Assessment of Student Learning 2

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Authentic Assessment: Characteristics and Practices

Module 002 Authentic Assessment:

Characteristics and Practices

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Identify terms related to assessment and authentic assessment.
2. Discuss tips for using authentic assessment
3. Determine the characteristics of authentic assessment
4. Analyze the difference between traditional assessment and authentic
assessment
5. Examine the authentic assessment phases

Authentic Assessment
Before discussing authentic assessment, let's define the first terms used in determining the degree
to which the students attain the learning outcomes. The following are used interchangeably at
times – ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION, TESTING, and MARKS. Let us define them to clarify their
meanings and enable us to distinguish them from one another.
ASSESSMENT
According to Concepts, L. (2015, November 10). Assessment Definition. Retrieved January
08, 2018, from http://edglossary.org/assessment/, it refers to the wide variety of methods
or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness,
learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. In order for
educators to provide specialized academic support, educational programming, or social
services, assessments are also used to identify the individual student's weaknesses and
strengths.
Data and information about what students know and can do are gathered through
assessment. The said information can be sourced through students' observation during
their learning activities, examining the learning activity results, or knowledge and skills
testing. What the students are learning is determined through assessment.
EVALUATION
According to Navarro, R. L., Ph.D., & Santos, R. D., Ph.D. (2013). Assessment of Learning 2,
2nd Edition. Quezon City, Philippines: LORIMAR Publishing, Inc., evaluation involves the
function of interpreting, forming conclusions, and judgment making about the gathered
information in the process of assessment. Data gathered by assessment becomes
meaningful only when they process and interpreted as to how well the students are
attaining the desired learning competencies.
TESTING
According to Differences between testing, assessment, and evaluation (n.d.) Retrieved
January 08, 2018, from http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/testing/testing2.html, testing is a

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process used to examine student’s knowledge of something to figure out what that student
has learned. It measures the knowledge and skills level that has been reached by the
students. Test or quiz is the assessment tool used that reflects the records of student's
learning outcomes.
MARKS
According to Search. (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
https://studenthelp.secure.griffith.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2473/~/what-is-the-
difference-between-a-mark-and-a-grade%3F, a mark is a level of achievement against
specified criteria for an individual assessment item. The results of evaluating the
information obtained in the process of assessment are what we call marks. Marks have
certain components related to the learning activities undertaken by the students. For
instance, in the subject Technical Vocational and Livelihood Education, the following are
the components that make the mark for the said subject:
20% Written Works
60% Project and Performance
20% Quarterly Test
100% Total
In the assessment process, evidence of learning is reviewed – journal entries, written work,
skills demonstration, portfolios, test results, performance in activities, and rubrics ratings
for a specific period and should reveal the students' progress in competencies. On the
other hand, in evaluation, assigning of grade is assigned after the quiz, a completed task, or
presentation.
Now that we identified the terms assessment, evaluation, testing, and marks, it is expected
that we can distinguish and relate them with each other. Let's have now define the word
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT.
What is an authentic assessment? According to Authentic Assessments: Tips and Examples
for Educators. (2017, November 08). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/tips-on-how-to-use-
authentic-assessment-as-a-teaching-strategy/, authentic assessment is an approach to
measure student performance in a direct, relevant way to see if the learning objectives
were met. This assessment is also called as performance assessment, alternative
assessment, and direct assessment. To measure students' understanding of the subject
material, teachers may use projects such as reports, journals, videos, speeches, and
interviews with them. To enhance the learning process and help students gain knowledge
while completing tasks that are beneficial to their actual lives is the goal of authentic
assessment.
What makes it different from taking the exam is that in taking the exam, students are
limited to filling in the paper to demonstrate what they know. In contrast, in working on
the authentic assessment, students are allowed to show their capability in performing the
tasks without the pressure of performing well on a traditional test.
Through authentic assessment, students can analyze what they have learned and apply it in
their own experience. There's no need for them to memorize facts for a test, so they
become more creative in showing what they have learned. Moreover, older students can
combine their writing and speaking skills in working for their authentic assessment. An
authentic assessment can be performed individually or by group, enabling students to
collaborate with their peers in doing projects.
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Authentic Assessment: Characteristics and Practices

