Chapter 2

Authentic Assessment: Meaning, characteristics and

practices

The terms Assessment, evaluation , testing and marks are the terms often
used in determining the degree of attainment of student learning outcomes. At times
they are used interchangeably, it will be useful to clarify their meanings to distinguish
them from one another.

Assessment refers to the process of gathering data and

information about what students know and can do.

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 which reflects the records

of the students’ learning outcomes.

Marks are reports of the results of

evaluating information obtained in the assessment.
Marks have certain components related to the
learning activities undertaken by the students.

Examples of such components are:

20% for class participation

10% for completed assignments

20% for quizzes

30% for submitted reports

20% for oral presentations of completed project

________________________________

100% TOTAL

Assessment involves review of evidence of

learning such as journal entries, written work, portfolios ,
skill demonstrations, performance in learning activities,
test results and rubrics ratings which covers a period of
time and should reveal the progress of the students competencies . Evaluation on the
other hand occurs when a mark or grade is assigned after a quiz , a presentation or a
completed task.

WHY AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT?

The common practice of using recall and recognition objective the skills and the
knowledge they have mastered. Authentic assessments are products and/or
performances correlated with real life experiences . Other name for authentic
assessment are reformance 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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
 TRADITIONAL 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.

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

 Purpose: to evaluate if the 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
 Provides teachers a snapshot of what
the students know
 Measures students’ knowledge of the
content
 Requires students to demonstrate
knowledge by selecting a response/giving
correct answers; usually tests students’
proficiency 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
Purpose: to measure 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 more complete
picture of what the students know and what
they can do with what they know
Measures students’ ability to apply
knowledge of the content in real life situations;
ability to use/apply what they have learned in
meaningful ways
 Requires students to demonstrate
proficiency by performing relevant tasks
showing application of what has been learned
 what has been taught.
 Provides indirect evidence of
learning
 Requires students to practice
cognitive ability to
recall/recognize/reconstruct body of
knowledge that has been taught
 Tests and strengthens the students’ 
ability to recall/recognize and comprehend
content, but does not reveal the students’
true progress of what they can do with the
knowledge they acquired. Only the
students’ lower level of thinking skills,
(knowledge and comprehension), are
tapped.
 Hides the test
 Teachers serve as evaluators and
students as the evaluatees: teacher-
structured
 Assessment is separated from
teaching and learning. Test usually comes
after instruction to evaluate if the students
have successfully learned the content.
 Provides limited ways for students to
demonstrate what they have learned
 Rigid and fixed
 Provides direct evidence of
learning/competency; direct demonstration of
knowledge and skills by performing relevant
tasks
 Provides opportunities for students to
construct meaning/new knowledge out of what
has been taught
Tests and strengthens the students’
ability to reason and analyze, synthesize, and
apply knowledge acquired; Students’ higher
level of cognitive skills (from knowledge and
comprehension to analysis, synthesis,
application, and evaluation) are tapped in
multiple ways.
 
 Teaches the test
 Involves and engages the students in
the teaching, learning and assessment
process: student structured
 Assessment is integrated with
instruction. Assessment activities happen all
throughout instruction to help students improve
their learning and help teachers improve their
teaching.
Provides multiple avenues for students
to demonstrate best what they have learned
 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 tests  demonstrations
 standardized tests  hands-on experiments
 achievement tests  computer simulations
 intelligence tests  portfolios
 aptitude tests  projects
   multi-media presentations
 role plays
 recitals
 stage plays
 exhibits

Advantages of Traditional Assessment Over Authentic Assessment:

Traditional assessments do have advantages over authentic assessments:

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

Advantages: Disadvantages:
 Easy to score; Teachers can evaluate Harder to evaluate
students more quickly and easily.
 Less time and easier to prepare; easy Time consuming; labor intensive
to administer  Sometimes, time and effort spent
exceed the benefits.
 Objective, reliable and valid  Susceptible to unfairness, subjectivity,
lacking objectivity, reliability, and validity if not
properly guided by well-defined/clear criteria or
rubrics/standards
 Economical  Less economical
 Authentic Assessment complements Traditional Assessment

In conclusion, teachers do not have to select

between authentic assessment and traditional
assessment. Mastery of knowledge which is the focus
of traditional assessment must be encouraged among
students to form the foundation on which will be built the activities that will require
students to demonstrate and perform the task that they are expected to perform in the
real world.