What Are The Components of Authentic Assessment?

Assessments do not always follow a stringent format but contain certain attributes that link them to a specific category. When looking at traditional and authentic assessment we understand that within each of these forms of assessment there will be a variance in how and what information is asked for, however, there are specific attributes that allow us to classify what model is being incorporated. 

To understand what the attributes of Authentic Assessment are a little better we can look to the model constructed by Professor of Psychology Jon Mueller that differentiates between traditional and authentic assessment (2011).

Traditional ------------------------------------------- Authentic

Selecting a Response ----------------------------------- Performing a Task

Contrived -------------------------------------------------------------- Real-life

Recall/Recognition ------------------------------ Construction/Application

Teacher-structured ------------------------------------ Student-structured

Indirect Evidence ------------------------------------------- Direct Evidence

From this model we can begin to see that Authentic Assessments are focused on a hands-on, real-life directed approach to individualised promotion of HOT skill development for students’ personal and professional futures.  It is moving away from focusing on students’ abilities to retain and repeat facts to building skills and confidences within students to allow for lifelong learning needed for their future (Epstein. 2012).  To ensure this process is happening within the classroom Greenleaf, Gee and Ballinger have produced a simple checklist that LM’s are able to use when considering tasks and constructing Authentic Assessment to ensure that the assignment is indeed authentic in is checking of both student conceptual understanding and process skills in relation to the learning focus (1992. p.8).  This simple checklist is attached below for your reference:

Teachers Checklist For Authentic Assessment

Does The Task Have….	Yes	No
·      Have clear, specific criteria and standards?
·      Match clearly defend objectives?
·      Focus on real world situations?
·      Actively engage the learner as a decision maker?
·      Allow for many ways to demonstrate achievement and progress?
·      Easily embed into instruction?
·      Accurately represent the curriculum?
·      Show progress over time
·      Provide continuous and ongoing feedback?
·      Provide multiple measures of a learner?

References

Greenleaf, C., Gee, M.K., & Ballinger, R. (1992). Authentic Assessment: Getting Started.   Retrieved from www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED411474.pdf

Epstein. A. (2012).  Authentic Assessment Overview. Received from              http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods-and-management/educational-           testing/4911.html?page=1

Mueller. J. (2011).  Characteristics of Authentic Tasks. Retrieved from             http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/tasks.htm