Standardized testing versus authentic assessment in student evaluation

Authentic Assessment: Preferred Learning Style

I assess the students' learning using the standardized assessment. Every district-based school or educational facility is required to and does make use of standardized tests that are mandated by the state. In this approach, every student at a certain grade level is expected to take a similar test. The main reason why I assess the students' learning in this manner is that every aspect of the test is standard. This encompasses the test questions, the time allotted to the students in which to complete the examinations and the time of the year in which the examinations or tests are scheduled to be undertaken. This offers a fair, uniform, and reasonable way of assessing the capabilities of every student and the performance of the students is considered as the basis on which they are promoted from one level to the next in the K-12 system (Eudotopia, 2008). These standardized tests offer the teacher instantaneous feedback on the manner in which the students are absorbing and meeting the scholarly or academic standards. The use of this assessment is to act as a constituent of measuring the level of growth of the students and assists in designing the school or learning curriculum keeping in perspective personal learning needs. I use this assessment approach also because it is in alignment with the federal No Child Left Behind Act which takes into account income levels, disabilities, race and also the level of proficiency in English. In this manner, there is sustained reliability, validity and fairness in the assessments of the students' learning. In addition, these standardized assessments can be employed to appraise and evaluate the extent or magnitude to which the students have grasped and become proficient at selected standards in not only their classrooms but also be able to make comparisons with other grade-level classrooms within the district (Edutopia, 2013).

The main reason why I am dissatisfied with certain other customary testing and assessment methods is simply that these other methods or approaches of assessment do not test or examine several skills and capabilities of the students. As such, some of the testing designs are not a complete form of assessment. It is imperative that the students be prepared, ready and equipped to undertake more than just memorizing the information and content and make use of formulae and procedures to solve basic problems. I think it is important that students ought to learn higher order thinking and scrutinize the test so as not to feel measured (Teacher Vision, 2013). However, there are numerous alternative assessments that are effective as well. It is imperative to undertake assessments to evaluate the level of understanding as well as achievement of the students. It is important to ascertain that the students are able to apply and show the skills as well as the concepts that they have learnt. Ideally, the approach which I would like to employ in assessing the students' learning is the 'authentic assessment' approach. The concept of authentic assessment refers to the evaluation tasks that are in resemblance with the reading as well as the writing in the practical use and in school. The main purpose or objective of this authentic assessment concept is to be able to assess several dissimilar kinds of literacy capabilities in settings that bear a resemblance to real circumstances diligently and thoroughly in which those capabilities are put to use. For instance, authentic assessments require students to recite actual texts, as also to put pen to paper for authentic determinations with respect to significant subjects, and to take part in authentic literateness tasks, for instance discoursing books, maintaining journals, writing letters, and studying a section of writing until the time it works for the student. In authentic assessment, the contexts as well as the tasks for assessments seem as natural and free flowing as possible. In addition, the concept of authentic assessment takes into consideration the thinking that goes along the work, the procedure, or practice, the same way it values the final product (Edutopia, 2013).

There are several reasons why I have a preference to this assessment approach. The main purpose and objective of the authentic assessment is evaluating or appraising the abilities of the students in settings or situations of the real world. In making use of this approach, the students become capable of learning the manner in which to deploy their skill sets in authentic or real tasks and projects. In using authentic assessment, the students are not encouraged to memorizing things while learning or the notion of taking tests and examinations passively (Meyer, 1992). I prefer this approach particularly because, instead, authentic assessment lays emphasis on the analytical skills of the student, their capability and proficiency to incorporate all that they learn, their capacity to work in a collaborative manner with regards to their written as well as oral skills. Not only does this approach take value in the relating to real-life or real-world tasks, it also takes value in the whole process of learning (Teacher Vision, 2013). According to Wiggins (1990), a shift in making use of more authentic tasks as well as outcomes brings about an improvement in teaching and learning. This is because the students have a greater sense of clarity with regard to their obligations and are also requested to master tasks that are more engaging and thereby the teachers are able to perceive assessment outcomes as significant and beneficial for improving instruction (Darling-Hammond et al., 1995).