Chapter 8, page 186
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT NOT AN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
This is an essay question on an exam:
Imagine that you are an expert on television,
and you have been asked to testify before a
Senate committee on the effects of television
violence. Prepare a short address to give to
the Senators that tells your position on this
issue and why you hold it, together with an
outline of key points and key evidence that
you will use to support your claims when the
Senators ask you questions.
This is an essay question on an exam:
Write an essay that tells your position on the
issue of the effects of television violence and
why you hold it. Be sure to give key evidence
to support your claims.The item on the right is not an authentic assessment because it does not place students in a real-life activity.
The item on the left places students in a meaningful position of having to prepare testimony for a Senate
committee.
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT NOT AN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
This is an essay question on an exam:
Imagine that you are an expert on television,
and you have been asked to testify before a
Senate committee on the effects of television
violence. Prepare a short address to give to
the Senators that tells your position on this
issue and why you hold it, together with an
outline of key points and key evidence that
you will use to support your claims when the
Senators ask you questions.
This is an essay question on an exam:
Imagine that you are an expert on television,
and you have been asked to testify before a
Senate committee on the effects of television
violence. Prepare an answer to this question
that the Senators may ask: “What were the
results of the 1997 study by Smith and
Engel?”The item on the right is not an authentic assessment because it is a low-level knowledge item in Bloom’s
taxonomy. It does not invoke complex, open ended reasoning as the item on the left does. It also does not
require nearly as much knowledge and nearly as many cognitive strategies to answer the item on the right
as the item on the left.
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT NOT AN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT
This is an end-of-semester graded
homework assignment: Imagine that you are
the editor of the Trenton Tribune in the year
- It is now time to write your election year
editorial in which you decide whether your
newspaper will support the reelection of
Andrew Jackson or the election of Henry Clay
to the presidency this year.
This is an end-of-semester graded
homework assignment: Write an essay
giving three reasons why Jackson should or
should not be reelected.The item on the right is not an authentic assessment because it does not place students in a real-world
context. The item on the left places students in the historical position of being a newspaper editor.