Authentic Assessment: Definition, Methods, and Accuracy

**Authentic Assessment** - assessed in a context that approximates the real world or real life as closely as possible. - models realistic encounters in life in contrast to taking a written test or writing an essay. - "performance assessment" - nontraditional assessment and altern...

**Authentic Assessment** - assessed in a context that approximates the real world or real life as closely as possible. - models realistic encounters in life in contrast to taking a written test or writing an essay. - "performance assessment" - nontraditional assessment and alternative assessment - it offers students more choices than just taking a paperand-pencil test **High Quality Assessment** - provides a result that demonstrate and improve targeted students learning. - balanced to provide instructors with ongoing feedback about student progress. - data gathered from assessment given throughout the learning process give educators the information they need to adjust their instruction. **High Quality Assessment in Retrospect** **PURPOSE** 1. **Assessment FOR Learning (formative)** - to provide students with feedback on how they are going. - to help improve their performance and make their next piece of assessed work better. - teachers use assessment results to inform or adjust their teaching. 2. **Assessment as Learning** - helps students to take more responsibility for their own learning and monitoring future direction. - associated with self-assessment. - assessment by itself is already a form of learning for the students. 3. **Assessment of Learning (summative)** - usually summative and most done at the end of an element of learning - given at the end of a unit, grading period or a term like a semester - It is meant to assess learning for grading purposes **TARGET** 1. **Learning Target** - what students know and able to do. - the teacher wants his/her students to attain or acquire from his/her teaching. - involves knowledge, reasoning, skills, product and affect. - stated in behavioral terms or term which denotes something which can be observed through the behavior of the students. **Five Learning Target** (Stiggins and Conklin, 1992) 1. **Knowledy learning target -** facts and concepts we want students to know 2. **Reasoning learning target -** use their knowledge to reason and solve problems. 3. **Skill learning target -** create achievement-related skills like conducting experiments 4. **Product learning target -** demonstrate achievement-related products such as written report,... 5. **Affetive learning target -** attainment of affective traits such as attitudes, values, interests, and self efficacy. **Cognitive Target** - Benjamin Bloom (1954) proposed a hierarchy of educational objectives at the cognitive level: 1.Knowledge 4. Analysis 2.Comprehension 5. Synthesis 3.Application 6. Evaluation **METHODS** 1. **Written-response instruments** a. b. \- consists of a small number of questions c. 2. **Product rating scales** - used for assessing the performance of tasks, skill levels, procedures, processes,... - similar to checklists except that they indicate the degree of accomplishment rather than just yes or no. - closed-ended survey question used to represent respondent feedback in a comparative form - established question types for online and offline surveys 3. **Performance Test - Performance Checlist** - measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. - The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something,... 4. **Oral Questioning** - appropriate assessment method when the objectives are: a. b. 5. **Observation and Self Reports** - useful supplementary assessment methods - can offset the negative impact on the students brought about by their fears and anxieties during oral questioning or when performing **SAMPLING** 1. **Simple Random Sampling** - from a population in which the selection of the sample unit is based on chance and every element of the population - support to produce representative samples by eliminating voluntary response bias 2. **Systematic Random Sampling** - a list of every member of the population can be created - The sample elements can be randomly selected. - Systematic random sampling is generally different from simple random sampling 3. **Stratified Sampling** - When the population can be divided into several groups based on some characteristics, stratified sampling technique will be the most appropriate method to ensure a representative of each group in the sample. 4. **Cluster Sampling** - When every number of the population is assigned to one and only one group. - Each of the group formed is called a cluster **ACCURACY** 1. **Validity -** is the extent to which a test measures what it purports to measure or as referring to the appropriateness,... - - - 2. **Reliability** - to the consistency of the scores obtained -- how consistent they are... **Reliability and validity** are related concepts. If an instrument is unreliable, it cannot get valid outcomes. As reliability improves, validity may improve (or it may not). **Authentic Assessment** - evaluates whether the student can successfully transfer the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to various contexts,... - grounded in theoretical best practices for teaching and learning **THE NATURE OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT** - **Evaluation process** - **Real-world tasks** - **Realistic, judgment and innovation** - **Students' performance** **CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT** - Authentic assessment simulates real-life situations. - There is no right or wrong answers in authentic assessment. - It requires in-depth creativity and originality. - Authentic assessment methods tailored to one specific and well-defined purpose. - It is complex and action-oriented. - Students get feedback from the instructor at different points as they engage in the tasks. - The instructor collaborates with the students to create alternative assessments. **RELATED TERMS** 1. **Performace Assessment** - an assessment activity or set of activities that require students to generate products or performances that provide direct or indirect evidence - provides teachers with information about how well a student understand and applies knowledge 2. **Alternative Assessment** - refers to the use of alternative or nontraditional assessment strategies or tools to collect information on student learning. 3. **Direct Assessment** - involves looking at actual samples of students work produced in our program. - These include capstone, theses, exhibits, or performance. **DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES IN ASSESSING LEARNING USING ALTERNATIVE METHODS** 1. **Assessment is both processed and product-based oriented** - equal importance to student performance or - product and the process they engage in to perform or produce a product. - While traditional assessment methods are focused on assessing student products or outputs, nontraditional or alternative methods like performance assessment and portfolio assessment give value to the product developed by students 2. **Assessment should focus on higher-order cognitive outcomes** - For assessment to be valid and authentic, it should require students to demonstrate their knowledge. - The use of nontraditional or alternative methods of assessment like performance assessment allows the assessment of both lower-order and higher-order cognitive outcomes in ways that are more authentic. 3. **Assessment can include a measure of noncognitive learning outcomes** - Traditional assessment focuses on knowledge and other cognitive learning outcomes. - Nontraditional assessment tools like rubrics, scales, and checklists allow the measurement of noncognitive learning outcomes that allow a more complete and assessment of student learning. 4. **Assessment should reflect real-life or real-world contexts** - Assessment tasks or activities should be authentic. The assessment should closely, if not fully approximate real-life situations or experiences. - Authenticity of assessment can be thought of as a continuum from least authentic to most authentic, with more authentic tasks expected to be more meaningful for students. 5. **Assessment must be comprehensive and holistic** - Assessment should be performed using a variety of strategies and tools designed to assess student learning in a more integrative way. - Assessment should be conducted in multiple periods to assess learning overtime. - This ensures that students are being assessed in a more comprehensive and holistic way. 6. **Assessment should lead to student learning** - This means that assessment should be like classroom instruction. - This principle is consistent with the concepts of - assessment for learning and assessment as learning. **TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT VIS-A-VIS AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT** **Traditional Assessment -** is a method of evaluating a student\'s knowledge and skills through structured tests and quizzes. **Authentic Assessment -** is a method of evaluation that asks students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios. **FOUR STEPS TO CREATE AN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT** (Jon Mueller, North Central College) 1. **Standards** - An assignment should always be formed with standards and objectives in mind. - "what should my students know following this lesson and assignment". - This will give you a starting point for creating various ideas for assessment. 2. **Authentic Tasks** - a teacher will decide how they want students to portray their knowledge of the subject matter using a real-world activity or scenario. - A task should be chosen for students to complete that meets the authentic assessment criteria. - It should be a meaningful task that students feel they can relate to and can apply in their lives. 3. **Criteria/Measures** - you will decide what the student performing the assignment or task will look like. 4. **Rubric** - a way for you to evaluate what level of performance the students are currently performing.