Assessments can be classified in many different ways. The most important distinctions are formative and summative. Formative assessment is generally carried out throughout a course. A common form of formative assessment is diagnostic assessment. Formative assessment, also referred to as educative assessment, is used to aid learning. In an educational setting, formative assessment might be a teacher or the learner, providing feedback on a student's work. Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of a course or project. In an educational setting, summative assessments are typically used to assign students a course grade.