Authentic Assessment:

Meaning, Characteristics
and Practices
 Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and
Marks
• The terms assessment, evaluation, testing and
marks are 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. Such information may be
sourced through observation of students during their leaning
activities, examining the results of their learning activities or
testing their knowledge and skills.
• Through assessment, the teacher can find out what students are
learning.
 Evaluation
• Involves the task of interpreting, forming conclusions and
making judgments about the information which was gathered in
the process of assessment.
• The data gathered by assessment are neither useful nor useless
but they reflect the learning process. Such information becomes
meaningful only when they are processed and interpreted as to
how well the students are attaining their desired competencies.
 Testing
• It is an instrument of assessment. A test is an
assessment tool that reflects the records of the students’
learning outcomes.
• It refers to a tool, technique or a method that is
intended to measure students knowledge or their ability
to complete a particular task.
 Marks
• It is the reports of the results of evaluating
information obtained in the assessment process.
• 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 presentation of completed project
___________________________________________________
100% TOTAL
 Difference between Assessment and
Evaluation
• 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 cover a period time and should reveal the
progress of students in 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 knowledge they have
mastered.” Richard Stiggins (1987)
• “Authentic assessments are products and/or
performances correlated with real life experiences”. —
Newton Public Schools
Characteristics of Authentic Assessment (AA)

• 1. AA starts with clear and definite criteria of performance made known

to the students.
• 2. AA is criterion - referenced rather than norm so it identifies strengths
and weaknesses, but does not compare referenced and students nor rank
their levels of performance.
• 3. AA requires students to make their own answers 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).
Characteristics of Authentic Assessment (AA)

• 4. AA often emphasizes performance and therefore students are required

to demonstrate their knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate
situations. AA does not rely on ability to and rubrics ratings progress of
students occurs when a mark recall facts or memorize details, instead
students are asked to on or a completed demonstrate skills and concepts
they have learned.
• 5. AA encourages both teacher and students to determine their rate of
progress in cooperatively attaining the desired student learning outcomes.
Characteristics of Authentic Assessment (AA)
• 6. AA does not encourage rote learning and passive taking of
tests; instead, students are required to demonstrate analytical
skills, ability to integrate what they learn, creativity, and ability
to need to include in and documentation recognition of the in
the improvement work in a group, skills in oral and written
communications.
• In brief, AA values not only the finished products which are the
learning outcomes, but also the process of leaning.
Characteristics of Authentic Assessment (AA)

• 7. AA changes the role of students as passive test takers into

becoming active and involved participants in assessment
activities that emphasize what they are capable of doing instead
tests to measure students’ skills or retained facts has come
under scrutiny because of the limitation encountered in
determining the students’ capability to utilize their knowledge
and skills in work and professional practice.
 What is Authentic Assessment?
• “A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world
tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and
skill.” -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 the
field.” - Grant Wiggins 1987)
 What is Authentic Assessment?
• 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, AA encourages a learner centered class
where the teacher’s major role is to help students accept responsibility for
their learning and become self-evaluators. The teacher designs activities and
evaluates results which provide information needed for monitoring students’
progress and evaluating the teacher’s instructional strategies.
 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, essays, story writing,
and examination results. “Closing the loop” encourages the use
of assessment results for further improvement.
 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 students are 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.
 Diagram of these phases adopted from John
Muellers (2011) of North Central College, Nashville
Illinois.
Examples of Authentic Assessment Activities

• 1. Doing science experiments

• 2. Conducting social science field research
• 3. Writing stories and reports
• 4. Reading and interpreting literary pieces
• 5. Solving mathematical problems that have real-world
implications
Examples of Authentic Assessment Activities

• 6. Performing particular skills/competencies

• 7. Simulation or role playing
• 8. Exhibiting and displaying completed works
• 9. Submitting portfolios
• 10. Submitting original creative projects
 How does Authentic Assessment Differ from
Traditional Assessment?
• Traditional Assessment is commonly associated with pre-
determined choice measures of assessment such us multiple
choice tasks, fill-in-the-blanks, true - false, matching type and
others. Students typically recall or select the answers.
Essentially, TA springs from the educational philosophy which
involves the following principles and practices:
• 1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens;
 How does Authentic Assessment Differ from
Traditional Assessment?
• 2. To be a useful citizen, one must possess a certain body of
knowledge and skills;
• 3. The school is entrusted to teach this body of knowledge and
skills;
• 4. To determine if the students have acquired these knowledge
and skills, the school must test the students on these knowledge
and skills.
 Authentic Assessment, on the other hand is
grounded on the following
principles and practices:
• 1. A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens;
• 2. To be a useful citizen, one has to be capable of performing useful tasks in
the real-world;
• 3. The school’s duty is to help students develop proficiency in performing the
tasks that they will be required to perform after graduation in the work place;
• 4. The school must then require students to perform tasks that duplicate or
imitate real-world situations.
 Basic Differences Between Traditional
Assessment and Authentic Assessment
Attributes Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

