What is a key characteristic of summative assessments?

Summative assessments are designed to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit or period. This type of assessment serves as a means to determine if students have grasped the knowledge and skills intended in the curriculum. It is typically used to measure outcomes such as mastery of subjects, overall program effectiveness, and student performance against standards or benchmarks. By assessing the students' learning after instruction, educators can analyze the effectiveness of their teaching and the curriculum as a whole.

The first option describes assessments that occur before instruction, which are more diagnostic in nature and not typical of summative assessments. The third option focuses on ongoing feedback, which relates to formative assessments that occur during the learning process rather than at its conclusion. The fourth option involving peer evaluations does not align with the purpose and characteristics of summative assessments, which generally rely on structured tests or formal evaluations by the instructor rather than student-led assessments. Thus, the defining feature of summative assessments is their function to provide a conclusive evaluation of learning outcomes after instruction has been completed.