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Assessment.: How Can You Encourage Students To Apply Their Knowledge and Skills To Real-World Tasks?

Authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' abilities to apply their skills to real-world tasks and projects, rather than through traditional testing that focuses on recalling facts. It encourages higher-order thinking skills like analysis, integration of knowledge, and subject-area skills. Teachers can use performance assessments, investigations, open-response questions, portfolios, and self-assessment to evaluate how well students are able to demonstrate their skills and understanding. By emphasizing application of knowledge and process over rote memorization, authentic assessment better prepares students for success after school.

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Benjie Modelo Manila
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135 views3 pages

Assessment.: How Can You Encourage Students To Apply Their Knowledge and Skills To Real-World Tasks?

Authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' abilities to apply their skills to real-world tasks and projects, rather than through traditional testing that focuses on recalling facts. It encourages higher-order thinking skills like analysis, integration of knowledge, and subject-area skills. Teachers can use performance assessments, investigations, open-response questions, portfolios, and self-assessment to evaluate how well students are able to demonstrate their skills and understanding. By emphasizing application of knowledge and process over rote memorization, authentic assessment better prepares students for success after school.

Uploaded by

Benjie Modelo Manila
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Authentic Assessment

How well do multiple-choice tests really evaluate student understanding and achievement?
Many educators believe that there is a more effective assessment alternative. These teachers
use testing strategies that do not focus entirely on recalling facts. Instead, they ask students to
demonstrate skills and concepts they have learned. This strategy is calledauthentic
assessment.
What is authentic assessment?
Authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' abilities in 'real-world'
contexts. In other words, students learn how to apply their skills to
authentic tasks and projects. Authentic assessment does not encourage
rote learning and passive test-taking. Instead, it focuses on students'
analytical skills; ability to integrate what they learn; creativity; ability to
work collaboratively; and written and oral expression skills. It values the
learning process as much as the finished product.

How can you


encourage
students to
apply their
knowledge and
skills to realworld tasks?

In authentic assessment, students:

do science experiments

conduct social-science research

write stories and reports

read and interpret literature

solve math problems that have real-world applications

Why might I use authentic assessment methods in my classroom?


Many teachers are dissatisfied with only using traditional testing methods. They believe these
methods do not test many skills and abilities students need to be successful. These educators
assert that students must be prepared to do more than memorize information and use
algorithms to solve simple problems. They believe students should practice higher-order
thinking skills, and criticize tests they feel do not measure these skills.
How can I use authentic assessment in my classroom?
Authentic assessment utilizesperformance samples learning activities that encourage students
to use higher-order thinking skills. There are five major types of performance samples:
1. Performance Assessment

Performance assessments test students' ability to use skills in a variety of authentic contexts.
They frequently require students to work collaboratively and to apply skills and concepts to
solve complex problems. Short- and long-term tasks include such activities as:

writing, revising, and presenting a report to the class

conducting a week-long science experiment and analyzing the results

working with a team to prepare a position in a classroom debate

2. Short Investigations
Many teachers use short investigations to assess how well students have mastered basic
concepts and skills. Most short investigations begin with a stimulus, like a math problem,
political cartoon, map, or excerpt from a primary source. The teacher may ask students to
interpret, describe, calculate, explain, or predict. These investigations may use enhanced
multiple-choice questions. Or they may use concept mapping, a technique that assesses how
well students understand relationships among concepts. (Concept map printable)
3. Open-Response Questions
Open-response questions, like short investigations, present students with a stimulus and ask
them to respond. Responses include:

a brief written or oral answer

a mathematical solution

a drawing

a diagram, chart, or graph

4. Portfolios
A portfolio documents learning over time. This long-term perspective accounts for student
improvement and teaches students the value of self-assessment, editing, and revision. A
student portfolio can include:

journal entries and reflective writing

peer reviews

artwork, diagrams, charts, and graphs

group reports

student notes and outlines

rough drafts and polished writing

5. Self-Assessment
Self-assessment requires students to evaluate their own participation, process, and products.
Evaluative questions are the basic tools of self-assessment. Students give written or oral
responses to questions like:

What was the most difficult part of this project for you?

What do you think you should do next?

If you could do this task again, what would you do differently?

What did you learn from this project?

Many teachers find that authentic assessment is most successful when students know what
teachers expect. For this reason, teachers should always clearly define standards and
expectations. Educators often use rubrics, or established sets of criteria, to assess student
work.
Because authentic assessment emphasizes process and performance, it encourages students
to practice critical-thinking skills and to get excited about the things they are learning. Try it in
your classroom!

Articles
Creating Meaningful Performance Assessments
Portfolio Assessment
Rubrics: An Overview

Read more on TeacherVision:http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods-andmanagement/educational-testing/4911.html#ixzz1myFAysej

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