Which method effectively assesses students' knowledge retention over time?

Longitudinal assessments are effective in evaluating students' knowledge retention over time because they involve multiple evaluations spread over an extended period. This approach allows educators to track students' progress and understanding as they learn and develop their skills. By revisiting concepts at various intervals, longitudinal assessments can reveal how well students retain information and apply it in different contexts, providing insights into their long-term learning and memory retention.

In contrast, final exams typically assess knowledge at a single point in time, which may not provide a comprehensive view of retention or understanding over a longer term. Group projects can facilitate collaboration and application of knowledge but may not directly measure individual students' retention of material. Quizzes, while helpful for immediate feedback on understanding, usually focus on short-term recall rather than long-term retention patterns. Thus, longitudinal assessments are the most suited for gauging how much knowledge students retain over time.