What type of assessment measures a student's understanding at the end of a unit or course?

The type of assessment that measures a student's understanding at the end of a unit or course is known as summative assessment. This kind of evaluation is conducted after instruction has been completed, allowing educators to determine how much students have learned and retained from the entire course or a specific unit. Summative assessments typically include final exams, projects, or standardized tests that collectively provide a comprehensive overview of a student's knowledge, skills, and overall performance.

Summative assessments are crucial in an educational context because they help educators identify areas of strength and weakness in students' understanding, enabling effective curriculum evaluation and potential instructional adjustments for future classes. This contrasts with formative assessments, which occur during the learning process and aim to monitor student progress and inform instruction, while observational assessments involve watching and recording student behavior and engagement. Diagnostic assessments are designed to identify students' existing knowledge and skills before instruction begins, rather than measuring learning outcomes after the fact.