"An approximate answer to the right question is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to an approximate question." - J. W. Tukey
What is "Authentic" Assessment?
The purpose of authentic assessment is to evaluate students' abilities in 'real-world' contexts; students learn how to apply their skills to authentic tasks and projects, instead of rote learning and multiple choice tests. Authentic assessment is focused on students' analytical skills; ability to incorporate what they learn; creativity; ability to work collaboratively; and written and oral expression skills. Authentic assessment utilizes performance samples – learning activities that encourage students to use higher-order thinking skills. It emphasizes the learning process as much as the finished product. (Teaching Methods and Management, 2000-2013)
It is important that authentic assessment is on-going. The "snapshots" of what the student can do should be done as the students are learning, not just at the end of the unit. When a teacher is continually checking on a student, they are able to give immediate feedback, make proper adaptations and interventions and save time at the end of a unit. How ineffective it would be for someone to hand us a gargantuan novel, leave us for days expecting we could read and report on it, only to return to find we hadn't been able to understand the first page and just sat there for the majority of the time with nothing to show for the time. As teachers, we have to ask ourselves how often we have put our students in a similar situation. Authentic and continual assessment moves to eliminate that form of unhelpful assessment.
As teachers we also recognize that we have no extra time in the classroom, so often we bristle at the latest "fad" of education and dismiss it. Wait. Authentic Assessment also helps us put the correction back into the hands of the students. Dr. Rick Freeze spoke in his lectures of 2013 on how we can quickly see if a student is making a mistake by analyzing the pattern, pointing it out for the student and asking them to go and correct the subsequent mistakes. Why would wait until the end of a unit to give feedback? Why would we wait for weeks before making adaptations or clarifications for a student? Why would we allow a student to make the same mistakes over a long period of time, reinforcing the incorrect information instead of guiding them back to the proper technique right away? We don't have the time or the energy to continue assessment in the traditional ways and our students can't afford to miss any more opportunities for growth in the classroom.
You can read or view more information about authentic assessment by watching the video and clicking the links on the green buttons below.
It is important that authentic assessment is on-going. The "snapshots" of what the student can do should be done as the students are learning, not just at the end of the unit. When a teacher is continually checking on a student, they are able to give immediate feedback, make proper adaptations and interventions and save time at the end of a unit. How ineffective it would be for someone to hand us a gargantuan novel, leave us for days expecting we could read and report on it, only to return to find we hadn't been able to understand the first page and just sat there for the majority of the time with nothing to show for the time. As teachers, we have to ask ourselves how often we have put our students in a similar situation. Authentic and continual assessment moves to eliminate that form of unhelpful assessment.
As teachers we also recognize that we have no extra time in the classroom, so often we bristle at the latest "fad" of education and dismiss it. Wait. Authentic Assessment also helps us put the correction back into the hands of the students. Dr. Rick Freeze spoke in his lectures of 2013 on how we can quickly see if a student is making a mistake by analyzing the pattern, pointing it out for the student and asking them to go and correct the subsequent mistakes. Why would wait until the end of a unit to give feedback? Why would we wait for weeks before making adaptations or clarifications for a student? Why would we allow a student to make the same mistakes over a long period of time, reinforcing the incorrect information instead of guiding them back to the proper technique right away? We don't have the time or the energy to continue assessment in the traditional ways and our students can't afford to miss any more opportunities for growth in the classroom.
You can read or view more information about authentic assessment by watching the video and clicking the links on the green buttons below.
Authentic Assessment Video
This short video clip is about the “School of the Future” in New York City. This progressive school prides itself on its use of authentic assessment. Authentic assessments include the kind of work that could actually prepare you for a job later in life. For example, a science assignment should include an experiment or type of work that a scientist would actually do.
Three key elements of authentic assessment include:
- Tasks that are meaningful and relevant to real life
- Assignments that the student and teacher actually care about and find engaging and interesting
- Projects that involve critical thinking
Steps for planning authentic assessments:
- Backwards Design or planning with the end in mind, “What do they need to know?”