TIPS FOR USING AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT:

1. Do it often
It takes time and effort to plan and carry out authentic assessments, but
they are rewarding for both students and teachers. Rewarding for
students because they were able to use their creativity and are able to
collaborate with their peers in doing tasks and for the teacher, gives
satisfaction while seeing one's students be able to explore and apply
creativity and resourcefulness in summarizing the learnings gained
through the learning activities which means the accomplishment of
learning competencies are achieved.
2. Break it down
Teachers should help students break down the project into small steps
and procedures to make the students overwhelmed with the task easily.
Steps can be assigned to younger students, and students in the middle
school and above can make their own schedule in accomplishing the tasks
set by them.
3. Don't dwell on rules.
In creating authentic tasks, teachers should give leeway to their students
in performing the said task. Students should be given the opportunity to
explore also on their creativity in finishing the tasks in their own way.
4. Go backward
Prior learning should be done first before crafting an authentic
assessment. Prior learning means assessing what the students already
know, and with the result, the teacher may set and discuss with the
students what they want to see students will be meeting as they do an
authentic assessment.
5. Cater to students’ interest
Once in a while, teachers should design authentic assessments which
match the interest of the students. By doing so, students will be eager
and enthusiastic to perform the given task.
6. Never underestimate the power of reflection.
Once the project is done, teachers should give students time to reflect on
what they have done and learn to accomplish the tasks. One way is to let
the students present their reflections after finishing a project. In this
way, students will feel satisfied and happy to know that their opinions
and ideas are of great importance.

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Characteristics of Authentic Assessment
According to 10 characteristics of authentic learning. (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018,
from http://www.steve-wheeler.co.uk/2012/11/10-characteristics-of-authentic-
learning.html, the different characteristics of authentic assessment are:
1. Real-world relevance
As much as possible, activities should match as possible the tasks of
professionals in practice. In doing so, students will be able to learn how to be in
the real scenario of their work.
2. Ill-defined
Students doing the tasks should be able to define the tasks and sub-tasks.
3. Complex sustained tasks
Activities should not be completed in minutes and hours only. If possible,
enough time, for instance, in days or weeks, should be given to students so as to
enable them to know the significance of investing time and intellectual resources
in doing the authentic assessment.
4. Multiple perspectives
Opportunity should be provided for students to be creative on how to do the task
in their own way. They should not be confined to one perspective only.
5. Collaborative
In completing the task, students should be given the venue to collaborate with
their peers as they are accomplishing the tasks and sub-tasks.
6. Value laden
Opportunity to reflect and involve students' beliefs and values in accomplishing
the tasks should be given.
7. Interdisciplinary
In doing the activities, integration of different subjects should be done, which
will enable students to play different roles and be an expert in different fields.
8. Authentically assessed
Assessment of the activities and output of activities should be integrated with
the learning and reflect how quality is judged in the real world.
9. Authentic products
Authentic activities should create polished valuable in their own right rather
than as preparation for something else.
10. Multiple possible outcomes
Students have many ways on how to work with authentic assessments. Likewise,
outcomes and products should not be confined with one perspective only but to
a diversity of outcomes.
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Authentic Assessment: Characteristics and Practices

Authentic Assessment VS Traditional Assessment

Figure 1 - Traditional VS Authentic Assessments

Harrison, V. (2017, August 12). Authentic Assessment and Rubrics. Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
http://slideplayer.com/slide/8457804/

According to Authentic Assessment Toolbox (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm, traditional assessments refer to
the forced-choice measures of multiple-choice tests, true or false, fill in the blanks,
matching type and the like. These are still common in a school setting with the purpose of
completing the assessment. The said tests may be a teacher-made or a standardized one.
In traditional assessment, the curriculum drives the assessment while in authentic
assessment, assessment drives the curriculum. What does it mean? In traditional
assessment, the body of knowledge is identified first, which becomes the curriculum to be
delivered and then assessments are developed and administered to determine if
curriculum acquisition occurred while in authentic assessment, teachers first identify the
student's tasks to be performed in order for them to demonstrate mastery and then
develop a curriculum which enables students to perform the said tasks well which include
the essential knowledge and skills acquisition. This explanation of difference rooted in the
following principles of traditional assessment and authentic assessment:
PRINCIPLES IN TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT (TA)
1. A school’s mission is to develop competent citizens.
2. To be a competent citizen, one must possess the needed knowledge and skills.
3. The school should be able to teach the needed knowledge and skills.
4. To see if students gain the knowledge and skills, the school must test the
students if they were able to acquire the said knowledge and skills.

