Authentic
assessment is used in classrooms in order to assess the knowledge of students
(Wiggins, 1990). Through these assessments, students are able to use the
content they have learned in their classroom and apply them to real-world
challenges (Wiggins, 1990). Students use creativity to produce solutions to
these problems (Wiggins, 1990). Authentic assessments use tools such as rubrics
in order to give students knowledge of how they will be assessed (Wiggins,
1990). Students’ success is benefited from usage of authentic assessments.
Use
of authentic assessments have shown to benefit students, in respect to
knowledge retention (Engel, Pulley, &
Rybinski, 2003). It has been observed that students struggle with
retaining knowledge as they advance in their education (Engel, Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003). A study was done to examine
whether authentic assessments could benefit knowledge retention (Engel, Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003). The
results of this study showed that there was an increase of student’s retention
when authentic assessments were in use (Engel,
Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003).
Previous
experience coincides with this study. I have found that I have struggled with
retaining knowledge as I advanced in my education. College was the first time
that I experienced authentic assessments. Not every professor administered this
type of assessment during my courses. However, I found that in the courses
where I had to complete these assessments, my retention for the content was
much better. Having to apply my knowledge to real-world scenarios made me feel
more engaged and gave me practice for application of this content.
One specific
example is the comparison of a required course, Animal Physiology, and an
elective course, Genetics of Cancer. During my time taking Animal Physiology I
was studying this content rigorously. I think that this might have been one of
the top five courses that I studied for most in my college career. Whereas
while taking Genetics of Cancer, I did not spend nearly as much time studying.
However, I can remember a lot more information from my Genetics of Cancer
course than my Animal Physiology course. I believe that the reasoning behind
this is the usage of authentic assessment. Whereas Animal Physiology was filled
with typical selected-response exams, my assessments in Genetics of Cancer were
authentic.
Along
with the positive effects on student’s retention, authentic assessments have
seen to be more beneficial for student success in relation to connecting the
dots between different content areas. In one case study, mentioned previously,
students were seen using this content knowledge, such as vocabulary, outside of
the classroom (Engel, Pulley, & Rybinski,
2003). Discussion outside of the classroom allows for students to retain
this information better because students are applying this knowledge to other
content areas other than those seen in the classroom. For example, one student
was learning about the body system and used the word cranium to describe the
headache he had from learning a lot of material (Engel,
Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003). In the same study, it was seen that
students had a better grasp of using knowledge taught in one content to learn
and discuss knowledge in a different content area (Engel, Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003).
Learning
through authentic assessment has not only helped students to connect the dots
between different content areas, but it is also believed that this has helped
students perform better on standardized tests (Engel,
Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003). The study mentioned above found that
students began increasing scores on standardized tests once authentic
assessments were put into use (Engel, Pulley,
& Rybinski, 2003). The researchers believe that skills learned from
authentic assessments were useful for completing standardized testing (Engel, Pulley, & Rybinski, 2003). I believe
one major reason for an increase success rate on standardized testing has to do
with the effect authentic assessment has on knowledge retention. An increased
retention in courses that are highly tested in standardized tests should allow
for students to be able to successfully answer questions about this learned
information.
In
my observation site, students take county required benchmark assessments, a
standardized test. The average for the first two assessments both have been in
the 60% range. These students have yet to experience authentic assessment
during this course. However, there will be an authentic assessment coming up
soon. This assessment includes constructing a poster that shows a comparison
between a cell and some other sort of system, like a computer. Included in this
poster must be what parts of the selected system coincides with the different
organelles of a cell. The students are to present this to the class. I am
interested to see if by having an assessment such as this, the students might
perform better on the next benchmark assessment.
Using
authentic assessment, students can see not only their success of learning the
tested content, but students can also see their success in a higher level of
thinking (VanTassel-Baska, 2014). As mentioned above, authentic assessments use
real-world challenges to assess students’ knowledge in the classroom. By using
these challenges, students are required to apply knowledge, not memorize and
spit out information as seen on standardized tests. Students must develop
evidence-based ideas using this knowledge in order to solve these challenges
(VanTassel-Baska, 2014). These assessments also allow for students to
analyze these real-world problems and identify and evaluate comparisons of
these challenges and the content taught in the classroom (VanTassel-Baska,
2014).
Not only does
authentic assessment help individual success in general, but also it has been
found that students within lower socioeconomic backgrounds and minority
backgrounds have been more successful (VanTassel-Baska, 2014). This evidence
shows that in terms of an overall educational standard, all students can
benefit from the usage of authentic assessment. It was found that students in
these categories performed better when assessed on their fluid intelligence and
spatial reasoning (VanTassel-Baska, 2014). It was suggested that using these
assessments would allow for a decrease in the achievement gap (VanTassel-Baska,
2014).
As
mentioned above, rubrics are one tool that is used during authentic assessment.
This tool is a list of the criteria that is required in order to achieve a
specific grade (Andrade, 2005). Rubrics are helpful for students to understand
the goals that the teachers are expecting them to meet (Andrade, 2005). Through
rubrics, students know what quality of work does and does not meet the expected
goals (Andrade, 2005). Students can then focus their effort on the materials
that are needed to succeed. Studies show that providing feedback, specifically
on a student’s strengths and weaknesses, can improve learning (Andrade, 2005).
Rubrics do just that: provide feedback for students. By using the rubric
students understand their grade and what it is that they need to work on in
order to improve.
During
my time in this class, I’ve experienced the use of rubrics. Rubrics weren’t
always used in this class, but when it was, I benefited greatly. Having a
rubric allowed me to understand what the teacher expected from me. This was
especially helpful when I did not understand the instructions given by the
professor. During the times that there were no rubrics, it was much harder to
successfully complete assignments that I didn’t understand. For one assignment,
especially, I called the professor twice because I didn’t know how to complete it.
Even with calling her, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. I believe if
I was given a rubric, I would have been able to do better on this assignment.
By knowing what specifically would give me a better grade, I would’ve fashioned
my assignment to these standards. From my experience with rubrics, I believe
this tool to be a helpful one for student success.
Authentic assessments have found to be useful for student success in education.
These assessments improve students’ knowledge retentions, skills of connecting
the dots between subjects, and higher skills. Not only do authentic assessments
help students in general, but it has been found that they benefit those
students of minority and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. One tool that is especially
helpful to all students is the use of rubrics. Rubrics help students understand
what is expected of them and how they can reach those goals. Authentic
assessments should be used in the classroom in order to improve student
success.
Works Cited
Andrade, H. G. (2005). Teaching with rubrics:
The good, the bad, and the ugly.College
teaching, 53(1), 27-31. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3200/CTCH.53.1.27-31
Engel,
M., Pulley, R., & Rybinski, A. (2003). Authentic Assessment: It Really
Works. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED479959.pdf
VanTassel-Baska, J. (2014).
Performance-Based Assessment: The Road to Authentic Learning for the Gifted. Gifted
Child Today, 37(1), 41-47.
Wiggins,
G. (1990). The Case for Authentic Assessment. ERIC Digest. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED328611.pdf
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