- Think to yourself (and your teaching team) “How will I know that they’ve got it?”
- Plan efficient and targeted tasks
- Design major assessments first, then intermediate assessments and then the activities that go along with the concept that you want your students to learn
- Create and use whatever assessment tools work best for you and your students
Three key elements of authentic assessment include:
- Tasks that are meaningful and relevant to real life
- Assignments that the student and teacher actually care about and find engaging and interesting
- Projects that involve critical thinking
Steps for planning authentic assessments:
- Backwards Design or planning with the end in mind, “What do they need to know?”
- Think to yourself (and your teaching team) “How will I know that they’ve got it?”
- Plan efficient and targeted tasks
- Design major assessments first, then intermediate assessments and then the activities that go along with the concept that you want your students to learn
- Create and use whatever assessment tools work best for you and your students
Authentic Assessment Toolbox
What do we truly mean when we use the words Authentic Assessment? How do we know that our assessment really is authentic? These are questions teachers ask themselves with every lesson they teach, and every paper they grade. The purpose of us assessing our students is to find out what they know, which simultaneously tells us what they still need to learn. This seems like an ancient piece of information. What is not ancient however is that teachers repeatedly use test as the only form of assessment. This is why we now have a shift from traditional assessments of tests and student recall, to authentic assessment. The way we assess our students should be real and a true reflection of their knowledge. Giving every student in the class the same test where they are expected to answer each question in the order that it was taught is not authentic assessment. Having a relaxed atmosphere which allows for class discussions and student demonstrations of their knowledge is definitely authentic assessment. Through co-teaching we are able to do just that. Having two teachers working together to assess a class of students opens the door to various strategies of assessment. One of the benefits of having two teachers in the room is that one could lead a discussion with a smaller group while the other teacher leads a side activity. The class could be divided in half, or it might be a whole class discussion of the knowledge learned. One teacher might choose to have the students demonstrate their understanding of a concept, while the other might ask them to use words to explain their thinking. This type of assessment environment benefits both the teacher and the students greatly. It allows the students to be more relaxed and feel in control when being able to prove what they know using a method which works best for them. Co-teaching allows for greater opportunities for authentic assessment. The added benefit of having five different models of co-teaching allows for even more opportunities to reach more students.
The preceding site is a collection off assessment strategies and samples from Alaska’s Department of Education & Early Development. It is broken up into twelve sections of similar assessment strategies and samples. The first section is on graphic organizers. Graphic organizers are extremely versatile, and help students to organize thoughts, activate knowledge, link concepts, see visual comparisons and discover what more they need to know. They also allow teachers to assess student knowledge and correct any misconceptions.
The second section deals with interviews. Interviews are an excellent way to gather information, and allow students to practice their speech. Through observations and questions students can gather a multiplicity of information from an endless variety of people. It is a good idea to pre-teach the journalistic questions before interviews take place, but explain to students that the list of possible questions is endless.
The third section is more of a multimedia observation assessment section. It deals with anecdotal notes, video, audio and photos. Indeed, it seems with technology every year there are more ways to assess our students. It is a good idea to use a variety of these, and students absolutely love them. Students simply adore technology, and allowing them to use it in the classroom is always a hit.
Performance tasks are learning activities which may vary in length from on demand tasks all the way up to projects. They are assessed according to a specific set of criteria, and if the criteria are not simple it is always good to include a rubric.
Some students simply excel at the arts, and teachers do not give those sufficient ways to display their proficiency. The section on creative performances and exhibitions provide many strategies such as dance and plays that will allow even the most artistic students to flourish. Many of these strategies also allow for the usage of many of our multiple intelligences such as musical, kinesthetic and artistic. If we are proponents of Universal Design for Learning, we should provide students with many of these options.
Self and peer-evaluations are very difficult for some students. Be sure to do plenty of modeling in this area, and try to use rubrics and clear assessment criteria. Some students may be very self-conscious and not want to be judged by their peers. Often a formative rather than summative evaluation is best. It is very beneficial for students of all ages to be self aware and reflective.
