Forms of Authentic Assessment

Authentic Assessment By authentic assessment, we mean all the different forms of assessments/evaluations that show students achievement, learning, attitudes, and motivation on all instructionally applicable classroom works. In this era of accountability, different assessment methods are being launched in classrooms as ways of determining the quality of the works students do. Student assessments require students to partake in assignments that necessitate the application of skills and knowledge in real-life conditions.

These alternative techniques are real-world frameworks and challenges, such as audiences for the demonstration of strategies and concepts that students have managed to learn. Authentic assessments, ingrained in classroom lessons, address groups of learning objectives and educational goals. These practices place greater emphasis on problem solving, comprehension, critical thinking, metacognition and reasoning, self-reflection, and personal skills as compared with conventional assessment techniques.

Concluding student products (e.g., for end of term assessments) include exhibition, portfolios, investigation, performances, journals, experiments, presentations, and several other open-ended formats that give room for more than one answer. Students' different learning styles, multiple intelligences, different levels of development are emphasized (Luongo-Orlando, 2003). Learning and assessment based on performance is a genuine instruction and evaluation method where students apply skills and knowledge through realistic demonstrations or original products that demonstrate learning.

Performance takes today's learning methods that have had some real-world difficulties, and direct them towards the creation and use of concepts, work habits and strategies. These are items showing understanding that students have built through classroom lessons and provide situations putting authentic assessment into use. During a section of study, exemplary learning experiences are made available to students; often these are created to develop the skill level and knowledge base required for evaluation.

All through the performance assignment, learners are required to carry out a task, create a product, or produce a response that displays their abilities in different composite ways. For instance, they may prepare oral discourses, experiments, exhibitions, or projects. Performance assessments present an original format for assessing students' understanding (Luongo-Orlando, 2003). For several years, conventional assessment methods and standardized examination have been employed in schools as a way of measuring the progress of students.

Limiting such techniques to only pencil-and-paper examinations, or numerous alternative tests, have further enhanced the popularity of alternative assessments. Most conventional examinations continue to heavily rely on accurate knowledge and theoretical understanding. These techniques do not precisely measure the problem-solving, critical thinking, and reasoning skills; they also do not identify work habits, sense of responsibility, and ability to cooperate. Limiting these standardized examinations and other conventional assessment procedures has also made it difficult to assess the abilities of students not surviving in the mainstream.

In several cases, traditional methods of assessment have caused a distraction to these students and have prevented children from learning adequately. Additionally, the concept of conventional examination may be offered in a way that may seem irrelevant and isolating to a number of students, which makes it difficult for them to apply what they have been taught accurately. To help motivate students, and to create independent learners who use and know important learning skills, concepts, and work habits, teachers are applying authentic assessment habits in their classrooms.

These optional assessments include a number of presentation formats and activities that make in-depth information on the progress of students available. Performance assignments make it possible for students to reveal a richer level of application and understanding of learning skills and processes in a much larger context than conventional examination would permit. The Authentic assessments approach makes available a practical framework for demonstrating strategies and concepts learned. The very close links to lessons creates a context for assessment related to the learning goals of the course outline (Luongo-Orlando, 2003).

Alternative assessment procedures and learning based on performance all form an essential part of a well balanced course outline and an easily comprehensible assessment program. Because authentic assessment has its roots in the course outline, teachers can base lessons on learning experiences created to prepare students for the performance assignment. Current events, literature, and thematic study units can be effectively used to organize the course outline and plan performance assignments (Luongo-Orlando, 2003). Authentic assessment contradicts typical examination. Janesick (2006) says typical examinations have the following characteristics: 1. Normally requires just one accurate response; 2.

Are usually disconnected from the student's individual environment; 3. Are usually constructed by an administrator from the student's environment; 4. The areas where questions are taken from may be areas for which the examiner does not have adequate knowledge; 5. Are usually simplified for scoring ease; 6. Offer a one-time, one-shot score. Several educators found this approach to students' evaluation and examination dissatisfying. This has given shape to the new system of viewing and defining assessment. According to Janescik (2006), an evaluation task is said to be genuine when: 1.

It is practical, following the methods by which a person's abilities are examined in the real world. 2. It requires both innovation and judgment. Students may make use of skills and knowledge here to give solution to problems. 3. It requires the student to carry out the subject. 4. It simulates or replicates real examinations in personal life, work place, and civic life. Considering that every student is at a different stage of development and growth at all times, this makes authentic assessment more reasonable than manufactured standardized examinations. 5.

It evaluates the ability and skills or a student to efficiently and effectively use a collection of several skills to finish a task or problem. 6. It provides room for rehearsals, practice, consultations, feedbacks, and refinement of real production and performance. Thus we have elements such as performance, feedback, revision of performance, feedback, performance, etc. Conversely, it is important for students to learn something and improve their ability to execute any current task. Table 1: Comparing typical examination with authentic assignment Characteristics of Typical Examination and Authentic Assignments Typical examination Authentic assignment.