CHAPTER 1

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT IN THE CLASSROOM

At the end of this module, the pre-service teacher (PST) can:
a. discuss the nature and characteristics of authentic assessment and related
term;
b. differentiate authentic and traditional assessment;
c. reflect on the importance and applications of authentic assessment; and
d. make connections between the principles of high quality assessment and the
development and use of authentic assessment techniques and tools within
and across teaching areas.

Introduction
Authentic assessment is the idea of using creative learning experiences to test
students’ skills and knowledge in realistic situations. Authentic assessment measures
students’ success in a way that’s relevant to the skills required of them once they’ve
finished your course or degree program.
In education, Authentic assessment create a classroom management plan and/or
lesson plan for the student’s subject matter and/or intended audience.

LESSON 1: HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT IN RETROSPECT

High quality assessment takes the massive quantities of performance data and
translates that into meaningful, actionable reports that pinpoint current student progress,
predict future achievement, and inform instruction.
High-quality classroom assessment involves substituting technical types of
validity and reliability with concerns about how the assessments influence learning and
provide fair and credible reporting of student achievement.
For teachers, the primary determinant of quality is how the information influences
students.
High-quality assessments provide results that demonstrate and improve targeted
student learning. High-quality assessments inform instructional decision making.
1. PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT
a. Assessment for Learning
 Assessment for learning occurs when teachers use inferences about student
progress to inform their teaching. (formative)
Assessment as learning occurs when students reflect on and monitor their
progress to inform their future learning goals. (formative/self-assessment)
Assessment of learning occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning
to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards.
(summative)
b. Assessment for certification (summative)
Another purpose of assessment is to gather evidence to make a judgement
about a student level of performance; against the specified learning objectives. Students
is usually assessed at the end of an element of learning, such as the end of the module,
mid semester or end of the semester. They are awarded results typically as marks or
grade to represent a particular level of achievement (high, medium, low) this judgmental
“summative” process formally provides the evidence to verify or “certify” which student
may progress to the next level of their studies.

Assessment for certification, progress, and transfer needs to be served on both

an institutional and individual level. Programs and qualifications need to be certified and
acknowledged by accreditation bodies to have value for further studies or employability
(Altbach et al., 2009). The certification of an institution is therefore an acknowledgment
by the accreditation body, such as a national education system or professional board
that a qualification meets with the requirements set by the authority. On an individual
level, certification is necessary to endorse attainment of certain skills and knowledge.
This certification then serves as the entrance criteria to the next grade or level of
learning.

c. Protect academic standard

Grades from cumulative assessment are used to certify that a person has a
necessary knowledge and skills (and can apply them appropriately) to be awarded a
qualification. Consequently, the quality and integrity of assessment is essential to
guarantee the credibility of qualification and the academic reputation of the issuing
institution. There is considerable local, national and international concern to ensure that
the ways we protect academic standards stand up to scrutiny.
Academic standards are benchmark measures that define what students should
know and be able to do at specified grade levels beginning in kindergarten and
progressing through grade twelve. The standards are promulgated as state regulations.
As such, they must be used as the basis for curriculum and instruction in Indiana's
accredited schools. The academic standards are NOT a curriculum; therefore,
identifying the sequence of instruction in each grade—what will be taught and how
long—requires concerted effort and attention at the district/school level. Academic
standards do not prescribe any particular curriculum. Curriculum tools are selected at
the district/school level and adopted through the local school board. No student, by
virtue of poverty, age, race, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, or family
situation will ultimately be exempt from learning the required academic standards,
although it is acknowledged that individual students may learn in different ways and at
different rates. Academic standards focus on what students will need to learn in order to
be college and career ready and to be competitive in the job market.
d. Feedback for teaching
The result from formative and summative assessment can help you track how
your students are going throughout your success. Closely looking at the result can help
you identify any pattern of difficulties or misunderstanding the students might have. This
in turn allow you alter your approach to teaching and adjust your curriculum accordingly.
For example, you may identify that you need to offer more detailed explanation or
provide additional resources in a particular area. We use assessment as a tool to
provide feedback to students about their learning (formative assessment) as well as
certifying their level of assessment ( summative assessment). It is a means by which we
protect our academic standards and institutional reputation; and a method of evaluating
and adjusting teaching.

