Authentic assessment

Authentic Assessment: Meaning,
Characteristics and Practices
Chapter 2
Pages 15-23
Ryan Chris C. Handugan | paf630@gmail.com

Authentic Assessment
Both assessment and evaluation are based on the judgement of an experienced, thought
human being – an expert. Machines don’t assess, papers don’t assess, tests don’t assess.
Humans assess. And what better person is there to assess the progress and development of his
or her students than the classroom teachers.
Larry Malone
Lawrence Hall of Science,
University of California,
Berkeley

At times they are used interchangeably, it will be useful to clarify their meaning
to distinguish them from one another.
Authentic Assessment

What is Assessment?
Assessment - process of gathering data and information about what students
know and can do.
- may be sourced through observation of students during their learning
activities, examining the results of their learning activities or testing their
knowledge and skills.
Through assessment, the teacher can find out what students are learning.

What is Evaluation?
Evaluation - involves the task of interpreting, forming conclusions and
making judgments about the information which was gathered in the process of
assessment.
The data gathered by assessment are neither useful nor useless but they reflect
the learning process. Such information becomes meaningful only when they are
processed and interpreted as to how well the students are attaining their desired
competencies.

What is Testing?
Testing - is an instrument of assessment. A test is an assessment tool that
reflects the records of students’ learning outcomes.

What are Marks?
Marks are reports of the results of evaluating information obtained in the
assessment process. Marks have certain components related to the learning
activities undertaken by the students.

What are Marks?
Examples of such companions are:
20%for class participation
10%for completed assignments
20%for quizzes
30%for submitted reports
20%for oral presentation of completed project
-------------------------------------------------------------------
100% TOTAL

Assessment
• Assessment involves review of evidence of learning such as journal entries,
written work, portfolios, skill demonstrations, performance in learning
activities, test results and rubrics ratings which cover a period of time and
should reveal the progress of students in competencies.
• Evaluation on the other hand occurs when a mark or grade is assigned after
a quiz, a presentation or completed task.

Assessment

Assessment
In recent years, higher education institutions in the Philippines have joined
in the international focus on the need to include in the teaching – learning
process the assessment and documentation of the student learning outcomes.
This focus is in recognition of the importance of information on learning
outcomes in the improvement of the educational experiences that colleges and
universities offer.

Why Authentic Assessment?
The common practice of using recall and recognition objective the skills
and knowledge they have mastered.” – Richard Striggins (1987)
“Authentic assessments are products and/or performances correlated with
real life experiences”. – Newton Public Schools
Other names for authentic assessment are performance assessment,
alternative assessment, and direct assessment.

Characteristics of Authentic Assessment (AA)
1. AA starts with clear and definite criteria of performance made known to
the students.
2. AA is criterion – referenced rather than norm – referenced and so it
identifies strengths and weaknesses, but does not compare students nor
rank their levels of performance.
3. AA requires students to make their own answers to questions rather than
select from given options as in multiple choice items, and requires them to
use a range of higher order thinking skills (HOTS).

4. AA often emphasizes performance and therefore students are required to
demonstrate their knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate
situations. AA does not rely on ability to recall facts or memorize details,
instead students are asked to demonstrate skills and concepts they have
learned.
5. AA encourages both teacher and students to determine their rate of
progress in cooperatively attaining the desired student learning outcomes.

6. AA does not encourage rote learning and passive taking of tests; instead,
students are required to demonstrate analytical skills, ability to integrate
what they learn, creativity, and ability to work in a group, skills in oral and
written communications. In brief, AA values not only the finished products
which are learning outcomes, but also the process of learning.

7. AA changes the role of students as passive test takers into becoming active
and involved participants in assessment activities that emphasize what they
are capable of doing instead tests to measure students’ skills or retained
facts has come under scrutiny because of the limitation encountered in
determining the students’ capability to utilize their knowledge and skills in
work and professional practice. A best, these tests are able to give a “snap
shot” of the students’ ability to recall facts and information at a given time
but fail to provide a “moving picture” of how they will perform in real-
world situations which exist in the workplace.

• While multiple choice, true – false or matching tests can be indicators of
academic achievement, teachers and students are often misled by the results
of these tests on the kind of academic work and activities that need to be
mastered.
• When students complete high school studies or even college degree, they are
expected to be able to live in the outside world armed with skills that comply
with certain standards.

