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Authentic Assessment Toolboxcreated by Jon Mueller

Constructing Good Items

Why Focus on Multiple-choice Items?

The focus of this assessment guide is on the construction of tests using selected-response items. (SeeTasks to read

about the differences between selected-response tests and other types of assessments.) One type of selected-response item, the True-False question, proides a greater ris! of guessing ("#$) and, thus, does not typicallydiscriminate among those who !now the material and those who do not as effectiely as multiple-choice items. Thus,the construction of T%F items will not be addressed in this chapter. Similarly, & will not address fill-in-the-blan! itemsbecause they are less common, and because they are e'tremely difficult to construct so that only one possible answercould complete the blan!. &nstead, the following section will primarily address the construction of the most commonselected-response item, the multiple-choice question.

Terminology for Multiple-choice Items

efore discussing the construction of such items, lets reiew the terminology commonly used to describe the parts of multiple-choice questions. The diagram below labels the specific components of a multiple-choice item.

Stem: A question or statement followed by a number of choices or alternatives that answer or completethe question or statementAlternatives: All the possible choices or responses to the stemDistractors (foils): Incorrect alternativesCorrect answer:  The correct alternative!

Guidelines for Constructing Good Items: Eliminate i!al E"planations

&n the preious section on #hat the test should assess, & identified the first step in test construction* reiewing thestandards to be addressed. The items on the test must effectiely capture a representatie sample of the conceptsand s!ills laid out in the standards to generate alid inferences from student performance. So, ma!e sure the itemsthat you construct align with your standards.

+alidity will also be affected by how closely the selection of a correct answer on a test reflects mastery of the materialcontained in the standards. &f a student selects the correct answer to a multiple-choice question, you want to be ableto conclude with some confidence that the student understood the concept. oweer, there are a myriad of otherreasons (rial e'planations) the student might choose the correct alternatie. For e'ample, she might hae closed hereyes and pic!ed an answer at random. She might hae been able to rule out the distractors because they wereimplausible or because other clues pointed her to the right answer without requiring her to understand the concept. &nthese cases the student selected the correct answer without understanding the concept. ou want to be able toeliminate these rial e'planations so that you can discriminate students who understand the concept from those whodo not understand it.

Obiously, you cannot eliminate the first rial e'planation mentioned - guessing. oweer, most other riale'planations can be eliminated or reduced with careful construction of the test items. hat follows are somestrategies to eliminate as many rial e'planations as possible. The guidelines can be understood as either

reducing cognitive load orreducing the chance of guessing correctly.Reducing Cognitive Load/ognitie load theory (and other related theories) recommends aoiding elements of instruction or assessment that

will oerload students capacity to consciously process the immediate tas! on which they are wor!ing. 0 test is a tas!

that requires considerable conscious attention. So, it is important to remoe any elements of a test item that might

distract or unnecessarily increase the cognitie load a student encounters. /ognitie load theory (e.g., $#eller%

&'((1 &'')) emphasi2es the importance of the processes and limitations of wor!ing memory, the leel of memory

that is consciously processing information inoled in immediate tas!s. 0 considerable amount of research has found

that much of our information processing occurs outside of our conscious awareness. That seems necessary because

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the conscious resources we are able to employ to attend to or ma!e sense of information are quite limited. Thus, it

does not ta!e much to distract or interfere with our ability to consciously process information and, thus, oerload our

wor!ing memory.

elow are some strategies to reduce the cognitie load of your test items.

&* +eep the stem simple% only including rele!ant information*

Change To

[Stem]: The purchase of the Louisiana Territory,completed in

1803 and considered one of Thomas Jefferson's greatest

accomplishments as president , primarily grew out of our needfor 

a. the port of New Orleans*

 . helping !aitians against Napoleon

c. the friendship of "reat #ritain

d. control o$er the %ndians

[Stem]: The purchase of the Louisiana Territory primarily grew

out of our need for 

 

a. the port of New Orleans* . helping !aitians against Napoleon

c. the friendship of "reat #ritain

d. control o$er the %ndians

,an asteris! indicates the correct answer.

0ny additional information that is irreleant to the question, such as the phrase 3completed in 45#67,3 can distract orconfuse the student, thus proiding an alternatie e'planation for why the item was missed. 8eep it simple.

 

* +eep the alternati!es simple .y adding any common #ords to the stem rather than including them ineach alternati!e*

E"ample:

Change To

&hen your ody adapts to your e'ercise load,

a. you should decrease the load slightly.

 . you should increase the load slightly.*c. you should change the (ind of e'ercise you are doing.

d. you should stop e'ercising.

&hen your ody adapts to your e'ercise load, you should 

a. decrease the load slightly.

 . increase the load slightly.*c. change the (ind of e'ercise you are doing.

d. stop e'ercising.

 

&nstead of repeating the phrase 3you should 3 at the beginning each alternatie add that phrase to the end of the stem.The less reading the student has to do the less chance there is for confusion.

 /* 0ut alternati!es in a logical order*

E"ample:

Change To

)ccording to the ++ census, appro'imately what percent of the nited States population is of Spanish or !ispanic descent-

a. /0

 . 1+0c. 0

d. +0*

a. 0

 . +0*

c. /0d. 1+0

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The more mental effort (or cognitie load) that students hae to use to ma!e sense of an item the more li!ely acomprehension error can occur that would proide another rial e'planation. y placing the alternaties in a logical

order the reader can focus on the content of the question rather than haing to reorder the items mentally. 0lthoughsuch reordering might require a limited amount of cognitie load, such load is finite, and it does not ta!e muchadditional processing to reach the point where concentration is negatiely impacted. Thus, this guideline isconsistently recommended (1aladyna% 2o#ning% 3 odrigue4% 55).