2. TARGETS OF HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT

a. Learning Targets
✓ a clear description of what students know and able to do.
 ✓ it is an outcome that the teacher wants her students to attain or acquire from
her teaching.
✓ This involves knowledge, reasoning, skills, product and effect.

✓ It needs to be stated in behavioral terms or term which denotes something

which can be observed through the behavior of the students
Five categories of Learning target according to Stiggins and Conklin (1992)
1. Knowledge learning target
o It is the facts and concept we want students to know, either rote learned or
retrieved using reference materials.
2. Reasoning learning target
o The ability of students to use their knowledge to reason and solve
problems.
3. Skill Learning target
o The ability of the students to create achievement-related skills likes
conducting experiments, playing basketball, and operating computers
4. Product learning target
o The ability of the students to demonstrate achievement-related products
such as written report, oral presentation and art product.
5. Affective learning target
o The attainment of affective traits such as attitudes, values, interests, and
self-efficacy. Student attitude about school and learning.
b. Cognitive Targets
As early as 1950 Bloom’s (1954) proposed a Hierarchy of educational objectives
at the cognitive level:
1. Knowledge
• refers to the acquisition of facts, concept and theories.
Example: knowledge of historical facts
• Recall or recognize information, describing, defining, labeling,
memorizing etc.
 • Knowledge forms the foundation of all other cognitive objectives for
without knowledge, it is not possible to move out to the next higher level
thinking skills in the hierarchy of the educational objectives.
2. Comprehension
• refers to the same concept as understanding.
• Re-state data or information in one’s own words, interpret, and translate.
• Explaining or interpreting the meaning of the given scenario or statement
• A step higher than mere acquisition of facts and involves a cognition or
awareness of interrelationships of the facts and concepts.
3. Application
• refers to the transfer of knowledge from one field of study to another or
from one concept to another concept on the same discipline.
• Using or applying knowledge, putting theory into practice
• Demonstrating, solving problems
4. Analysis
• refers to the breaking down of the concept or idea into each component
and explaining the concept as the composition of these concept.
• Interpreting elements, organizing, structuring
5. Synthesis
• refers to the opposite of analysis and entails putting together the
components in order to summarize the concept.
• Developing new unique structures, model, system, approaches or ideas
• Build, create, design, establish, assemble, formulate.
6. Evaluating and reasoning
• refers to valuing and judgment or putting the “worth” of a concept or
principle.
• Judgment relating to external criteria
• Assess effectiveness of whole concept, in relation to values, outputs,
efficacy, and others.
Types of Reasoning
 ➢Inductive reasoning uses specific facts or evidence to infer general
conclusions
➢Deductive reasoning begins with general rule or principle to infer
specific conclusion or solutions
➢Analytical reasoning requires examining components or structure of
something
➢Comparative reasoning describes similarities and differences between
two or more items

3. METHODS OF HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT

a. Appropriateness of assessment method
General Categories:
1) Written response instrument
Written response instrument includes objective test(multiple choice,
true or false, matching or short answer) test, essay, examination and
checklist.
➢ Objective test is appropriate for assessing the various level of
hierarchy of educational objectives
➢ Multiple choice test in particular can be constructed in such a
way as to test higher order thinking skills
➢ Essay can test the student grasp of the higher-level cognitive
skills particularly in the areas of application analysis, synthesis and
judgment. Example:
(POOR) Write an essay about the First EDSA Revolution
(BETTER) Write an essay about the First EDSA Revolution and the
respective roles.
➢ Checklist list of several characteristics or activities presented to
the subjects of a study, where they will analyze and place a mark opposite
to the characteristics
2) Product rating scales – used to rate products.
 Examples of product that are frequently rated in Education
✓ Book reports

