AUTHENTIC

ASSESSMENT
By
Cindy
Pauline
DEFINITION
 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.
 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
 "...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 kinds of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals
in the field." -- Grant Wiggins -- (Wiggins, 1993, p. 229).
 "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 -- (Stiggins, 1987, p. 34).
ACCORDING TO GRANT
WIGGINS (1998)
 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.
 allows appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice, consult resources, and get feedback on
and refine performances and products.

Wiggins, Grant. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance. Chapter 2 in Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform
and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 21 – 42.
 TYPICAL TEST AUTHENTIC TASKS
Require a high-quality product or performance, and
Require correct responses a justification of the solutions to problems
encountered
Must be unknown to the student in advance to be Should be known in advance to students as much as
valid possible
Are disconnected from real-world contexts and Are tied to real-world contexts and constraints;
constraints require the student to “do” the subject.
Are integrated challenges in which a range of skills
Contain items that isolate particular skills or facts
and knowledge must be used in coordination
Involve complex tasks that for which there may be
Include easily scored items
no right answer, and that may not be easily scored
Provide usable diagnostic information about
Provide a score
students’ skills and knowledge
ADVANTAGES
 More valid than conventional tests, particularly for learning outcomes that require higher-
order thinking skills
 Provide more specific and usable information about what students have succeeded in learning
as well as what they have not learned.
DISADVANTAGE
 Require more time and effort on an instructor’s part to develop
 More difficult to grade
THE END