)* 6imit the use of negati!es 7e*g*% 89T% ECE0T;*

E"ample:

Change To

&hich of the following is NOT true of the 2onstitution-

a. The 2onstitution sets limits on how a go$ernment can operate

 . The 2onstitution is open to different interpretationsc. The 2onstitution has not een amended in /3 years*

&hich of the following is true of the 2onstitution-

a. The 2onstitution has not een amended in /3 years

 . The 2onstitution sets limits on how a go$ernment canoperate*

c. The 2onstitution permits only one possile interpretation

 

Once again, trying to determine which answer is 9OT consistent with the stem requires more cognitie load from thestudents and promotes the li!elihood of more confusion. &f that additional load or confusion is unnecessary it shouldbe aoided (1aladyna% 2o#ning% 3 odrigue4% 55).

&f you are going to use 9OT or :;/:<T, the word should be highlighted in some manner so that students recogni2e anegatie is being used.

 <* Include the same num.er of alternati!es for each item*

The more consistent and predictable a test is the less cognitie load that is required by the student to process it./onsequently, the student can focus on the questions themseles without distractions. 0dditionally, if students musttranspose their answers onto a score sheet of some !ind, there is less li!elihood of error in the transposition if thenumber of alternaties for each item is always the same.

 educing the Chance of Guessing Correctly

&t is easy to inadertently include clues in your test items that point to the correct answer, help rule out incorrectalternaties or narrow the choices. 0ny such clue would decrease your ability to distinguish students who !now thematerial from those who do not, thus, proiding rial e'planations.

elow are some common clues students use to increase their chance of guessing and some adice on how to aoidsuch clues. (& bet you remember using some of these yourself=)

=* +eep the grammar consistent .et#een stem and alternati!es*

E"ample:

Change To

&hat is the dietary sustance that is often associated with heart disease when found in high le$els in the lood-

a. glucose . cholesterol*

c. eta carotene

d. proteins

a. glucose . cholesterol*

c. eta carotened. protein

The distractor 3proteins3 is inconsistent with the stem1 the stem is as!ing for a singular substance while 3proteins3 isplural. &t can be easy for the test writer to miss such inconsistencies. 0s a result, students may more easily guess thecorrect answer without understanding the concept - a rial e'planation.

 

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>* !oid including an alternati!e that is significantly longer than the rest*

E"ample:

Change To

&hat is the est reason for listing information sources in your research assignment-

a. %t is re4uired

 . %t is unfair and illegal to use someone5s ideas without gi$ing

 proper credit*

c. To get a etter graded. To ma(e it longer 

a. %t is re4uired y most teachers . %t is unfair and illegal to use someone5s ideas without gi$ing

 proper credit*

c. To get a etter grade on the pro6ect

d. So the reader (nows from where you got your information

Students often recogni2e that a significantly longer, more comple' alternatie is commonly the correct answer. :en ifthe longer alternatie is not the correct answer, some students who might otherwise answer the question correctlycould be misled by this common clue and select the wrong answer. So, to be safe and aoid a rial e'planation, !eepthe alternaties similar in length.

(* Make all distractors plausi.le*

E"ample:

Change To

Lincoln was assassinated y

a. Lee !ar$ey Oswald

 . 7ohn &il(es #ooth*

c. Oswald "arrison 8illard

d. Ozzie Osbourne

Lincoln was assassinated y

a. Lee !ar$ey Oswald

 . 7ohn &il(es #ooth*

c. Oswald "arrison 8illard

d. Louis uiteau

 

&f students can easily discount one or more distractors (obiously O22ie Osbourne does not belong) then the chance of guessing is increased, reducing the discriminability of that item. There is some limited eidence that including humoron a test can hae certain benefits such as reducing the an'iety of the test-ta!ers (@erk% 5551 McMorris%@oothroyd% 3 0ietrangelo% &''>). ut humor can be included in a manner that does not reduce the discriminability

of the item. For e'ample, the nature of the question in the stem may be humorous but still addresses the material in ameaningful way.

nother e"ample of implausi.le distractors:

Change To

%n a study of the effect of diet on ris( of diaetes, the researcher

can manipulate a numer of $ariales including the amount offood, carohydrates, proteins or fats consumed. 9uring the

e'periment the amount of food, protein and fat su6ects

consumed remained the same. Only the amount of

carohydrates consumed changed. &hat was the independent$ariale in this study-

a. amount of food consumed

 . amount of carohydrates consumed*

c. amount of protein consumed

d. amount of fat consumed

%n a study of the effect of diet on ris( of diaetes, the researcher

measured how li(ely the su6ects were to get diaetes and howse$ere their symptoms were if they de$eloped the disease. To

 pre$ent amount of e'ercise from influencing the results, the

researcher held it constant in the two groups he was studying.

&hat was the independent $ariale in this study-

a. li(elihood of de$eloping diaetes . se$erity of symptoms of diaetes

c. diet*

d. amount of e'ercise

 

&n the first e'ample, amount of food, protein and fat are treated identically in this study, so it is not plausible that one

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of them is correct while the others are incorrect. The only plausible answer is the correct one -- amount ofcarbohydrates consumed -- because it is the only alternatie that differs in any significant way.

Some other suggestions (from Worthen% White% Fan 3 $ud#eeks% &''', p. >>4) for creating good distractorsincludes

• ase distractors on the most frequent errors made by students in homewor! assignments or class discussions

related to that concept.

• ?se words in the distractors that are associated with words in the stem (for e'ample, e'plorer-e'ploration).

• ?se concepts from the instructional material that hae similar ocabulary or were used in the same conte't as

the correct answer.

