Which type of testing involves administration following specific guidelines outlined in a manual?

Formal testing is characterized by the administration of assessments that adhere to specific, standardized guidelines and procedures as detailed in a manual. This rigorous approach ensures that the test is administered in a consistent manner, which is crucial for the reliability and validity of the results. Formal tests often include standardized assessments that have been normed on a representative sample, allowing for an accurate comparison of an individual's performance against a defined standard or population.

In the context of multi-sensory structured language education, formal testing can provide valuable data regarding a learner's skills, challenges, and progress in a standardized way, which can be interpreted with confidence due to its adherence to established protocols.

Other testing types, like informal testing, do not follow such strict guidelines and are typically more flexible and adaptable to the individual learner's needs. Curriculum-based testing focuses on assessing progress related to specific educational content rather than standardized national norms, while diagnostic testing is generally aimed at identifying specific learning difficulties without the comprehensive guideline adherence typical of formal testing.