Steps to Creating Authentic Assessment

Authentic Assessment:

WHAT IS IT?

Rule (2006) says that every authentic assessment will be comprised of 4 main components:

- They involve real-world problems that mimic the work of professionals.

- They include open-ended inquiry, thinking skills, and metacognition.
- They engage students in discourse and social learning.
- They empower students by choice to direct their own learning.

Examples of Authentic Assessment tools:

- Observation
- Essays
- Interviews
- Performance tasks
- Exhibitions and demonstrations
- Portfolios
- Journals
- Teacher-created tests
- Rubrics
- Self- and peer-evaluation

WHY DO IT?

- Authentic assessments are direct measures.

- Authentic assessments capture the constructive nature of learning.
- Authentic assessments provide multiple paths to demonstration of learning.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Step 1: Identify the Standards.

- All good assessment begins with standards: statements of what we want our students to know
and be able to do. What do we really value?

Step 2: Select an Authentic Task.

- In this step, a teacher will decide how they want students to portray their knowledge of the
subject - matter using a real-world activity or scenario. A task should be chosen for students to
complete that meets the authentic assessment criteria. It should be a meaningful task that
students feel they can relate to and can apply in their lives.
 Step 3: Identify the Criteria for the Task.

- In step 3, you will decide what the student performing the assignment or task or will look like.
What would you like the end product to be? You have already chosen how you want the student
to portray their knowledge through an authentic task, and you must now determine what that
will look like and what criteria will prove student understanding.

Step 4: Create the Rubric.

- After you have decided what task, you would like students to complete, and what criteria you
will use to decide whether or not they have met the standards, you will create a rubric for
evaluation of students. A rubric is a way for you to evaluate what level of performance the
students are currently performing at. Rubrics will be discussed further in this unit.