EDUC

5305G: Authentic Assessment Literature Review

Literature Review

Stephen Miles

Authentic assessment, also referred to as performance assessment or alternative assessment, involves having students perform tasks and activities that can be reflected in real world experiences. Using authentic tasks, students are judged not only on the quality of their finished product but are assessed on their progress throughout the task. Compared to more traditional assessments such as multiple-choice or spelling tests, authentic tasks allow educators to assess the process of learning in addition to the final product. As teachers we know that teaching for understanding is the right way to teach. It is

fundamentally the best way we learn new concepts as human beings, through a constructivist approach to active learning. In simplistic terms, we learn by doing. This literature review will discuss the importance of using authentic tasks in our teaching practice, the characteristics that make up a truly authentic task, and examine some of the criticisms surrounding the realities of using authentic tasks in our classrooms.

Importance of Authentic Tasks Traditionally, teachers were trained to follow a behaviourist, teacher-centred approach to instruction where the teacher was responsible for dispensing information to all students regardless of their learning abilities. In the student/teacher relationship, teachers were given the power advantage. Students were taught to memorize facts and topics without any meaningful understanding of the hows and whys of what they were learning. Assessments like multiple-choice tests or tests that focus on learning by rote and memorization of facts, were widely used as an efficient means of evaluating a students educational ability (Aitken & Pungur, 2001). This rote memorization method of learning leads to students being passive learners, lacking the ability to transfer knowledge to new situations and think critically about their situation. Under this style of learning, students are usually assessed individually using oral recitation or pen and paper-based tests and assignments (Dede, 2005). If a key goal of education is to prepare students for future careers then this method of learning is failing at its objectives. Few jobs discourage collaboration and almost every job requires employees to apply their skills to new situations and solve problems collaboratively and creatively. Most industries are restructuring the way they organize work so that cooperative planning and problem solving are the basic skills that have replaced following simple instructions on an assembly line (Darling-Hammond, 1993). How can it be then that we continue to use multiple-choice testing on such a large scale to assess and rank students educational ability?

EDUC 5305G: Authentic Assessment Literature Review Stephen Miles Unfortunately the answer is simple; this system is a cheap, efficient, and a relatively uncomplicated method to categorize our students.

As part of our teacher training we are told that we need to prepare students for future careers that do not exist yet, that students today will have 10 14 different careers in their lifetime on average. Therefore, our only recourse as teachers is to help students develop 21st century skills to prepare them for an unpredictable and dynamic future. These 21st century skills are not based on the kinds of thinking and performance that are evaluated in most U.S. testing programs (Darling-Hammond, 1993). According to Wiggins (1989), using authentic tasks in the classroom ensures that students are concentrating on worthwhile skills and strategies. The key to any successful learning is student engagement. If students are not engaged in the lesson or activity then they are unable to absorb any of the material no matter how well planned the lesson. Authentic tasks are more engaging for students as they are based on performance and reality. Students are able to make choices about their learning and relate their products to areas of personal interest. This not only improves the level of student engagement, but improves the quality of the work presented.

Campbell (2000) argues that true education is more closely related to wisdom, where learning is governed by critical thought and connected and applied knowledge. Authentic tasks require students to demonstrate skill in a variety of formats, often without emphasizing any one particular skill. For example, a student is required to complete an authentic task that involves researching a topic, organizing ideas to create a written report and then presenting the report to the class. Teaching skills like researching or report writing in isolation can often be tedious and ineffective as students develop little or no understanding of how they could relate these skills to a practical, real-life purpose. Instead, the authentic task allows the student to use a more holistic method to complete the work, with a clear understanding of the practical value of the assignment. Using authentic tasks allows students to more often demonstrate their wisdom by allowing them to apply knowledge and think critically, skills essential to preparing them for the future. Wiggins (1990) writes that authentic assessment presents the student with the full array of tasks that mirror the priorities and challenges found in the best instructional activities: conducting research, writing, revising and discussing papers, providing and engaging oral analysis of a recent political event, collaborating with other on a debate, etc..

Characteristics of Authentic Tasks

EDUC 5305G: Authentic Assessment Literature Review Stephen Miles Reeves, Herrington & Oliver (2002) do an excellent job of summarizing 10 characteristics of authentic activities and offer it as a checklist for teachers. An effective authentic task is one that builds on constructivist theory, allowing students to incorporate their own personal experiences and background knowledge to connect to the assignment. The task is valuable if it is open-ended and ill-defined and requires a significant investment of time to complete. Collaboration is a key characteristic of true

authentic tasks where students share ideas, divide tasks, and debate the merits of different points of view. Wiggins (1998) states that authentic assessments are ones that meet the following four criteria. 1) It is realistic, replicating the ways in which a person's knowledge and abilities are "tested" in the real-world 2) It requires judgment and innovation by requiring the student to use knowledge and skills wisely and effectively to solve unstructured or ill-defined problems 3) Simulates contexts that mirror the workplace or other real-life contexts 4) Assesses the student's ability to efficiently and effectively use a repertoire of knowledge and skills to negotiate a complex task.