Journals and writing logs are continuous documents of students’ progress in a class. These are often casually graded so that students can freely explain thoughts, ideas, questions and problems without being encumbered by grammar worries. They can provide a lot of insight for teachers thus allowing them to assess their own teaching methods. These are especially good and inclusive for special education student’s because of their relaxed scrutiny and non-rushed format.
Familiar assessment tools are also discussed. They are named so because of their age old formats such as essays multiple choice and true/false questions and other tests that basically measure students’ recall proficiency. Many students hate these and they can elicit endless anxiety. When creating these tests it is good to have some test making skills, and keep in mind, you are only measuring a student’s knowledge at that precise moment.
Portfolios are an excellent means of assessment. They allow students to display their diverse learning styles and products. Teachers and students are able to see students’ progress and efforts. Students should pick a selection of their best work and include a justification for its choice. It can be a very rewarding endeavor filling everyone with a great sense of pride.
The above were just some of the assessment strategies and samples from Alaska’s Department of Education & Early Development. For a more in depth look accompanied by examples, please follow the link to enjoy and learn.
The second section deals with interviews. Interviews are an excellent way to gather information, and allow students to practice their speech. Through observations and questions students can gather a multiplicity of information from an endless variety of people. It is a good idea to pre-teach the journalistic questions before interviews take place, but explain to students that the list of possible questions is endless.
The third section is more of a multimedia observation assessment section. It deals with anecdotal notes, video, audio and photos. Indeed, it seems with technology every year there are more ways to assess our students. It is a good idea to use a variety of these, and students absolutely love them. Students simply adore technology, and allowing them to use it in the classroom is always a hit.
Performance tasks are learning activities which may vary in length from on demand tasks all the way up to projects. They are assessed according to a specific set of criteria, and if the criteria are not simple it is always good to include a rubric.
Some students simply excel at the arts, and teachers do not give those sufficient ways to display their proficiency. The section on creative performances and exhibitions provide many strategies such as dance and plays that will allow even the most artistic students to flourish. Many of these strategies also allow for the usage of many of our multiple intelligences such as musical, kinesthetic and artistic. If we are proponents of Universal Design for Learning, we should provide students with many of these options.
Self and peer-evaluations are very difficult for some students. Be sure to do plenty of modeling in this area, and try to use rubrics and clear assessment criteria. Some students may be very self-conscious and not want to be judged by their peers. Often a formative rather than summative evaluation is best. It is very beneficial for students of all ages to be self aware and reflective.
Journals and writing logs are continuous documents of students’ progress in a class. These are often casually graded so that students can freely explain thoughts, ideas, questions and problems without being encumbered by grammar worries. They can provide a lot of insight for teachers thus allowing them to assess their own teaching methods. These are especially good and inclusive for special education student’s because of their relaxed scrutiny and non-rushed format.
Familiar assessment tools are also discussed. They are named so because of their age old formats such as essays multiple choice and true/false questions and other tests that basically measure students’ recall proficiency. Many students hate these and they can elicit endless anxiety. When creating these tests it is good to have some test making skills, and keep in mind, you are only measuring a student’s knowledge at that precise moment.
Portfolios are an excellent means of assessment. They allow students to display their diverse learning styles and products. Teachers and students are able to see students’ progress and efforts. Students should pick a selection of their best work and include a justification for its choice. It can be a very rewarding endeavor filling everyone with a great sense of pride.
The above were just some of the assessment strategies and samples from Alaska’s Department of Education & Early Development. For a more in depth look accompanied by examples, please follow the link to enjoy and learn.
Authentic Assessment at the University Level
This article is a question and answer debate about authentic assessment at the university level. Authentic assessment happens least at the university level, even though this is the time when students are either already in or will soon be entering the workforce. It seems ironic that while universities profess authentic assessment, they do not often practice real life, ongoing assessments. The comments section of the article has arguments for both sides.