What type of assessment is being used when a teacher asks a student to identify words starting with the same sound?

The assessment being described, where a teacher asks a student to identify words starting with the same sound, is classified as informal. Informal assessments are generally unstructured and flexible, allowing educators to gather insights into a student's understanding and skills in a natural, conversational manner. This type of assessment is often used for formative purposes, helping teachers to identify students' current levels of knowledge and tailor instruction accordingly.

In this case, the task focuses on phonemic awareness, which is a critical aspect of early literacy development. By asking students to verbalize their understanding of sound patterns, educators can gauge not only their phonetic recognition but also their ability to engage in critical thinking and language processing.

Other types of assessments, such as standardized tests, typically follow a fixed format and are used to compare abilities across larger populations, making them less adaptable to the individual needs of students. Summative assessments, which evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit, do not provide the immediate feedback on student understanding that informal assessments do. Alternative assessments may include various non-traditional methods but are usually more structured than informal assessments.