Formative assessment is a range of informal assessment methods used by teachers during instruction to provide feedback and modify their teaching to improve student learning. It involves qualitative feedback rather than scores and focuses on content mastery and performance. Examples of formative assessment include observations, questioning, discussions, graphic organizers, kinesthetic assessments, and constructive quizzes to identify gaps in understanding and inform instruction. Faculty use formative evaluation to identify differences between what students know and expected learning objectives, then provide feedback to help close these gaps before high-stakes assessments.