• ?se distractors that are similar in content or form to the correct answer (for e'ample, if the correct answer is

the name of a place, hae all distractors be places instead of using names of people and other facts).

'* !oid gi!ing too many clues in your alternati!es*

E"ample:

Change To

;ellow 7ournalism is associated with what two pulishers-

a. )dolph Ochs and <artha "raham

 . &illiam =andolph !earst and 7oseph >ulit?er*

c. 2ol. =oert <c2ormic( and <arshall @ield %%%

d. <ichael =oy(o and &alter 2ron(ite

a. )dolph Ochs and <artha "raham . &illiam =andolph !earst and 7oseph >ulit?er*

c. 7oseph >ulit?er and )dolph Ochs

d. <artha "raham and &illiam =andolph !earst

Since both of the publishers in choice 3b3 are associated with yellow @ournalism and none of the other peoplementioned is, the student only has to !now of one such publisher to identify that 3b3 is the correct answer. Thatma!es the item easier than if @ust one name is listed for each alternatie. To ma!e the question more challenging, atleast some of the distractors could mention one of the correct publishers but not the other as in the second e'ample(e.g., in distractor 3c3 <ulit2er is correct but Ochs is not). 0s a result, the student must recogni2e both publishersassociated with yellow @ournalism to be certain of the correct answer.

&5* 2o not test students on material that is already #ell-learned prior to your instruction*

E"ample:

A'cessi$e salt inta(e is lin(ed to

a. cancer 

 . diaetes

c. food allergies

d. high lood pressure*

There has li!ely been enough attention gien to the relationship between e'cessie salt inta!e and high bloodpressure in the media and in preious curriculum that most high school students are already familiar with this

relationship. Thus, your students could answer this question without learning anything in your class.

Of course, it is not usually obious what !nowledge students possess prior to your instruction. So, it may be helpful in

certain courses to gie a brief pre-test at the beginning of the course to determine the leel of the studentsbac!ground !nowledge. That information will assist you in designing your instruction and your assessments.

&&* 6imit the use of Aall of the a.o!eA or Anone of the a.o!e*A

&t is sometimes easier for students to narrow the number of possible alternaties on such questions without fullyunderstanding the concepts tested. For e'ample, when all of the aboe is an alternatie, all a student needs to do isrecogni2e that one of the other alternaties is not true to also be able to rule out 3all of the aboe.3 Thus, an item withfour possible alternaties has now been reduced to @ust two, increasing the chances of guessing correctly.

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Similarly, if a student recogni2es that two of the four alternaties are true, the student !nows that the answer is all ofthe aboe without haing to !now whether the remaining alternatie is true or not. Such guessing requires some

!nowledge of the material, but not as e'tensie understanding as if they had to consider all four of the alternaties.

0dditionally, all of the aboe and none of the aboe hae been misused as alternaties on some tests becausestudents hae learned that all of the aboe or none of the aboe is almost always the right answer when it is used onthose tests. So, if you use all of the aboe or none of the aboe, do not always ma!e it the right or wrong answer.Aenerally, research has found more problems with the use of 3all of the aboe3 than with 3none of the aboe,3 but thecommon recommendation for both is to limit their use (1aladyna% 2o#ning% 3 odrigue4% 55).

&* 6imit the use of al#ays% ne!er or similar terms*

:en if students hae not yet learned that the world is blac! and white, they hae learned that alternaties on teststhat include terms such as always or neer are almost always a wrong answer. Thus, students are able to eliminate analternatie without understanding the material.

&/* If item alternati!es include multiple terms or series of concepts% a!oid o!er-representing or under-representing certain terms or concepts*

E"ample:

Change To

&hich of the following groupings contains only days of the wee(-

a. mercredi, 6eudi, chapeau, 6uillet

 . manger, mardi, mercredi, homme

c. dimanche, mercredi, 6eudi, lundi*

d. lundi, samedi, maison, 6an$ier 

a. mercredi, 6eudi, chapeau, 6uillet . manger, mardi, 6uillet, homme

c. dimanche, mercredi, 6eudi, lundi*

d. lundi, manger, dimanche, chapeau

ecause mercredi  appears in three of the four alternaties in the first e'ample and terms such asmaison only appearin one of the alternaties, students will often correctly conclude that mercredi should be included in the correct answer.Thus, students might eliminate d. as an alternatie and increase the li!elihood of guessing correctly.

The solution is to eenly distribute the different terms as much as possible, as in the second e'ample aboe.

&)* !oid direct Buotations from a te"t in an item*

Students can certainly memori2e phrases or sentences without comprehending them. So, if you use wording in anitem that too closely resembles the wording in the te't, it is possible that students can answer a question correctlywithout understanding it. Bore commonly, students may recogni2e certain language or terms that they saw in a te'tand select the alternatie that includes that language without comprehending the concepts. The obious solution is toparaphrase the main ideas you are testing.

&<* !oid alternati!es that are opposites if one of the t#o must .e true*

E"ample:

Change To

&hen your ody adapts to your e'ercise load, you should

a. decrease the load slightly

 . increase the load slightly*

c. change the (ind of e'ercise you are doingd. stop e'ercising

a. decrease the load slightly

 . increase the load slightly*

c. decrease the load significantly

d. increase the load significantly

hen students see alternaties that are opposites of each other (3a3 and 3b3 aboe), they often correctly assume thatone of the two is true. So, students often eliminate the other choices (3c3 and 3d3), increasing their chances ofguessing correctly. That does not mean you hae to aoid opposites as possible alternaties. Cather, aoid oppositesfor which one of the two must be true. To aoid the appearance that one of the two must be true, you can use twosets of opposites as in the second e'ample aboe.

