What is Authentic Assessment?

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

Performance assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific skills

and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered.
Richard J. Stiggins

What does Authentic Assessment look like?

An authentic assessment usually includes a task for students to perform and a

rubric by which their performance on the task will be evaluated.

Traditional Assessment vs. Authentic Assessment

Traditional Assessment (TA) Authentic Assessment (AA)

Multiple choice
Gap fill
True-false
Matching
To develop productive citizens
Must possess a body of knowledge
and skills
Schools must teach this body of
knowledge and skills
Test the students if they acquired
the knowledge and skills
The curriculum drives assessment.
1. body of knowledge is
determined first
2. design the curriculum
3. assess to determine if
acquisition of the curriculum
occurred.
Selecting a response
Contrived
Recall / Recognition
Teacher-structured
Indirect evidence
Inventories
Peer rating / Self rating
Journals
Portfolios
Discussions
Interviews
To develop productive citizens
Must be capable of performing
real tasks
Schools must help students
become proficient at performing
tasks
Have the students perform
meaningful tasks
Assessment drives the curriculum.
1. tasks are determined first
2. students perform to
demonstrate their mastery
3. design the curriculum
Performing a task
Real-life
Construction / Application
Student-structured
Direct evidence
Alternative Names for Authentic Assessment

Performance Assessment / Alternative Assessment / Direct Assessment

Why Use Authentic Assessment

Authentic Assessments are Direct Measures

We do not just want students to know the content of the disciplines when they
graduate. We, of course, want them to be able to use the acquired knowledge and
skills in the real world. So, our assessments have to also tell us if students can apply
what they have learned in authentic situations.

Authentic Assessments Capture Constructive Nature of Learning

We cannot simply be fed knowledge. We need to construct our own meaning of the
world, using information we have gathered and were taught and our own
experiences with the world (Bransford & Vye, 1989)

Authentic Assessments Integrate Teaching, Learning and

Assessment

In the authentic assessment model, the same authentic task used to measure the
students' ability to apply the knowledge or skills is used as a vehicle for student
learning.

When presented with a real-world problem to solve, students are learning in the
process of developing a solution, teachers are facilitating the process, and the
students' solutions to the problem becomes an assessment of how well the students
can meaningfully apply the concepts.

Authentic Assessments Provide Multiple Paths to Demonstration

We all have different strengths and weaknesses in how we learn. Similarly, we are
different in how we can best demonstrate what we have learned. Testing favors
those who are better test-takers.