✓ Maps

✓ Charts
✓ Diagram

✓ Notebooks
✓ Essays

✓ The classic “handwriting” scale used in the California

Achievement Test, Form W(1957)
3) Performance test – performance checklist
▪ It is used to determine whether or not an individual behaves in a certain
way when asked to complete a particular task.
▪ Consist of a list of behaviors that make up a certain type of performance
4) Oral questioning – appropriate assessment method when the objectives
are to:
▪ Assess the students’ stock knowledge and/or ▪ Determine the students’
ability to communicate ideas in coherent verbal sentences.
5) Observation and self-reports
▪ Useful supplementary methods when used in conjunction with oral
questioning and performance test.
b. Properties of Assessment Method
1) Validity
▪ Something valid is something fair
▪ A valid test is one that measures what it is supposed to measure
Types of validity
Face validity – outward appearance of test, the lowest form of test validity
• What do students thing of the test?
Construct validity – the test is loaded on a “construct” or factor
• Am I testing in the way I taught?
Content validity – content and format of the instrument
 • Am I testing what I taught?
i. Students adequate experience
ii. Coverage of sufficient material
iii. Reflect the degree of emphasis
Criterion-related validity – the test is judge against a specific criterion
• How does this compare with the existing valid test?
Test can be made more valid by making them more subjective (open items)
▪ Validity- appropriateness, correctness, meaningfulness and usefulness
of the specific conclusions that a teacher reaches regarding the teaching-
learning situation.
2) Reliability
▪ Something reliable is something that works well and that you can trust.
▪ A reliable test is consistent measure of what it is supposed to measure
Questions:
✓ Can we trust the result of the test?
✓ Would we get the same results if the test were taken again and
scored by a different person?

Test can be made more reliable by making them more objective (controlled
items)
▪ Reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test or any measuring
procedure yields the same result on repeated trials
▪ Equivalency reliability is the extent to which two item measure identical
concepts at an identical level of difficulty. Equivalency reliability is
determined by relating two sets of test scores to one another to highlight
the degree of relationship or association.
▪ Stability reliability (sometimes called test, re-test reliability) is the
agreement of measuring instrument over time. To determine stability, a
measure of test is repeated on the same subjects at a future date.
 ▪ Internal consistency is the extent to which test or procedure assess the
same characteristic, skill or quality. It is a measure of the precision
between the observers or of the measuring instruments used in a study.
▪ Interrater reliability is the extent to which two or more individual (coders
or raters) agree. Interrater reliability addresses the consistency of the
implementation of a rating system.
3) Fairness
The concept that assessment should be “fair” covers a number of aspects
▪ Student knowledge and learning targets of assessment
▪ Opportunity to learn
▪ Prerequisite knowledge and skills
▪ Avoiding teacher stereotype
▪ Avoiding bias in assessment tasks and procedures
4) Positive consequences
▪ Learning assessments provide students with effective feedback and
potentially improve their motivation and/or self-esteem. Moreover,
assessments of learning gives students the tools to assess themselves
and understand how to improve.
Positive consequence on students, teachers, parents and other
stakeholders
5) Practicality and efficiency
▪ Something practical is something effective in real situations
▪ A practical test is one which can be practically administered.
Questions:
❖ Will the test take longer to design than apply?
❖ Will the test be easy to mark?