&=* Include three or four alternati!es for multiple-choice items*

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Obiously, if you only hae two alternaties then the chance for guessing increases significantly as there will be a "#$chance of getting the item correct @ust by guessing. &f you include fie or more alternaties the item becomes

increasingly confusing or requires too much processing or cognitie load. 0dditionally, as the number of distractorsincreases, the li!elihood of including a bad distractor significantly increases. Thus, research finds that proiding threeor four alternaties leads to the greatest ability to distinguish between those test-ta!ers who understand the materialand those who do not (1aladyna% 2o#ning% 3 odrigue4% 551 Taylor% 55<).

&>* 2istri.ute correct ans#ers fairly e!enly among the Aletters*A

&n other words, if students find a pattern in which answers are the correct ones (e.g., 3c3 is usually the right answer or3d3 is neer the right answer) then they can increase their chances of correctly guessing, proiding another riale'planation.

&(* !oid Agi!ea#ayA items*

&f you include items on the test that are intentionally so easy that irtually eeryone will answer them correctly, then

you hae reduced the discriminability of the test. as the purpose to be amusingD Find another way to do so. es, onegieaway question on a "#-item test will not ma!e that much difference, but when you consider all the different littlethings mentioned aboe that could affect the tests discriminability it is best to aoid all of them. Boreoer, you haemissed one more opportunity to assess learning.

 

&'* !oid pro!iding clues for one item in the #ording of another item on the test*

E"ample:

9ne item on a test might .e

The electronic online catalog includes

a. oo(s, $ideos, reference materials*

 . maga?ine articles and compact discs

c. newspaper clippings

d. only oo(s

later Buestion on the same test asks

sing the online catalog, which search term would you use to find a oo( y a specific writer-

a. title (eyword

 . su6ectc. author*

d. call numer 

0fter students see that online catalogs include boo!s in the latter question, they can return to the first question andrule out any alternaties that do not include boo!s. &t is relatiely easy to miss such clues when constructing a testsince we construct many tests item by item. Thus, it is imperatie to reiew the entire test to chec! for clues.

5* W9T1 E0ETI8G: Make sure your items actually measure #hat they are intended to measure*

 $ummary list of guidelines

 To summarize:Reducing cognitive load  "eep the stem simple# only includin$ relevant information% "eep the alternatives simple by addin$ any common words to the stem rather than includin$ them ineach alternative& 'ut alternatives in a lo$ical order( )imit the use of ne$atives *e$# +,T# -./-'T01 Include the same number of alternatives for each item

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 Reducing the chance of guessing correctly 2 "eep the $rammar consistent between stem and alternatives3 Avoid includin$ an alternative that is si$ni4cantly lon$er than the rest5 Ma6e all distractors plausible7 Avoid $ivin$ too many clues in your alternatives8 9o not test students on material that is already welllearned prior to your instruction )imit the use of ;all of the above; or ;none of the above;% )imit the use of always# never or similar terms& If item alternatives include multiple terms or series of concepts# avoid overrepresentin$ or underrepresentin$ certain terms or concepts( Avoid direct quotations from a text in an item1 Avoid alternatives that are opposites if one of the two must be true2 Include three or four alternatives for multiplechoice items3 9istribute correct answers fairly evenly amon$ the ;letters;5 Avoid ;$iveaway; items7 Avoid providin$ clues for one item in the wordin$ of another item on the test2. !"R#$ R%&%A#': *a+e sure your items actually measure what they are intended tomeasure.

 

uthentic Tasks

/haracteristics of Authentic Tas6s

 Types of Authentic Tas6s

 Authentic Tas6: An assi$nment $iven to students desi$ned to assess their ability to apply standarddriven6nowled$e and s6ills to realworld challen$esIn other words# a tas6 we as6 students to perform is considered authentic when 0 students are as6ed toconstruct their own responses rather than select from ones presented and %0 the tas6 replicates challen$esfaced in the real world *,f course# other de4nitions abound0If I were teachin$ you how to play $olf# I would not determine whether you had met my standards by $ivin$you a multiplechoice test I would put you out on the $olf course to ;construct your own responses; in theface of realworld challen$es <imilarly# in school we are ultimately less interested in how muchinformation students can acquire than how well they can use it Thus# our most meanin$ful assessmentsas6 students to perform authentic tas6s=owever# these tas6s are not >ust assessments Authentic assessment# in contrast to more traditionalassessment# encoura$es the inte$ration of teachin$# learnin$ and assessin$ In the ;traditionalassessment; model# teachin$ and learnin$ are often separated from assessment# ie# a test isadministered after 6nowled$e or s6ills have *hopefully0 been acquired In the authentic assessment model#the same authentic tas6 used to measure the students? ability to apply the 6nowled$e or s6ills is used as avehicle for student learnin$ @or example# when presented with a realworld problem to solve# studentsare learnin$ in the process of developin$ a solution# teachers are facilitatin$ the process# and the students?solutions to the problem becomes an assessment of how well the students can meanin$fully apply theconcepts /haracteristics of Authentic Tas6sAnother way that authentic assessment is commonly distin$uished from traditional assessment is in termsof their de4nin$ attributes ,f course# traditional assessments as well as authentic assessments varyconsiderably in the forms they ta6e ut# typically# alon$ the continuums of attributes listed below#

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traditional assessments fall more towards the left end of each continuum and authentic assessments fallmore towards the ri$ht end 

 Traditional Authentic<electin$ a Besponse 'erformin$ a Tas6/ontrived BeallifeBecallCBeco$nition /onstructionCApplication

