Which assessment method is designed to predict future performance based on current progress?

The correct choice, which is benchmark assessment, is specifically designed to evaluate students' progress at specific points throughout the school year to determine how well they are meeting educational standards. These assessments allow educators to gauge students' current performance in relation to expected outcomes, enabling prediction of future academic success. By comparing results against established benchmarks, teachers can identify areas where students are excelling or struggling, which helps inform instruction and guide interventions.

Formative assessments, on the other hand, provide ongoing feedback during the learning process and are typically used to adjust teaching strategies but do not necessarily focus on predicting future performance based on a benchmark. Summative assessments take place at the end of an instructional period to evaluate overall learning and mastery of content; they do not focus on progress to forecast future outcomes. Authentic assessments provide evaluation through real-world tasks and performances but also do not primarily aim to predict future performance based on current progress. Therefore, benchmark assessments uniquely serve the purpose of forecasting future academic achievement based on current progress against defined standards.