Test can be made more practical by making it more objective (more

controlled items)
▪ Teacher familiarity with the method -teacher should be familiar with the
test
 ▪ Time required
▪ Complexity of administration - does not require too much time
▪ Ease of scoring
- implementable
▪ Ease of interpretation
▪ Cost
6) Ethics in assessment – “Right and Wrong”
▪ Conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or
group
▪ Ethical issues that may be raised
i. Possible harm to the participants
ii. Confidentiality
iii. Presence of concealment or deception
iv. Temptation to assist students

4. SAMPLING
Sampling - process of selecting members or elements of a sample from a given
population.
Sampling Techniques
1.Probability Sampling – samples are chosen in such a way that each element of the
population has a known and usually equal chance of being included in the sample.
2. Non-probability Sampling –samples are chosen in such a way that some members
of the population may not have any chance of being included in the sample
Probability Sampling
1.1 Simple Random Sampling – sampling is done by drawing lots or through the
use of random numbers.
1.2 Systematic Random Sampling – sampling is done by selecting every kth
element in the population with the starting point determined at random. (usually
by making k = N/n )
NOTE: This sampling technique should not be used if there is an underlying
periodicity in the sampling interval.
1.3 Stratified Random Sampling –sampling is done by first dividing the population
into a number of non-overlapping sub-populations or strata and then taking
samples from each stratum.

There are two procedures that can be used to determine the sample size
per stratum.
1.3.1 Equal Allocation –divide the intended sample size (n) by the number of
strata(k) in order to obtain the number of samples from each stratum (n1, n2, …
nk ).
Formula:

1.3.2 Proportional Allocation – divide the size of each stratum (N1,N2,…Nk ) by

the population size (N) & multiply the result by the intended sample size (n).
Formula:

1.4 Cluster Sampling

1. divide the population into(geographical) groups called clusters,
2. select a random sample of clusters, and
3. select a random sample of elements from each of the selected clusters.

Non-Probability Sampling
2.1 Convenience Sampling – selecting those elements that are readily available
(doing a survey by phone) or those that happen to be in a place at a certain time
(conducting a taste test) in order to obtain quick results.
 2.2 Quota Sampling – samples are chosen based on the judgment or prior
knowledge of the researcher with the objective of reaching a certain target quota
(polls conducted via radio or television).

5. Accuracy
Accuracy Standards The accuracy standards help ensure that a student
evaluation will produce sound information about a student's learning and performance.
Sound information leads to valid interpretations, justifiable conclusions, and appropriate
follow-up. These standards are as follows:

• Validity Orientation

Student evaluations should be developed and implemented, so that

interpretations made about the performance of a student are valid and not

open to misinterpretation.

• Defined Expectations for Students

The performance expectations for students should be clearly defined, so

that evaluation results are defensible and meaningful.

• Context Analysis

Student and contextual variables that may influence performance should

be identified and considered, so that a student's performance can be validly

interpreted.

• Documented Procedures
The procedures for evaluating students, both planned and actual, should be
described, so that the procedures can be explained and justified.
• Defensible Information
The adequacy of information gathered should be ensured, so that good decisions
are possible and can be defended and justified.
• Reliable Information
Evaluation procedures should be chosen or developed and implemented, so that
they provide reliable information for decisions about the performance of a student.
 • Bias Identification and Management
Student evaluations should be free from bias, so that conclusions can be fair.
• Handling Information and Quality Control
The information collected, processed, and reported about students should be
systematically reviewed, corrected as appropriate, and kept secure, so that accurate
judgments can be made.
• Analysis of Information
Information collected for student evaluations should be systematically and accurately
analyzed, so that the purposes of the evaluation are effectively achieved.

LESSON 2: WHAT IS 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. Authentic assessments have
many potential benefits.
Authentic assessments are new to most students. They may be suspicious at
first; years of conditioning with paper-pencil tests, searching for the single right answer,
are not easily undone. Authentic assessments require a new way of perceiving learning
and evaluation. The role of the teacher also changes. Specific assignments or tasks to
be evaluated and the assessment criteria need to be clearly identified at the start. It may
be best to begin on a small scale. Introduce authentic assessments in one area (for
example, on homework assignments) and progress in small steps as students adapt.