What is Authentic Assessment?
Here are some definitions:
“A form of assessment in which students are
asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate
meaningful application of essential knowledge and
skills…” – Jon Mueller (2011)

“…Engaging and worthy problems or questions
of importance, in which students must use
knowledge to fashion performances effectively and
creatively. Task are either replicas of or analogous to
the kind of problems faced by adult citizens and
consumers or professionals in the field.”
– Grant Wiggins (1987)

“Performance (authentic) assessments call
upon the examinee to demonstrate specific
skills and competencies; that is, to apply of
their weaknesses. This results is diminished
fear of tests and improvement of self-
esteem.”

From teacher – centered activities, AA encourages
a learner – centered class where the teacher’s major
role is to help students accept responsibility for their
learning and become self – evaluators. The teacher
designs activities and evaluates results which provide
information needed for monitoring students’ progress
and evaluating the teacher’s instructional strategies.

Phases of Authentic Assessment
• Purpose? - to improve student learning
• Evidence of student performance through:
• “Closing the loop” encourages the use of assessment results for further
improvement.
• written works,
• journal entries,
• oral presentations,
• research paper results,
• essays,
• story writing, and
• examination results.

In general, outcome assessment goes through five (5) phases:
1. Identifying the most important knowledge and skills that students should
be able to demonstrate as a result of their learning activities.
2. Determining the criteria and standards of outcomes’ performance and the
acceptable evidence that may be presented as proof of outcomes’
attainment.
3. Implementation of the supporting activities that will facilitate the
attainment of the desired student learning outcomes.

In general, outcome assessment goes through five (5) phases:
4. Measuring the extent at which the students are attaining the desired
learning outcomes.
5. Interpreting the assessment results and evaluating whether they indicate
attainment of the desired outcomes and utilizing them for continuous
improvement.

“Closing the Loop” is demonstrated in a diagram of these phases adopted
from Jon Muellers (2011) of North Central College, Nashville, Illinois. Both
assessment and evaluation are based on the judgement of an experienced,
thoughtful human being the classroom teacher.

Examples of Authentic Assessment Activities
1. Doing science experiments
2. Conducting social science field
research
3. Writing stories and reports
4. Reading and interpreting literary
pieces
5. Solving mathematical problems that
have real-world implications
6. Performing particular
skills/competencies
7. Simulation or role playing
8. Exhibiting and displaying completed
works
9. Submitting portfolios
10. Submitting original creative
projects

How does Authentic Assessment Differ from
Traditional Assessment (TA)
Traditional Assessment - commonly associated with pre-determined choice
measures of assessment such as multiple choice tasks, fill-in-the-blanks, true –
false, matching type and others. Students typically recall or select the answers.

Essentially, TA springs from the educational philosophy which involves the following
principles and practices:
1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens;
2. To be a useful citizen, one must possess a certain body of knowledge and skills;
3. The school is entrusted to teach this body of knowledge and skills;
4. To determine if the students have acquired these knowledge and skills, the school
must test the students on these knowledge and skills.

Authentic Assessment, on the other hand is grounded on the following
1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens;
2. To be a useful citizen, one has to be capable of performing useful tasks in
the real –world;

Authentic Assessment, on the other hand is grounded on the following
3. The school’s duty is to help students develop proficiency in performing the
tasks that they will required to perform after graduation in the work place;
4. The school must then require students to perform tasks that duplicate or
imitate real-world situations.

The Table below illustrates the basic differences between traditional assessment
and authentic assessment.
Attributes Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment
1. Action / options Selecting a response Performing a task
2. Setting Contrived / imagined Simulation / Real – Life
3. Method Recall / recognition Construction / applications
4. Focus Teacher / structured Student – structured
5. Outcome Indirect evidence Direct evidence

Authentic Assessment Complements
Traditional Assessment
In conclusion, teachers do not have to select
between authentic assessment and traditional
assessment. Mastery of knowledge and skills which
is the focus of traditional assessment must be
encourage among the students to form the
foundation on which will be built the activities that
will require students to demonstrate and perform
the tasks that they are expected to perform in the
real world.

Authentic assessment

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