 Teacherstructured <tudentstructuredIndirect -vidence 9irect -vidence )et me clarify the attributes by elaboratin$ on each in the context of traditional and authenticassessments:<electin$ a Besponse to 'erformin$ a Tas6: ,n traditional assessments# students are typically $iven severalchoices *e$# a#b#c or dD true or falseD which of these match with those0 and as6ed to select the ri$htanswer In contrast# authentic assessments as6 students to demonstrate understandin$ by performin$ amore complex tas6 usually representative of more meanin$ful application/ontrived to Beallife: It is not very often in life outside of school that we are as6ed to select from fouralternatives to indicate our pro4ciency at somethin$ Tests oEer these contrived means of assessment toincrease the number of times you can be as6ed to demonstrate pro4ciency in a short period of time Morecommonly in life# as in authentic assessments# we are as6ed to demonstrate pro4ciency by doin$somethin$BecallCBeco$nition of "nowled$e to /onstructionCApplication of "nowled$e: Felldesi$ned traditionalassessments *ie# tests and quizzes0 can eEectively determine whether or not students have acquired abody of 6nowled$e Thus# as mentioned above# tests can serve as a nice complement to authenticassessments in a teacher?s assessment portfolio @urthermore# we are often as6ed to recall or reco$nizefacts and ideas and propositions in life# so tests are somewhat authentic in that sense =owever# thedemonstration of recall and reco$nition on tests is typically much less revealin$ about what we really 6nowand can do than when we are as6ed to construct a product or performance out of facts# ideas andpropositions Authentic assessments often as6 students to analyze# synthesize and apply what they havelearned in a substantial manner# and students create new meanin$ in the process as well

 Teacherstructured to <tudentstructured: Fhen completin$ a traditional assessment# what a student canand will demonstrate has been carefully structured by the person*s0 who developed the test A student?sattention will understandably be focused on and limited to what is on the test In contrast# authenticassessments allow more student choice and construction in determinin$ what is presented as evidence ofpro4ciency -ven when students cannot choose their own topics or formats# there are usually multipleacceptable routes towards constructin$ a product or performance ,bviously# assessments more carefully

controlled by the teachers oEer advanta$es and disadvanta$es <imilarly# more studentstructured tas6shave stren$ths and wea6nesses that must be considered when choosin$ and desi$nin$ an assessmentIndirect -vidence to 9irect -vidence: -ven if a multiplechoice question as6s a student to analyze or applyfacts to a new situation rather than >ust recall the facts# and the student selects the correct answer# whatdo you now 6now about that studentG 9id that student $et luc6y and pic6 the ri$ht answerG Fhat thin6in$led the student to pic6 that answerG Fe really do not 6now At best# we can ma6e some inferences aboutwhat that student mi$ht 6now and mi$ht be able to do with that 6nowled$e The evidence is very indirect#particularly for claims of meanin$ful application in complex# realworld situations Authentic assessments#on the other hand# oEer more direct evidence of application and construction of 6nowled$e As in the $olfexample above# puttin$ a $olf student on the $olf course to play provides much more direct evidence ofpro4ciency than $ivin$ the student a written test /an a student eEectively critique the ar$umentssomeone else has presented *an important s6ill often required in the real world0G As6in$ a student to writea critique should provide more direct evidence of that s6ill than as6in$ the student a series of multiple

choice# analytical questions about a passa$e# althou$h both assessments may be useful Types of uthentic Tasks

I have used the term traditional assessment  on this site to refer to the many tests that arecommonly administered to assess the acquisition of 6nowled$e and s6ills Tests usually consist of selectedresponse items *see below0 and# occasionally# some constructedresponse items Incontrast#authentic assessments include tas6s such as performances# products and constructedresponse items that typically require more direct application of 6nowled$e and s6ills These typesof tas6s are described below alon$ with common examples of eachSelected,res-onseIn response to a prompt# students select an answer from amon$ those $iven or from memory or

from allowable study aids Typically# no new 6nowled$e is constructedD students simply recall orreco$nize information required to select the appropriate response -xamples includeMultiplechoice tests

 TruefalseMatchin$@illintheblan6)abel a dia$ram Constructed Res-onseIn response to a prompt# students construct an answer out of old and new 6nowled$e <incethere is no one exact answer to these prompts# students are constructin$ new 6nowled$e that

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li6ely diEers sli$htly or si$ni4cantly from that constructed by other students Typically#constructed response prompts are narrowly conceived# delivered at or near the same time aresponse is expected and are limited in len$th =owever# the fact that students must constructnew 6nowled$e means that at least some of their thin6in$ must be revealed As opposed toselected response items# the teachers $ets to loo6 inside the head a little with constructedresponse answers -xamples include(-roduct,li+e):Short,answer essay uestions;<how your wor6;"rdering decimalsLimeric+s and ru/ricConce-t ma-sD another e0am-le C ru/ric!riting a to-ic sentence'dentifying a theme*a+ing -redictions1rief summariesD another e0am-le&eer editing@i$ural representation *e$# enn diagramD we/ C ru/ric0

 3ournal res-onseD literary 4ournal re5ections$omewor+ re5ectionsD article re5ections C ru/ric%valuating wor+ of othersD another e0am-leD another e0am-leSelf,assessmentD another e0am-le C ru/ricSelf and grou- evaluationoal settingD another e0am-le C re5ection6uestion generationD another e0am-le%0-lain your solution(-erformance,li+e):

 Typin$ test/omplete a step of science lab*easure o/4ectsConducting /an+ transactions7tili8ing li/rary servicesCom-uter catalog search,n demand# construct a short musical# dance ordramatic res-onse

