AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT:

MEANING, CHARACTERISTICS AND

PRACTICES
JASON BIGATA & CRISUEL JHON P. BERJA
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Identify the relationship of assessment, evaluation
and marks to determine the attainment of student
learning outcomes.
 Discuss the authentic assessment meaning,
characteristics and practices.
 Illustrate the phases of authentic assessment.
INTRODUCTION
In 1935, the distinguished educator Ralph Tyler proposed an
"enlarged concept of student evaluation," encompassing other
approaches besides tests and quizzes. He urged teachers to
sample learning by collecting products of their efforts
throughout the year. That practice has evolved into what is
today termed "authentic assessment," which encompasses a
range of approaches including portfolio assessment, journals
and logs, products, videotapes of performances, and projects.
ASSESSMENT
Refers to the process of gathering data and information about
what students know and can do. Through assessment, the
teacher can find out what students are learning.
EVALUATION
Involves the task of interpreting, forming conclusions and
making judgment about the information which was gathered in
the process of assessment.
TESTING
Is an instrument of assessment. A test is an assessment tool that
reflects the records of the students’ learning outcomes.
MARKS
Are reports of the result of evaluating information
obtained in assessment process. Marks have certain
components related to the learning activities undertaken
by the students.
Example of such components are:
20% for class participation
10% for completed assignments
20% for quizzes
30% for submitted reports
20% for oral presentation of completed project
100 % TOTAL
ASSESSMENT
Involves review of evidence of learning such as journal
entries, written work, portfolios, skill demonstrations,
and performance in learning activities, test result and
rubrics ratings which cover a period time and should
reveal the progress of students in competencies.
Evaluation in the other hand occurs when a mark or
grade is assigned after a quiz, a presentation or a
completed task.
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT?
HERE ARE SOME DEFINITIONS:
“A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform
real-world task that demonstrate meaningful application of
essential knowledge and skills.” –Jon Mueller (2011)
“Engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in
which students must use knowledge to fashion performances
effectively and creatively. The tasks are either replicas of or
analogous to the kind of problems faced by adult citizens and
consumers or professionals in field.” – Grant Wiggins (1987)
“Performance (authentic) assessments call upon the
examinee to demonstrate specific skills and
competencies; that is, to apply of their weaknesses.
This results is diminished fear of tests and
improvement of self-esteem.
From teacher- centered activities, authentic
assessment encourages a learner-centered class
where the teacher’s major role is to help students
accept responsibility for their learning and become
self-evaluators.
WHY AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT?
“The common practices of using recall and recognition
objective the skills and knowledge they have
mastered”. --- Richard Stiggins (1987)
“Authentic assessment is products and/or
performances correlated with real experiences”. ---
Newton Public Schools
Other names of authentic assessment are performance
assessment, alternative assessment, and direct
assessment.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC
ASSESSMENT (AA)

1. Authentic Assessment starts with clear definite

criteria of performance made known to the students.
2. Authentic Assessment is a criterion- referenced
rather than norm- referenced and so it identifies
strengths and weaknesses, but does not compare
students nor rank their levels of performance.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC
ASSESSMENT (AA)

3. Authentic Assessment requires students to make their own

answer to questions rather than select from given options as in
multiple choice items, and requires them to use a range of
higher order thinking skills (HOTS).
4. Authentic Assessment often emphasizes performance and
therefore students are required to demonstrate their
knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate situations.
Authentic assessment does not rely on ability to recall facts or
memorize details, instead students are asked to demonstrate
skills and concepts they have learned.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC
ASSESSMENT (AA)

5. Authentic Assessment encourages both teacher and students

to determine their rate of progress in cooperatively attaining the
desired student learning outcomes.
6. Authentic Assessment does not encourage rote learning and
passive taking of test; instead, students are required to
demonstrate analytical skills, ability to integrate what they learn,
creativity, and ability to work in group, skills in oral and written
communications. In brief, authentic assessment values not only
the finished products which are the learning outcomes, but also
the process of learning.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC
ASSESSMENT (AA)

7. Authentic Assessment changes the role of students

as passive test takers into become active and involve
participants in assessment activities that emphasize
what they are capable of doing instead test to measure
students’ skills or retained facts has come under
scrutiny because of the limitation encountered in
determining the students’ capability to utilized their
knowledge and skills in work and professional practice.
PHASES OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning.
Assessment achieves this purpose by gathering pieces of
evidence of student performance over a period of time.
Such evidence may be in the form of written works, journal
entries, oral presentations, research paper results, essay,
story writing, and examination results. “Closing the loop”
encourages the use of assessment results for further
improvement. In general, Outcome assessment goes
through five (5) phases
5 PHASES
1. Identifying the most important knowledge and skills that students should
be able to demonstrate as a result of their learning activities.
2. Determining the criteria and standards of outcomes performance and
the acceptable evidence that may be presented as proof of outcomes’
attainment.
3. Implementation of the supporting activities that will facilitate the
attainment of the desired student learning outcomes.
4. Measuring the extent at which the student is attaining the desired
learning outcomes.
5. Interpreting the assessment results and evaluating whether they indicate
attainment of the desired outcomes and utilizing them for continuous
improvement.
EXAMPLES OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES:
1. Doing science experiments.
2. Conducting social science field research.
3. Writing stories and reports.
4. Reading and interpreting literary pieces.
5. Solving mathematical problems that have real-world implications.
6. Performing particular skills/competencies.
7. Simulation or role playing.
8. Exhibiting and displaying completed works.
9. Submitting portfolios.
10. Submitting original creative projects.
TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT
Is commonly associated with pre- determined choice
measure of assessment such as multiple choices
tasks, fill-in-the blanks, true – false, matching type
and others. Students typically recall or select the
answers. Essentially, TA springs from the educational
which involves the following principles and practices.
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
1. A School’s mission is to develop useful citizens.
2. To be a useful citizen, one must process a certain
body of knowledge and skills;
3. The school is entrusted to teach this body of
knowledge and skills;
4. To determine if the student have acquired these
knowledge and skills, the school must test the
student on these knowledge and skills.
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
On the other hand is grounded on the following principles and
practices:
1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizen;
2. To be a useful citizen, one has to be capable of performing
useful tasks in the real-world;
3. The school’s duty is to help students develop proficiency in
performing the tasks that they will be required to perform
after graduation in the work place;
4. The school must then require students to perform tasks that
duplicate or imitate real world situations.
 Attributes Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

Action/ options Selecting a response Performing a task

Setting Contrived/ imagined Simulation/ Real-Life

Method Recall/ recognition Construction/ applications

Focus Teacher –structured Student- structured

Outcome Indirect evidence Direct evidence