for checking understanding, are ongoing and occur during the learning process to monitor student progress and adapt instruction as necessary. Performance assessments are designed to evaluate students' application of skills and knowledge through specific tasks, rather than assessing prior knowledge before instruction. Each of these other types of assessments serves a unique purpose, but diagnostic assessments specifically focus on understanding students' pre-existing knowledge and readiness for new learning.