,n demand# exhibit an athletic s6illReading 5uentlyConferences &artici-ation *and self,assessment0 &roductIn response to a prompt *assi$nment0 or series of prompts# students construct a substantial#tan$ible product that reveals their understandin$ of certain concepts and s6ills andCor theirability to apply# analyze# synthesize or evaluate those concepts and s6ills It is similar to a

constructedresponse item in that students are required to construct new 6nowled$e and not >ustselect a response =owever# product assessments typically are more substantial in depth andlen$th# more broadly conceived# and allow more time between the presentation of the promptand the student response than constructedresponse items -xamples include%ssays# stories# or -oems1allads "/ituaries Satirical -ieces*eta-hors School rulesResearch re-ortsD another e0am-leAnnotated /i/liogra-hies

!or+s cited -agesReading strategies and ru/ric&ro4ects C ru/ricD another e0am-le C ru/ricD another e0am-leLiterary analysisD another e0am-leD another e0am-leCharacter analysisD another e0am-leDiction analysisAdvertisement analysis1iogra-hy9Auto/iogra-hy analysisArgument analysis C ru/ricAnaly8ing -rimary sourcesAnalysis of -ainting

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ilm analysiseometric analysisArticle reviews1oo+ reviews C ru/ricCase study C ru/ricS-eech critiues-xtended >ournal responses'denti;cation of goalsReading guideseudal contracts C ru/ricArt exhibit or portfolio*odelsD another e0am-leConstructing o/4ectsloor -lans*usical com-ositions&hoto com-ositionsDesign an advertisementDesign an e0-erimentLa/ re-ortsD another e0am-leSurveysData recordingsra-hing of dataData analysisD another e0am-leD another e0am-leAnaysis of statistical use in media C ru/ricReal,world -ro/lem solutionsD another e0am-le C ru/ricLogical seuences%rror analysis&lanning for a tas+ &re-aring for a discussion&ro-osals and criteriaRoad tri- directions*a- construction C ru/ricRoad tri- /udgetScavenger hunt+ewspapersewscastsD another e0am-le%ditorialsD another e0am-le&eer editing C ru/ric&ostersD another e0am-leD another e0am-le C ru/ricCollages&am-letsD another e0am-le1rochuresD another e0am-le C ru/ric*aga8ine covers1ulletin /oards

ideos C ru/ric&odcasts amesD another e0am-leD another e0am-leComic stri-s1oo+sD 1oo+lets#imelinesD another e0am-le C ru/ric'ssue awareness cam-aignsLetter writingD -ersuasive letter writing< com-laint letterAdvice letterD letter to CongressD letter to %m-eror &erformanceIn response to a prompt *assi$nment0 or series of prompts# students construct a performance

that reveals their understandin$ of certain concepts and s6ills andCor their ability to apply#analyze# synthesize or evaluate those concepts and s6ills It is similar to a constructedresponseitem in that students are required to construct new 6nowled$e and not >ust select a response=owever# performances typically are more substantial in depth and len$th# more broadlyconceived# and allow more time between the presentation of the prompt and the studentresponse than constructedresponse items -xamples include/onductin$ an experiment*usical auditionsD grou- auditionsConducting an ensem/le C ru/ricConduct /and rehearsal C ru/ricCreate musical arrangement C ru/ric

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9ance or dramatic -erformancesDramatic readingsS+its Role,-lays C handout#al+ show -erformancesD another e0am-le1oo+ tal+sDe/atesD another e0am-le C ru/ric&anel discussionsish/owl discussionsCo=ee sho- conversationAthletic competitions"ral -resentationsD another e0am-leD another e0am-le#eaching9e0-laining S-eeches'nterviewsSelf,introduction Coo-erative grou- /ehaviorD another e0am-le Also> see

%0am-les of Authentic #as+s

How to Select an Authentic #as+ 

$tep : $elect an uthentic Task

8ote: efore you begin this section & would recommend you read the section onuthentic Tasks to learn aboutcharacteristics and types of authentic tas!s.

$tarting from $cratch: 6ook at our $tandards

$tarting from $cratch: 6ook at the eal World

Workshop: Creating an uthentic Task

&f you completed Step 4 (identify your standards) successfully, then the remaining three steps, particularly this one,will be much easier. ith each step it is helpful to return to your goals and standards for direction. For e'ample,imagine that one of your standards is

Students will describe the geographic, economic, social and political consequences of the Ceolutionary ar.

&n Step >, you want to find a way students can demonstrate that they are fully capable of meeting the standard. Thelanguage of a well-written standard can spell out what a tas! should as! students to do to demonstrate their masteryof it. For the aboe standard it is as simple as saying the tas! should as! students to describe the geographic,

economic, social and political consequences of the Revolutionary War . That might ta!e the form of an analytic paperyou assign, a multimedia presentation students deelop (indiidually or collaboratiely), a debate they participate inor een an essay question on a test.

30re those all authentic tas!sD3

es, because each one a) as!s students to construct their own responses and b) replicates meaningful tas!s found inthe real world.

3:en an essay question on a testD & thought the idea of 0uthentic 0ssessment was to get away from tests.3

First, authentic assessment does not compete with traditional assessments li!e tests. Cather, they complement eachother. :ach typically seres different assessment needs, so a combination of the two is often appropriate. Second, ifyou read the section on uthentic Tasks & mentioned aboe (and & am beginning to doubt you did *-), then you willrecall that essay questions fall near the border between traditional and authentic assessments. Specifically, essayquestions are constructed-response items. That is, in response to a prompt, students construct an answer out of oldand new !nowledge. Since there is no one e'act answer to these prompts, students are constructing new !nowledgethat li!ely differs slightly or significantly from that constructed by other students. Typically, constructed responseprompts are narrowly conceied, deliered at or near the same time a response is e'pected and are limited in length.oweer, the fact that students must construct new !nowledge means that at least some of their thin!ing must bereealed. 0s opposed to selected response items, the teachers gets to loo! inside the head a little with constructedresponse answers. Furthermore, e'plaining or analy2ing as one might do in an essay answer replicates a real-worlds!ill one frequently uses. On the other hand, answering a question such as

hich of the following is a geographical consequence of the Ceolutionary arD

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a.b.

c.d.

requires students to select  a response, not construct  one. 0nd, circling a correct answer is not a significant challengethat wor!ers or citi2ens commonly face in the real world.