1. Action/ options Selecting a response Performing a task

2. Setting Contrived/ imagined Simulation/ real-life
3. Method Recall/ recognition Construction/
application
4. Focus Teacher – structured Student – structured
5.Outcome Indirect evidence Direct evidence
Authentic Assessment
Tools
• If we want students to develop such
competencies as analyzing, interpreting,
synthesizing and evaluating information, we must
be able to assess those skills in relevant settings
and contexts.
 3 Modes of Assessment

Authentic assessment uses three modes of

assessment.
1. Observations which include date and
information that the teacher collects from
daily work with students.
2. Performance samples which are
tangible results that demonstrate
student achievements.
3. Tests and measures of
student's actual performance
at a specific place and time.
 I. Observation-Based Assessment Tools
To make observation-based assessment systematic and objective, Diane Hart
(1994) suggested the following guidelines:
1. Observe not only one but all the students.
2. Observation must be as frequent and as regular as possible.
3. Observations must be recorded in writing.
4. Observations should cover both routine and exceptional occurrences.
5. Reliability of observation records is enhanced if multiple observations are
gathered and synthesized.
 Developmental Checklist

Developmental Checklist is an observation tool

which requires the teacher recorder to describe the
traits or learning behaviors being assessed. When used
regularly during the school year, developmental
checklists give a moving picture of the student's
progress towards the desired competencies.
 Example of Individual
Developmental Checklist
 Interview Sheet

The Interview Sheet is another observation

tool which is also called the conference
recording form. Interview sheets consist of a
list of questions the teacher intends to ask ang
space for recording the student’s answers.
II. Performance Samples Assessment Tools

A portfolio is a compilation of pieces of evidence of an

individual's skills, ideas, interests, and accomplishments. It
can be as simple as a folder of these pieces of evidence, as
fancy as a neat scrapbook containing evidence of a student's
accomplishments or as high-tech as a laser disk containing
stored descriptions, written works and pictures of the
student's activities and accomplishments.
The portfolio serves the following purposes:
• (a) The teacher can assess the growth and
development of the students at various levels.
• (b) Parents are informed of the progress of their
children in school.
• (c) Instructional supervisors are able to evaluate
the strengths and weaknesses of the academic
program.
 What can be included in a portfolio?

• Essays • Graphs/chart
• Video Tapes • Art work
• Audio Tapes • Group reports
• Conference note • Compact disk
• Pictures • Field reports
 III. Performance Assessment Tools
Student achievements at specific place and time are actual student
performances that deserve to be assessed. One of the most frequently
used measurements instrument is the checklist. A performance
checklist consists of a list of behaviors that make up a certain type of
performance (e.g. using a microscope, preparing a letter, solving a
mathematics performance, etc.) It is used determine whether or not an
individual behaves in a certain way when asked to complete a particular
task.
Example: Performance Checklist in Solving a
Mathematical Problem
• _______ 1. Identifies given information.
• _______ 2. Identifies what is being asked.
• _______ 3. Uses variable to replace the unknown.
• _______ 4. Formulates the equations.
• _______ 5. Performs algebraic operations.
• _______ 6. Obtains an answer.
• _______ 7. Verifies if the answer is correct.
 Oral Questioning

Oral Questioning is an appropriate assessment method for

actual performance when the objectives are: (a) to assess the
student’s stock knowledge and/or (b) to determine the
student’s ability to communicate ideas in coherent verbal
sentences. While oral questioning is indeed an option for
assessment, several factors need to be considered when using
this option.
 Observations and self-reports

Observations and self-reports need a tally sheet as

device when used by the teacher to record the
frequency of student behaviors, activities or
remarks. A self-checklist is a list of several
characteristics or activities presented to the subjects
of a study.
THANK YOU! 
Prepared by:
Acson, John Carlos O.
Caviente, Jennie Roiz L.
Gigante, Erlinda F.
Nebre, Christian Rhey
Norcio, Leandro D.