What type of assessment allows teachers to make informed interventions based on students' vocabulary use in writing?

Informal assessments are particularly effective for gauging students' vocabulary use in writing because they provide ongoing, observational insight into a student’s progress and understanding. Unlike standardized assessments, which often measure a fixed set of criteria and can lack the nuance needed for individual student analysis, informal assessments deliver specific information that is tailored to the context of the student’s writing.

By engaging in methods such as anecdotal records, checklists, or rubrics that analyze vocabulary within students' written work, teachers can closely observe how students employ vocabulary in their compositions. This approach allows for a more detailed understanding of a student’s strengths and areas for improvement. Consequently, teachers can make informed decisions about targeted interventions or strategies that could enhance vocabulary acquisition and usage in writing.

With informal assessments, educators can easily adapt their teaching strategies based on the immediate feedback they gather from the student's performance, making this type of assessment a dynamic and responsive tool for improving literacy skills.