Nature of Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessment is where students thoughtfully apply their acquired skills to
a new situation or environment. Assessments are authentic if they are realistic, require
judgement and innovation and assess students' ability to effectively use their knowledge
or skills to complete a task.
 Authentic assessment is "a form of assessment in which students are asked to
perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential
knowledge and skills" (J. Mueller). While we understand that environmental constraints
make authentic assessments significantly more challenging to develop and implement
than other forms of assessment, authentic assessment is key to student engagement,
and we will focus on how to make your assessments as "authentic" as possible. When
students' work benefits real people or organizations, for instance, it often stimulates
students to hold themselves more accountable, produce higher quality work, and make
connections between course content and the real-world.
Authentic assessments: are direct measures; capture the constructive nature of
learning; integrate teaching, learning and assessment; and provide multiple paths to
demonstration.

A. Definitions:
Jon Miller (2011) defines Authentic Assessment s “a form of assessment in which
students are asked to perform real-world tasks than demonstrate meaningful application
of essential knowledge and skills”.
Grant Wiggins (1987), defined Authentic Assessment as “…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 the fields
An authentic assignment is one that requires application of what students have
learned to a new situation, and that demands judgment to determine what information
and skills are relevant and how they should be used. Authentic assignments often focus
on messy, complex real-world situations and their accompanying constraints; they can
involve a real-world audience of stakeholders or “clients” as well. According to Grant
Wiggins (1998), an assignment is authentic if it is realistic, requires judgment and
innovation, asks the student to “do” the subject, replicates or simulates the contexts in
which adults are “tested” in the workplace or in civic or personal life, assesses the
student’s ability to efficiently and effectively use a repertoire of knowledge and skills to
negotiate a complex task, and allows appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice,
consult resources, and get feedback on and refine performances and products.
In other words, authentic assessment allows us to assess how the students will
perform or showcase a skill or use their knowledge in a practical setting.
Authentic assessment is also known as performance assessment, alternative
assessment, and direct assessment.

Types of Authentic Assessment

 Performance Assessment
 Portfolio Assessment
 Self-Assessment

What are some examples of authentic assessment?

Authentic assessment can be either a short-term or long-term assignment for
students. There is no specific length of time attached to an authentic assessment
learning opportunity. However, "within a complete assessment system, there should be
a balance of longer performance assessments and shorter ones" (Valencia, 1997).
According to Lawrence Rudner, authentic assessment should require that students be
active participants in learning and be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills. The
following is a list of examples of authentic assessment that meet one or both of these
requirements - active participation and/or demonstration of knowledge and skills. As you
read through this list, keep in mind that some of the examples will work better for you
depending on your grade level and topic area. Make a note of the examples of
assessment that you could use in your own classroom.
Authentic Assessment examples:
• Conduction research and writing a report
• Character analysis
• Student debates (individual or group)
• Drawing and writing about a story or chapter
• Experiments - trial and error learning
 • Journal entries (reflective writing)
• Discussion partners or groups
• Student self-assessment
• Peer assessment and evaluation
• Presentations
• Projects
• Portfolios
• Tiered learning classrooms
Characteristics of Authentic Assessment
1. Authentic assessment requires the students to perform meaningful tasks in
real world satiation.
2. It promotes the development of higher order thinking skills.
3. It tenders direct evidence of application and construction of knowledge and
skills acquired.
4. It demonstrates application of a particular knowledge and skills.
5. It demonstrates application of a particular knowledge and skills.
6. It fosters role-playing of the lessons learned by students which serves as
show window to them.
7. It identifies performance of students’ acquired skills expertise.
8. It assesses directly holistic projects by multiple human judgement like self,
peer, subject teacher, and teacher-adviser.
9. It trains the students to evaluate their own work as well as to their parents.
10. It is designed on criterion-referenced measure rather than norm-referenced
measure.

Related Terms:
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.
NOTE: Kindly view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_gibuFZXZw

LESSON 3: WHY USE AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT?

Introduction
The question "Why use authentic assessment?" is not meant to suggest that you
have to choose between traditional assessments such as tests and more authentic or
performance assessments. Often, teachers use a mix of traditional and authentic
assessments to serve different purposes. This section, then, attempts to explain why
teachers might choose authentic assessments for certain types of judgments and why
authentic assessments have become more popular in recent years.

