What technique can be utilized to assess a student's comprehension of a text?

The technique of retelling or summarizing a passage read is a highly effective method for assessing a student's comprehension of a text because it requires the student to process the information and articulate their understanding in their own words. This process goes beyond mere recall of facts; it demonstrates the student's ability to identify key ideas, themes, and relationships within the text. When students summarize, they have to sift through the content, discern what is most important, and express it concisely, which indicates a deeper level of comprehension.

In contrast, reading the text aloud primarily serves as a strategy to aid fluency and may not provide insight into a student's understanding of the material. Multiple choice questions, while useful in some contexts, can sometimes encourage guessing rather than a true demonstration of comprehension. Listening to audio recordings can enhance exposure to the text but does not actively engage the student in a way that would assess their understanding of the content. Retelling or summarizing thus stands out as the technique that directly evaluates comprehension.