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PRINCIPLES IN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
1. A school’s mission is to develop competent citizens.
2. To be a competent citizen, one must be capable of performing a significant task in
the real world.
3. The school's task is to help develop students' proficiency in performing the
significant tasks that will be required of him to perform in the true scenario of work.
4. To determine if the development of proficiency in performing the said significant
tasks, the school must then enjoin the students to perform significant tasks that
simulate challenges in the real-world to see if they can do so.
Figure 1 summarizes the other way of differentiating the two kinds of assessment – the
traditional and authentic assessments. By defining their attributes or qualities,
distinguishing between them will be easier.
1. Selecting a Response to Perform a Task
In traditional assessments, several choices are given to students ( a, b, c or d,
true or false, etch) and at the same time, they are asked to select the right
answer while in authentic assessment, demonstration of understanding of
students in the lesson through performing more complex tasks in order to apply
what they have learned.
2. Contrived to real life
Tests are usually given to assess the proficiency in a short period of time, and it
offers contrived alternatives to indicate the said proficiency while in authentic
assessments, students are asked to do something in order for them to
demonstrate proficiency.
3. Recall/Recognition of knowledge to Construction and application of knowledge
Traditional assessments that are well-designed can determine whether or not
students were able to acquire a body of knowledge. They are a good
complement to authentic assessment, but aside from recalling and recognition of
knowledge, authentic assessments ask students to do beyond recalling but
instead, they are tasked to analyze, synthesize and apply what they have learned
in the subject. Moreover, through the process, students were able to create new
meanings as well.
4. Teacher-structured to student-structured
When accomplishing a traditional assessment, quiz, for example, the students
are confined with a teacher-structured one, and students' focus will be limited to
what is on the test. In an authentic assessment, students were given many
choices on how to construct a product or performance, which evidences their
proficiency. When students cannot choose their own topics, they have multiple
ways to construct such a project or performance.
5. Indirect evidence to direct evidence
Traditional assessments give indirect evidence, particularly in applying
knowledge and skills in real-life situations. Evidences are confined with how the
students answered the test, but in an authentic assessment, more direct
evidence can be gathered because it relies more on the application and
construction of knowledge.
Authentic Assessment Phases
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Authentic Assessment: Characteristics and Practices

According to Authentic Assessment Tool Box (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018,
from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/howdoyoudoit.htm, the phases or
steps to follow in creating authentic assessments are:
1. Identify standards for students.
Goals should be set, and objectives that students should achieve with completing
the authentic assessment should be clear to teachers and students. In any
assessment, were to end up should be determined. Like goals, standards are
statements that students should know and be able to do. With regards to scope,
standards are narrower than goals and more amenable to assessment.
What are the standards? Standards are usually one-sentence statements of what
students should know and be able in a period of time. It begins with "Students
will/should be able to …
Example:
• Students should be able to add three-digit numbers.
• Students should be able to identify the different types of
qualitative research.

2. Select an authentic task.

In this phase, the teacher wants to find a way to make students able to
demonstrate that they are fully capable of meeting the standards set in Phase 1.
The authentic assessment that should be selected by the teacher should enable
the students to demonstrate their mastery of the topic as well.
For example, the standard is to describe the geographic and economic
consequences of War. The authentic assessment to choose from may be
• To prepare an analytic paper
• To develop a multimedia presentation about the topic.
• Debate
• Essay
Any of the above choices may elicit students' creativity in applying the things
they learned in real-life situations.