Principles of Authentic Assessment

1. Authentic assessment is continuous, informing every aspect of instruction and
curriculum building. As they engage in authentic assessment, teachers discover
and learn what to teach as well as how and when to teach them.
2. Authentic assessment is an integral part of the curriculum.
3. Authentic assessment is developmentally and culturally appropriate.
4. Authentic assessment focuses on students’ strengths.
5. Authentic assessment recognizes that the most important evaluation is self
evaluation.
6. Authentic assessment invites active collaboration between teachers, students and
parents work together to reflect and assess learning (Bridge, 1995).

Traditional Assessment vs Authentic Assessment

 Traditional assessments refer to conventional methods of testing, usually
standardized and use pen and paper with multiple-choice, true or false or matching type
test items.
Authentic assessments refer to assessments wherein students are asked to
perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of what they have
learned.
To better compare traditional vs. alternative assessments, here’s a table I prepared:

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

• Purpose: to evaluate if the• Purpose: to measure

students have learned the content; to
determine whether or not the students
are successful in acquiring knowledge;
to ascribe a grade for them; to rank
and compare them against standards
or other learners
students’ proficiency by asking them
to perform real life-tasks; to provide
students many avenues to learn and
demonstrate best what they have
learned; to guide instruction; to
provide feedback and help students
manage their own learning; to also
evaluate students’ competency

• Provides teachers a snapshot• Provides teachers a more

of what the students know complete picture of what the students
know and what they can do with what
they know

• Measures students’ knowledge• Measures students’ ability to

of the content apply knowledge of the content in
real life situations; ability to use/apply
what they have learned in meaningful
ways

• Requires students to• Requires students to

demonstrate knowledge by selecting a demonstrate proficiency by
 response/giving correct answers; performing relevant tasks showing
usually tests students’ proficiency application of what has been learned
through paper and pencil tests
• Students are asked to choose
an answer from a set of questions
(True or False; multiple choice) to test
knowledge of what has been taught.

• Provides indirect evidence of• Provides direct evidence of

learning learning/competency; direct
demonstration of knowledge and
skills by performing relevant tasks

• Requires students to practice• Provides opportunities for

cognitive ability to students to construct meaning/new
recall/recognize/reconstruct body of knowledge out of what has been
knowledge that has been taught taught

• Tests and strengthens the• Tests and strengthens the

students’ ability to recall/recognize and students’ ability to reason and
comprehend content, but does not analyze, synthesize, and apply
reveal the students’ true progress of knowledge acquired; Students’ higher
what they can do with the knowledge level of cognitive skills (from
they acquired. Only the students’ lower knowledge and comprehension to
level of thinking skills, (knowledge and analysis, synthesis, application, and
comprehension), are tapped. evaluation) are tapped in multiple
ways.

• Hides the test • Teaches the test

• Teachers serve as evaluators• Involves and engages the

 and students as the evaluatees: students in the teaching, learning and
teacher-structured assessment process: student
structured

• Assessment is separated from• Assessment is integrated with

teaching and learning. Test usually instruction. Assessment activities
comes after instruction to evaluate if happen all throughout instruction to
the students have successfully learned help students improve their learning
the content. and help teachers improve their
teaching.

• Provides limited ways for• Provides multiple avenues for

students to demonstrate what they students to demonstrate best what
have learned they have learned

• Rigid and fixed • Flexible and provides multiple

acceptable ways of constructing
products or performance as evidence
of learning

• Standardized; valid and reliable• Needs well defined

criteria/rubrics and standards to
achieve reliability and validity

• Curriculum drives assessment. • Assessment drives curriculum

and instruction.

Examples: Examples:
• True or False; multiple choice• demonstrations
tests • hands-on experiments
• standardized tests • computer simulations
• achievement tests • portfolios
• intelligence tests • projects
• aptitude tests • multi-media presentations
• role plays
• recitals
• stage plays
• exhibits