So, yes, it can be that easy to construct an authentic assessment. &n fact, you probably recogni2e that some of yourcurrent assessments are authentic or performance-based ones. Boreoer, & am guessing that you feel you get a bettersense of your students ability to apply what they hae learned through your authentic assessments than from yourtraditional assessments.

 

$tarting from $cratch?: 6ook at your $tandards

hat if you do not currently hae an authentic assessment for a particular standardD ow do you create one fromscratchD 0gain, start with your standard. hat does it as! your students to doD 0 good authentic tas! would as! themto demonstrate what the standard e'pects of students. For e'ample, the standard might state that students will

sole problems inoling fractions using addition, subtraction, multiplication and diision.

Teachers commonly as! students to do @ust that -- sole problems inoling fractions. That is an authentic tas!.

See an e'ample of the process of creating an authentic tas! from a standard in the #orkshop below.

 

$tarting from $cratch?: 6ook at the eal World

ut what if you want a more engaging tas! for your studentsD 0 second method of deeloping an authentic tas! fromscratch is by as!ing yourself 3where would they use these s!ills in the real worldD3 For computing with fractionsteachers hae as!ed students to follow recipes, order or prepare pi22as, measure and plan the painting or carpeting of 

a room, etc. :ach of these tas!s is not @ust an instructional actiity1 each can also be an authentic assessment.

See more e"amples of authentic tas!s.

 

Workshop: Creating an uthentic Task

&n the 3wor!shops3 sprin!led throughout this website & will attempt to capture (and model) the process & follow whenassisting someone or some group in deeloping standards or authentic tas!s or rubrics. For this wor!shop, & will beginwith a particular s!ill an imaginary educator would li!e to deelop and assess in her second grade students, and wewill wor! towards an authentic means of assessing the s!ill. ou can 3play along at home3 by imagining how youwould respond to the educator or to me.

Somewhere in +ienna .... (hey, its my wor!shop1 &ll host it where & li!e=)

Educator: & often get frustrated when my students constantly as! me whether they thin! their wor! is any good ornot, or when they as! me if & thin! they are finished with some tas!. & want them to learn to @udge those things forthemseles. & need to teach more of that. ut & hae no idea how & would measure something li!e that. &s that reallyan authentic s!ill, and could & really assess itD

Me: 9o and no. Eets go hae some $achertorte. ust !idding. First, is it authenticD Go you eer find yourself needingto reflect on your own wor!, to figure out what is wor!ing and what is not, to ma!e changes when necessary, or todecide when you hae finished somethingD

Educator: Of course. & do that all the time as a teacher, li!e when & am wor!ing on a lesson plan. & do that in a lot of

situations, or & wouldnt get much better at whateer & am wor!ing on.

Me: That point is well supported by a recent article from iggins and BcTighe (>##H) entitled, 3E"amining theteaching life,3 in which they describe how educators can reflect upon their wor! 3in light of sound principles abouthow learning wor!s.3 So, it certainly is an authentic s!ill. 0uthentic tas!s do not hae to be large, comple' pro@ects.Bost mental behaiors are small, brief 3tas!s3 such as deciding between two choices, or interpreting a politicalcartoon, or finding a relationship between two or more concepts. Thus, many authentic tas!s we gie our students canand should be small and brief, whether they are for practicing some s!ill or assessing students on it.

Educator: ut are second graders too young to ealuate their own wor!D

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Me: 9o, teachers can and hae begun deeloping this s!ill in !indergarteners. 0s with anything, start simple andsmall.

0s you may !now, considering how to assess such a s!ill in the classroom usually begins by referring to yourstandards. Gid you write a standard addressing the s!ill you describedD

Educator: es. &n fact, & completed your absolutely fabulous 3Writing a good standard3 wor!shop. So, see whatyou thin! of what & came up with.

Students will evaluate their own work.

&s that o!ayD & !now it is rather broad. & could hae chosen more specific elements of self-assessment such asidentifying errors in their wor! or @udging if they hae completed the assignment. ut & want my students to beginacquiring all the s!ills of self-ealuation so & wrote the standard with that in mind.

Me: & thin! that is a reasonable standard. our standard may be broad in some sense, but & notice that you arelimiting it to ealuating the students wor!, not their behaior. 0s you probably !now, some teachers as! theirstudents to ealuate their own behavior  during the day. For e'ample, students are as!ed to assess how well they arecontributing to the class, staying on tas!, aoiding or resoling conflicts with others, etc. & thin! the scope of yourstandard is appropriate and manageable. So, lets go with that standard. &f you need to change it as we consider thetas!s you always can. 9othing in assessment is written in stone.

9ow, second, can you assess itD 3:aluate3 is an obserable erb. ut, what does 3ealuate their own wor!3 actuallyloo! li!e when people are doing itD

Educator: hen & thin! of ealuating ones own wor! or self-assessing & thin! of things li!e

•  @udging the quality of ones wor!

