What type of assessment primarily provides ongoing feedback to support student learning throughout the educational process?

Formative assessment is designed to provide ongoing feedback to both students and educators throughout the learning process. Its primary purpose is to monitor student learning and provide insights that can help improve teaching and learning. This type of assessment occurs during the learning process, allowing teachers to identify areas where students may be struggling and adjust their instruction accordingly. Examples of formative assessments include quizzes, classroom discussions, observations, and informal assessments.

This continuous feedback loop helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to take charge of their own learning. It encourages a growth mindset, where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities, essential for fostering an effective educational experience.

In contrast, diagnostic assessments are typically administered before instruction to identify students' knowledge and skills, summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit, and standardized tests are formal assessments used to measure student performance against a standard. Each of these types serves distinct purposes, but only formative assessments focus on ongoing feedback during the learning process, making it the correct answer for the question posed.