Criticisms of Authentic Tasks and Difficulties of Implementation A key criticism of the use of authentic assessment is its inability to be used effectively in large-scale situations, such as in post-secondary courses with hundreds of students in a class. While Gipps (1995) argues that standardized testing is no more reliable than authentic assessment in large-scale assessments, Herrington & Herrington (1998) state that clearly, the evidence is not definitive for either case. From a teaching perspective, a difficulty we face in designing authentic tasks is that it requires much more time and effort to create meaningful activities that align themselves with curriculum expectations. This in turn requires money for funding release time for collaboration and planning. Ideally, teachers could begin to develop authentic tasks by creating a bank of activities and projects that could be easily shared and modified, perhaps in an accessible online format.

Madaus and ODwyer (1999) argue that there are more hurdles to implementing authentic assessment than time, money and efficiency. The postmodern advocates of performance assessment must confront issues of manageability, standardization, difficulty of administration, subjectivity, unreliability, comparability, and expense to work in the large-scale, high-stakes programs that are now all the rage (Madaus and ODwyer, 1999). While they are correct that there are many challenges to overcome for authentic assessment to effective in schools, there are few things worthwhile that dont come without

EDUC 5305G: Authentic Assessment Literature Review Stephen Miles their difficulties. Without question, authentic assessment will be difficult to implement, particularly for it to become the defacto method of assessment, but the benefits to students clearly outweigh any obstacles that we face in creating a better system for teaching and learning. Overall, the keys to successfully implementing authentic assessment are to ensure fairness, validity, and performance, as well as addressing issues of power and advantage in the evaluation process.

Conclusions In this literature review we have stated that authentic assessment is a more effective, engaging, and realistic form of assessment in schools. We have outlined what authentic tasks should look like and reviewed some of the major criticisms against its use. How then should we implement authentic assessment in schools if it is so necessary yet suffers from limitations? We must find a balance between authentic tasks and traditional testing in order to teach for understanding and still, at the same time provide clear assessments that satisfy the needs of provincial report cards. Finding the balance will require the teacher and administration to examine their own unique needs and develop a program that includes both traditional and authentic assessment that is appropriate for their students. The word educate comes from the Latin educere, which means to lead out. 1 With this in mind we examine the role of authentic assessment to prepare students for the future. A fundamental tenet of modern learning theory is that different kinds of learning goals require different approaches to instruction; new goals for education require changes in opportunities to learn. (Bransford et al., 2000. p.131). It is in our best interests as educators to allow for a variety of opportunities that students can use to express their understanding but this will require a major shift in our approach to teaching. Educators need to see themselves not as experts, but as guides, mentors and collaborators who will lead students into self-actualized learning. As Socrates once said, I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think. To prepare students for a wired world, we must allow them to guide their own learning, collaborate together on projects that can be connected to real-world experiences, and encourage them to solve problems using a variety of technological resources. In essence, we must allow for what Campbell (2000) refers to as authentic education.

EDUC 5305G: Authentic Assessment References

Literature Review

Stephen Miles

1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/educate Aitken, N., Pungur, L. (2001). Authentic Assessment. Retrieved 9 July 2011 from: http://education.alberta.ca/apps/aisi/literature/pdfs/Authentic_Assessment_UofAb_UofL.PDF Annand, D. (2007). Reorganizing universities for the information age. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/372/952 Bransford, J. [et al.] editors (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning and Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice. Page 131. Campbell, D. (2000, January). Authentic assessment and Authentic Standards. Retrieved from http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/PDFS/coho103/campbell.pdf Darling-Hammond, L. (1993). Setting standards for students: the case for authentic assessment. NASSP Bulletin, 77(18). Retrieved from http://bul.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/77/556/18 Dede, C. (2005). Planning for Neomillennial Learning Styles. Educause Quarterly 28(1). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolume/PlanningforNe omillennialLearni/157325 Gabriel, G. (n.d.). Performance assessment, authentic assessment and primary trait analysis. Retrieved from http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/directories--offices/administrative offices/assessment/resources/performance/index.html Gipps, C. (1995). Reliability, validity and manageability. In Herrington, A. & Herrington, J. (Ed.), Evaluating authentic assessment: Problems and possibilities in new approaches to assessment (pp. 105-123). Buckingham: Open University Press. Herrington, A. & Herrington, J. (1998). Authentic Assessment and Multimedia: how university students respond to a model of authentic assessment'. Higher Education Research & Development, 17: 3, 305322 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0729436980170304 Herrington, J., Oliver, R., & Reeves, T. (2003) Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments Australian Journal of Educational Technology 19(1), 59-71. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet19/herrington.html Madaus, G, & O'Dwyer, L. (1999). A short history of performance assessment: lessons learned. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80(9), Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20439537 Wiggins, G. (1989) A true test: toward more authentic and equitable assessment, Phi Delta Kappan, 70, pp. 703-713. Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 2(2). Retrieved July 12, 2011 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=2

EDUC 5305G: Authentic Assessment

Literature Review

Stephen Miles

Wiggins, G. (1998) Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.