Which component of evaluation focuses on objectives and is used to guide learning outcomes?

• A. Prescriptive, formative, summative
• B. Formal, informal, diagnostic
• C. Criterion-referenced, norm-referenced
• D. Attendance, certification, hours

Answer: (A)

Evaluation components that tie directly to learning outcomes involve planning, guiding, and confirming what learners should achieve. Prescriptive evaluation sets the objectives and the path learners should follow, while formative evaluation provides ongoing feedback to steer instruction toward those objectives, and summative evaluation determines whether the objectives were met at the end. This combination ensures the learning process stays aligned with the intended outcomes and measurements. The other groupings describe how assessment is delivered (formal vs informal vs diagnostic) or how results are interpreted (criterion- vs norm-referenced) rather than how the evaluation framework actively guides learning toward specific objectives.