Post 141: Traditional Test vs Authentic Assessment

 Post: Do Standardized Test really reflect student learning? What about authentic assessments?

Traditional Testing   vs Authentic Assessment

Contrived                          Meaningful, Real Life

Paper and Pencil               Performance Based

Recall/Recognition           Thoughtful Application

Standardized                     Personalized

Norm Referenced             Criterion Referenced

Teacher Centered             Student Centered

Uninteresting                   Engaging

Short Term                       Long Term



Contrived vs Meaningful

A Standardized test is created by a third party vendor and the teacher has to teach to the test. The Standardized test does not represent what the teacher has taught in the class, and it does not represent the students in the class. Standardized tests can be biased towards white middle class students and may not represent the needs of language minority students. An Authentic assessment tests what the teacher has taught in the class with projects tailored for the students in that class thereby making that assessment more meaningful for the students in that class.

Paper and Pencil vs Performance based

In a standardized test, students use pencil and paper to fill out the test whereas in a performance based authentic assessment, students do web projects, go on debates, write papers and these projects are graded based on that individual student's performance on that project thus making the assessment more tailored to that student's needs.

Recall/Recognition vs Thoughtful Application

A standardized test tests only for lower level cognitive tasks like memory recall while an authentic assessment requires more higher order thinking like application, evaluation, comparison, analysis and synthesis. Assignments that require higher order thinking tends to be hands-on projects like research papers, web projects, presentations, debates, and student discussion of a topic.

Norm Referenced vs Criterion Referenced

A standardized test is norm referenced based on national standards. The standards are based on the norms of how all students of a given grade are doing. It is not individualized or personalized. However, criterion referenced tests are based on the performance criteria of each individual student thereby making the assessment more authentic and more meaningful for the teacher and for the student. The best way to grade an assessment is through a grading rubric which has specific criteria set up for that specific assessment for that specific student/class.

Teacher Centered vs Student Centered

When a teacher gives a standardized test, it is the teacher who gives the instructions and it is the teacher who teaches to the test, while the students memorize facts for that test. Students do very little interaction. Students do not add their experiences or culture to the curriculum or the classroom experience. Whereas, in an authentic assessment, classroom activities are geared towards the students in the class. It becomes the students' responsibility to construct their own knowledge where the teacher guides the student in learning new skills through class projects thus making authentic assessments more student centered such as in a flipped classroom.

Uninteresting vs Engaging

A standardized test is BORING. The only thing I used to like about standardized tests was the chance to correctly color in those circles with my pencil with the correct answer because as a kid I loved to color in my coloring book. Otherwise I did not find the test interesting at all. However, when the class did class projects, group projects or the teacher read aloud to us, now THAT was fun. When the classroom was more student centered with activities not related to a standardized test, then I had fun in class. I remember learning about fractions by having the teacher cut up parts of a cake or pizza.

For me, I don't think standardized tests truly measures a students' knowledge. All it measures is how well students can memorize facts, that students forget right after a test. To me, true learning occurs is if students can use the skills they learned in class many years later or if students can learn to apply those new skills to their daily lives such as the ability to use the 5 paragraph essay structure in writing academic research papers, making business presentations, and teaching the next generation of students the 5 paragraph essay style of writing. Learning a skill you can use for the future to me, that is the true sign of learning.