What distinguishes dynamic assessment from formal assessments?

• A. It measures only vocabulary exposure and does not assess learning.
• B. It assesses a child’s ability to learn vocabulary given exposure and opportunity, whereas formal assessments measure exposure to vocabulary.
• C. It relies exclusively on standardized norm-referenced scores.
• D. It cannot be used with culturally diverse populations.

Answer: (B)

Dynamic assessment looks at how well a child can learn new vocabulary when given exposure, prompts, and guided support. It measures learning potential by testing under conditions where instruction is provided and the child’s response to that support is observed. Formal assessments, in contrast, measure what the child already knows or can demonstrate without instructional help, essentially capturing current knowledge rather than how easily the child can learn with guidance. So, the defining difference is the focus on learning ability with exposure and opportunity versus simply measuring vocabulary exposure or existing knowledge. This is why the correct option describes dynamic assessment as assessing the learner’s potential to acquire new vocabulary given support, while formal assessments measure exposure or current mastery.