Authentic assessment

{{Short description|Measurement of "intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful"}}

Authentic assessment is the measurement of "intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful"Wehlage, Newmann, & Secada, 1996, p. 23[http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/METT/2006/Performance-Based%20Pedagogy%20Assessment%20of%20Teacher%20Candidates%20.pdf#search=%22terry%20bergeson%20reasoning%20rs%22 Performance-Based Pedagogy Assessment of Teacher Candidates] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830001238/http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/METT/2006/Performance-Based%20Pedagogy%20Assessment%20of%20Teacher%20Candidates%20.pdf#search=%22terry%20bergeson%20reasoning%20rs%22 |date=August 30, 2006 }}, Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, June 2004 Authentic assessment can be devised by the teacher, or in collaboration with the student by engaging student voice. When applying authentic assessment to student learning and achievement, a teacher applies criteria related to “construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and the value of achievement beyond the school.” {{cite journal|author1=Scheurman, Geoffrey |author2=Fred M. Newman|title=Authentic Intellectual Work in Social Studies: Putting Performance before Pedagogy|journal=Social Education|volume=62|date=January 1, 1998|issue=1|pages=23–25}}

Authentic assessment tends to focus on contextualised tasks, enabling students to demonstrate their competency in a more 'authentic' setting. According to Meg Ormiston, "Authentic learning mirrors the tasks and problem solving that are required in the reality outside of school."{{cite book |author1=Ormiston, Meg |title=Creating a Digital-Rich Classroom: Teaching & Learning in a Web 2.0 World |date=2011 |publisher=Solution Tree Press |location=Bloomington, IN |isbn=978-1-935249-87-0 |pages=2–3 |url=https://www.solutiontree.com/creating-a-digital-rich-classroom.html}}

This framework for assessment begins the same way curriculum design begins, with the question: What should students be able to do?{{cite web|last=Mueller|first=Jon|title=How Do You Create Authentic Assessments?|url=http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/howdoyoudoit.htm|accessdate=6 March 2013}} Once the instructor answers that question, they can then devise a rubric to evaluate how well a student demonstrates the ability to complete the task. Because most authentic assessments require a judgement of the degree of quality, they tend toward the subjective end of the assessment scale. Rubrics are an "attempt to make subjective measurements as objective, clear, consistent, and as defensible as possible by explicitly defining the criteria on which performance or achievement should be judged."{{cite web|title=A Rubric - by any other name? |url=http://www.morningside.edu/academics/research/assessment/documents/ARubricbyanyothername.pdf |work=morningside.edu/ |accessdate=6 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529234906/http://www.morningside.edu/academics/research/assessment/documents/ARubricbyanyothername.pdf |archivedate=29 May 2010 }}

Examples

Examples of authentic assessment categories include:

performance of the skills, or demonstrating use of a particular knowledge
simulations and role plays
renewable assignments, where a student adds value to a topic and makes this visible on Wikipedia and licenses the work openly
studio portfolios, strategically selecting items

File:Alexanderwerk kitchen scale 1910-1920 sm.jpg

Specific examples include:

determining whether students can add up prices by having them add up the money spent by their own families on groceries that week
determining whether nursing students can place IV lines by watching them place IV lines
determining whether future drivers can safely drive a car by giving them a practical driving test

Authentic vs. traditional

Traditionally, assessment follows curriculum. Authentic assessment is an example of "backwards design" because the curriculum follows from the assessment.{{cite web|last=Mueller|first=Jon|title=Traditional Assessment vs. Authentic Assessment|url=http://www.cssvt.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Traditional-vs-Authentic-Assessment.pdf|work=Jon Mueller’s Authentic Assessment Toolbox|publisher=cssvt.org|accessdate=18 March 2013}}

Case studies

One case study was presented by Edutopia's Schools That Work series on New York based institution, School of the Future. This school stresses the process of authentically assessing students rather than focusing solely on test results or term papers.{{Cite web|url=http://www.edutopia.org/stw-assessment-school-of-the-future|title = How the School of the Future Got It Right}} The school measures the full range of student ability through formative assessments, presentations, exhibitions, and tests that focus on authentic tasks to assess students' skills and knowledge as they relate to real-world endeavors and skills such as effective group communication and presentation. 98% of students at this school go on to college after graduating.{{cite web |url=http://www.edutopia.org/stw-assessment |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217195736/http://www.edutopia.org/stw-assessment |archive-date=2011-02-17 |title=Comprehensive Assessment: A New York City Success Story {{!}} Edutopia}}

Classroom implementation

Teachers from The School of The Future in New York utilize authentic assessment in their school and recommend that other teachers can do the same by following the guidelines outlined below:

Write the assessment before the lesson plan
Outline learning standards on rubrics to help to ensure rigor
Use quick in-class assessments without warning or scaffolding to assess student understanding and inform teaching
Ask students to reflect and assess themselves
Use online or traditional tools to track a student’s work quality over time{{cite web |url=http://www.edutopia.org/stw-assessment-ten-lessons-get-started |title=Ten Takeaway Tips for Using Authentic Assessment in Your School {{!}} Edutopia |website=www.edutopia.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305114602/http://www.edutopia.org/stw-assessment-ten-lessons-get-started |archive-date=2011-03-05}}

Goals

A goal of authentic assessment is to determine if student knowledge can be applied outside of the classroom. This means that a physics assessment should involve doing physics by performing experiments and solving problems the same way that a real-life physicist would. An authentic history assessment requires students to ask questions, do independent research, and formulate answers to their questions, just like a real-life historian does. Authentic assessment:

engages students and is based in content or media in which the students actually have a genuine interest.
asks students to synthesize information and use critical-thinking skills.
is a learning experience in and of itself.
measures not just what students remember but how they think.
helps students understand where they are academically and helps teachers know how to best teach them.

References

External links

[https://authenticassessmentmatters.com Authentic Assessment Matters]
[http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox Authentic Assessment Toolbox]
[http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm What is Authentic Assessment]
[http://authenticassessment.wordpress.com Authentic Assessment blog]
[http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/archives/assmt/resource.htm Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment]

Category:Standardized tests

Category:Education reform

Category:Applied learning