3. Identify the criteria for the task.

After creating an authentic assessment for students, the next thing to do is to
determine the criteria that will be used for the task. How will a teacher do this?
Two questions should be answered to identify the criteria for good performance
on the tasks you create and these are:
• What does good performance on this task look like?
• How will I know they have done a good job on this task?

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 Once the said questions are answered, the teacher will be able to use those
criteria in evaluating how well students completed the task assigned or how
well they have met the set standards.
Example:
STANDARD: The student should be able to measure dry and liquid
ingredients accurately.
TASK: To demonstrate how to measure dry and liquid ingredients
accurately.
CRITERIA:
1. Select and uses proper measuring tools and utensils.
2. Prepares the ingredients prior to the activity.
3. Fill up measuring spoons and cups properly.
4. Measures dry and liquid ingredients correctly.
5. Transfers measured ingredients to bowls neatly.
With these criteria, the teacher will be able to see if the students performed well
and were able to meet the set standard. Likewise, teachers should consider the
characteristics of a good criterion in determining criteria for the authentic tasks
and these are
1. Good criterion is clearly stated.
2. Good criterion is brief.
3. Good criterion is observable.
4. Good criterion is a statement of behavior.
5. Good criterion is written in a language that can be understood by
students.

4. Create the rubric

In this phase, students will finish the creation of authentic assessment by
constructing a rubric to measure the performance of students on task/s. What is
rubric? According to A. (n.d.). Chapter 1. What Are Rubrics and Why Are They
Important? Retrieved January 09, 2018, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/112001/chapters/What-Are-Rubrics-
and-Why-Are-They-Important%C2%A2.aspx, a rubric is a coherent set of criteria
for students' work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality on
the criteria. To construct a rubric, the teacher will start with the criteria set in
step number 3. After this, the next step is to decide whether to consider the
criteria analytically or holistically.
Suppose the teacher decides to consider the criteria analytically. An analytic
rubrics can be formulated and used while a holistic rubrics can be used if the
teacher decides to consider the criteria holistically. In an analytic rubric,
performance will be judged separately for each criterion, while in a holistic
rubric, performance will be judged of how well a student has performed on task
considers the criteria together or holistically.
Details on how to construct an analytic and holistic rubrics will be discussed
further in the succeeding modules.
 Assessment of Student Learning 2
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Authentic Assessment: Characteristics and Practices

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Navarro, R. L., Ph.D., & Santos, R. D., Ph.D. (2013). Assessment of Learning 2, 2nd
Edition. Quezon City, Phiippines: LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.
2. Concepts, L. (2015, November 10). Assessment Definition. Retrieved January 08,
2018, from http://edglossary.org/assessment/
3. Differences between testing, assessment and evaluation(n.d.). Retrieved January
08, 2018, from http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/testing/testing2.html
4. Search. (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
https://studenthelp.secure.griffith.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2473/~/wh
at-is-the-difference-between-a-mark-and-a-grade%3F,
5. 10 characteristics of authentic learning. (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
http://www.steve-wheeler.co.uk/2012/11/10-characteristics-of-authentic-
learning.html
6. Authentic Assessment Toolbox (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm
7. Authentic Assessment Tool Box (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2018, from
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/howdoyoudoit.htm
8. A. (n.d.). Chapter 1. What Are Rubrics and Why Are They Important? Retrieved
January 09, 2018, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/112001/chapters/What-Are-Rubrics-
and-Why-Are-They-Important%C2%A2.aspx

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. Wilbert, M. (2013, April 19). Authentic Assessment in Action. Retrieved January
08, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/sammamish-4-authentic-
assessment-in-action-mark-wilbert
Online Instructional Videos
1. E. (2012, June 10). "Authentic" Assessment at School of the Future. Retrieved
January 09, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l5m66Y607U
2. K. (2011, August 03). Authentic Assessment. Retrieved January 09, 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_gibuFZXZw
3. The Differences Between Traditional and Authentic Assessment. (2016, July 02).
Retrieved January 09, 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOupbmSx27A
4. Authentic Assessment vs Performance Assessment: A Tale of Two Scales. (2014,
April 15). Retrieved January 09, 2018, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzPSrweBUvQ

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