What type of assessment is used to measure students' understanding of written texts?

The assessment that best measures students' understanding of written texts is the reading comprehension assessment. This type of assessment focuses specifically on the ability of students to understand, interpret, and make connections with texts they have read. It involves evaluating their ability to grasp the main ideas, identify supporting details, infer meaning, and summarize information, which are crucial for developing literacy skills.

Reading comprehension assessments can take various forms, including multiple-choice questions, short answers, or open-ended responses, all aimed at gauging how well students have understood the material. These assessments not only look at the ability to recall facts but also assess higher-order thinking skills that indicate deeper comprehension, such as the ability to analyze characters, themes, and the author's purpose.

In contrast, assessments focused on phonics, grammar, and vocabulary serve different purposes. Phonics assessments evaluate the ability to understand the relationship between letters and sounds. Grammar assessments focus on understanding the structure of sentences and the rules that govern language use. Vocabulary assessments measure the breadth and depth of a student's word knowledge. While these are important components of literacy, they do not directly assess comprehension of written texts in the way that a reading comprehension assessment does.