Uni Works 5 | - Freelance Writer
Sep 04, 2019 | #1
Authentic assessment involves giving students tasks through which they can show how much they have learned. These tasks directly relate to the objectives they have completed. For example, in a history unit on primary and secondary sources, rather than answering multiple choice questions about sources we have already looked at in class, a student would be asked to look at new document, determining whether or not it was a primary source and conducting analysis of how the document could be useful for historians. Authentic assessment gives students more practice problem solving and requires them to be able to actually do things, not just to answer questions about how they would complete these tasks. While conventional tests have one correct answer per question, authentic assessment asks students to look at shades of gray, requiring them to discuss, analyze, reflect on, and write about things in a deeper way than a simple pencil and paper test can usually do.
Authentic assessments are graded with the help of a rubric, which allows students to get points for the strengths that they display, while also allowing the teacher room to determine what the priorities of the assessment should be. Finally, authentic assessments are gathered together in a portfolio, which allows parent, teacher, and student alike to see what progress has been made over the course of a semester or year by comparing the evidence of thought and skills that the student is showing in each piece of work that he or she does.
One example of authentic assessment would be to have students participate in a simulated Constitutional Convention after learning about the various attendees and their concerns. Each student would be assigned to research and to then represent one of the signers of the constitution, and he or she would need to find out what that particular person's concerns were and to express them to the group. This assessment would be graded based on students' participation, evidence of their research, which they would turn in separately, and a reflective assignment they would write afterwards about the simulation experience (discussing any frustrations that came up, how they worked to compromise, and how this relates to the founding fathers' struggles.) This assessment would give students a chance to research, an important skill in later schooling, to synthesize the information they learn, and to engage in problem-solving and discussion on contentious topics with a group. All of these are important academic and life skills, and at the same time the students would also be having a chance to demonstrate their learning about what took place at the Constitutional Convention. This assessment gives students a chance to share their knowledge, but also a valuable experience. Furthermore, the reflective writing component at the end, according to Paris and Ayres (1994) is a positive classroom practice more teachers should use. According to their research, students who reflect on their own learning are more motivated to improve and more likely to become life-long learners who see school and learning in a positive light.
Authentic assessment is different from traditional assessment in that it asks students to do things that they will have to do in the real world to demonstrate learning. Students need not just to regurgitate their knowledge, but to use it to complete tasks that have been designed for them. While on a test, a student might need to identify which of several sentences has a grammatical error, having the same student edit a piece of writing without multiple choice gives a much better idea of what they have actually learned. This takes place for two reasons: first of all, the student does not have the chance of getting something right by guessing or using process of elimination, as is possible in a traditional multiple choice exam. Furthermore, the student is performing a task that they will likely have to do in the real world. The task asks them not just to recognize mistakes, but to apply their knowledge of grammar to fix these mistakes. Thus, it involves more complex cognition than a multiple choice test, and does a better job testing how students can actually employ their skills. This is the major difference between the two types of assessments: authentic assessment asks students to apply skills and demonstrate their ability to do what the standard being tested calls for. Traditional assessment, most of the time, is just asking them to find the correct answers to questions about what they are expected to be able to do.
Along with making for students who are more reflective and can monitor their own learning, authentic assessment has other advantages as well. According to Juniewicz, the use of portfolios for assessment allows students, teachers, and parents to track progress and to zero in on things that really need to be improved for individual students. For example, one student may need to improve adjective use in his or her writing, and this can be noted and worked on over the course of several written assessments that are simultaneously testing learned standards. The student gets practice at something he or she needs to improve while still being tested on other things. According to Andrade and Boulay (2003), students who use rubrics and assess, reread, and edit their writing (which can be part of an authentic assessment graded by the teacher) produce better written product. Ultimately, authentic assessment gives students a chance to hone their skills and to show what they know in a way that mirrors what they actually need to do in real life with what they have learned. It makes students more motivated and challenges them better. It is truly the best way to assess.
References
Andrade, H.G. & Boulay, B.A. Role of rubric-referenced self-assessment in learning to write. The Journal of Educational Research 97(1) 21-34.
Juniewicz, K. (2003) Student portfolios with a purpose. The Clearing House 77(2) 73-77.
Paris, S.G. & Ayres, L.R. (1994) Becoming reflective students and teachers with portfolios and authentic assessment. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Authentic assessments are graded with the help of a rubric, which allows students to get points for the strengths that they display, while also allowing the teacher room to determine what the priorities of the assessment should be. Finally, authentic assessments are gathered together in a portfolio, which allows parent, teacher, and student alike to see what progress has been made over the course of a semester or year by comparing the evidence of thought and skills that the student is showing in each piece of work that he or she does.One example of authentic assessment would be to have students participate in a simulated Constitutional Convention after learning about the various attendees and their concerns. Each student would be assigned to research and to then represent one of the signers of the constitution, and he or she would need to find out what that particular person's concerns were and to express them to the group. This assessment would be graded based on students' participation, evidence of their research, which they would turn in separately, and a reflective assignment they would write afterwards about the simulation experience (discussing any frustrations that came up, how they worked to compromise, and how this relates to the founding fathers' struggles.) This assessment would give students a chance to research, an important skill in later schooling, to synthesize the information they learn, and to engage in problem-solving and discussion on contentious topics with a group. All of these are important academic and life skills, and at the same time the students would also be having a chance to demonstrate their learning about what took place at the Constitutional Convention. This assessment gives students a chance to share their knowledge, but also a valuable experience. Furthermore, the reflective writing component at the end, according to Paris and Ayres (1994) is a positive classroom practice more teachers should use. According to their research, students who reflect on their own learning are more motivated to improve and more likely to become life-long learners who see school and learning in a positive light.
Authentic assessment is different from traditional assessment in that it asks students to do things that they will have to do in the real world to demonstrate learning. Students need not just to regurgitate their knowledge, but to use it to complete tasks that have been designed for them. While on a test, a student might need to identify which of several sentences has a grammatical error, having the same student edit a piece of writing without multiple choice gives a much better idea of what they have actually learned. This takes place for two reasons: first of all, the student does not have the chance of getting something right by guessing or using process of elimination, as is possible in a traditional multiple choice exam. Furthermore, the student is performing a task that they will likely have to do in the real world. The task asks them not just to recognize mistakes, but to apply their knowledge of grammar to fix these mistakes. Thus, it involves more complex cognition than a multiple choice test, and does a better job testing how students can actually employ their skills. This is the major difference between the two types of assessments: authentic assessment asks students to apply skills and demonstrate their ability to do what the standard being tested calls for. Traditional assessment, most of the time, is just asking them to find the correct answers to questions about what they are expected to be able to do.
Along with making for students who are more reflective and can monitor their own learning, authentic assessment has other advantages as well. According to Juniewicz, the use of portfolios for assessment allows students, teachers, and parents to track progress and to zero in on things that really need to be improved for individual students. For example, one student may need to improve adjective use in his or her writing, and this can be noted and worked on over the course of several written assessments that are simultaneously testing learned standards. The student gets practice at something he or she needs to improve while still being tested on other things. According to Andrade and Boulay (2003), students who use rubrics and assess, reread, and edit their writing (which can be part of an authentic assessment graded by the teacher) produce better written product. Ultimately, authentic assessment gives students a chance to hone their skills and to show what they know in a way that mirrors what they actually need to do in real life with what they have learned. It makes students more motivated and challenges them better. It is truly the best way to assess.
References
Andrade, H.G. & Boulay, B.A. Role of rubric-referenced self-assessment in learning to write. The Journal of Educational Research 97(1) 21-34.
Juniewicz, K. (2003) Student portfolios with a purpose. The Clearing House 77(2) 73-77.
Paris, S.G. & Ayres, L.R. (1994) Becoming reflective students and teachers with portfolios and authentic assessment. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.