• identifying ones strengths and wea!nesses

• finding errors and correcting them when necessary

Me: Those are ery good e'amples. Other ways of saying much the same thing include

• comparing ones wor! against specific criteria or standard (which is similar to @udging its quality)

• or comparing it to past wor! or the wor! of others

• reflecting upon ones wor!*

o does it meet the goal(s)D

o in other words, hae & finished yetD

o where are there discrepancies between the goal(s) and ones current piece of wor!D

o what do & need to improeD

o am & ma!ing progressD

9otice in our list of s!ills that with the e'ception of correcting them when necessary  all of the statements focus onidentifying how well one is performing and not  on the ne't step of identifying strategies for improement oraddressing ones wea!nesses. 0lthough correcting ones errors or deising strategies for improement follows logicallyfrom identifying those errors or wea!nesses, the two sets of s!ills can be considered, taught and assessedindependently of each other. So, & thin! it ma!es sense for you to limit your focus to the first step of evaluating one'swork . Aien that, which of the ealuation s!ills do you want your students to deelopD

Educator: 0ll of them really.

Me: There is quite a bit of oerlap or redundancy in the list we created. /an you consolidate those s!ills into two orthree that you would li!e to focus on hereD

Educator: ell, as & mentioned before, & would li!e my students to stop as!ing me or their parents or others all thetime if their wor! is any good. Sometimes they will need to chec! with others. ut, & want them to be able todetermine if their wor! is any good for themseles, whether that means being able to compare their wor! against aset of criteria or a rubric & might gie them or @ust !nowing what 3good3 loo!s li!e for a particular tas!. Celated tothat, & would li!e my students to be able to @udge when they are 3done3 with a tas!. es, & want them to recogni2ewhen the minimum requirements hae been met, but & also want them to @udge when they hae produced somethingworthwhile.

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Me: +ery good. e should not hae too much difficulty thin!ing of tas!s you could assign your students that willindicate whether or not they are acquiring those s!ills.

Educator: First, & want to chec! on something* ust because & hae a standard for something, do & hae to assess itD

Me: Only the most essential understandings and s!ills should be captured in your standards. Thus, if it is importantenough to include in your standards you will want to !now if your students are meeting those goals. ou will want toassess it. On the other hand, there may be s!ills that you would li!e to promote or encourage in your students, butyou dont consider them critical. So, you dont hae to assess them. oweer, if this is a s!ill you would really li!e toteach and deelop in your students...

Educator: &t is...

Me: Then you will want to assess it, which brings us bac! to your original question. ow can you assess the s!illdescribed in your standard* Students will ealuate their own wor!D Eets start with the first s!ill you described*udging the quality of their own wor!. To get you started, here are a few possible options*

• applying the rubric for a specific tas! to their own wor! on that tas! (click here to see some elementary leel

e'amples)

• applying a generic self-assessment rubric applicable to most tas!s to their wor! on a specific tas!

• applying a generic self-assessment rubric applicable to most tas!s to a collection of student wor! oer aperiod of time

• identifying strengths and%or wea!nesses in their wor! on a tas! or across a collection of wor!

• answering some open-ended questions about their wor! such as

o what do you li!e about your wor! on IIIIIIIID

o what did you find difficult%easyD

o what still needs improementD

o what do you need more help withD

o what do you still need to learn more about for this tas!D

o what did you discoer about yourself as you wor!ed on this tas!D

o if you had >J more hours to wor! on this tas!, what changes would you ma!eD

 

So, pic! one of these and flesh it out to gie me a tas! that would wor! in your class. ou hae 6# seconds.

Educator: hatD=D O!ay, um, how about ... & got it= & borrowed the Fairy Tale 6etter tas! from your Toolbo'deeloped by Gebra /roo!s and 8ate Trtan. They created a good rubric for the tas!. So, & could do the following withmy students*

4) 0ssign my students the Fairy Tale Eetter tas! with a certain time or date for completion of a draft. & will gie themthe rubric before they begin the tas!.>) hen the students hae written a draft of the letter, & will as! them to reiew the rubric.6) Then & will as! them to reiew their letter draft.J) 9e't, & will as! them to circle the descriptor that best fits their letter for each criterion.") Then & will collect their drafts and rubrics on which they circled the descriptors.H) & will @udge how well they hae applied the rubric to their drafts.K) Finally, & will return their drafts and rubrics so they can complete the letter.

Me: Thats a good start.

Educator: ?h oh. & !now what that means when you say 3a good start.3

Me: & mean that you hae described a ery good framewor! for assessing self-assessment in this manner. & @ust thin!your tas! needs a little twea!ing. &n fact, we need to do the ery thing you are as!ing your students to do* :aluatethe quality of your wor!. ow do you thin! you @udge the quality of a tas! you hae created, adapted or borrowedD

Educator: The tas! should align with the standard. So, first, & want to ma!e sure & am really assessing whether ornot students are ealuating their own wor!. Of course, it loo!s good to me -- & wrote it= So, how can & try to moreob@ectiely ealuate the tas!D

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Me: 0 good strategy for ealuating a tas! is to imagine possible student performance on the tas! and see if you canreally determine whether the standard was met or not. For e'ample, if this is the rubric,

Criteri

a< / &

<arts

of aletter

/orrect

ly usedall

partsof a

letter

Omitted one

part of a letter

Omitted more

than one part ofa letter

9umber of 

senten

ces

0t leastfie

senten

ces

?sed four

sentences

?sed fewer than

four sentences

Sente

nce

structure

/omple

tesenten

ces

withcorrectmecha

nics

Sentences areincompleteorme

chanics errors

Sentences areincompleteandm

echanics errors

+oice

?sedcharact

er

oicethroug

houtentire

letter

?sed character

oicethroughout

most of theletter

?sed characteroice throughout

little of the letter

 

imagine a student scored himself a " (correctly used all parts of a letter) for the 3parts of a letter3 criterion, a " fornumber of sentences, a 6 for sentence structure, and a " for oice on his draft. hen you loo! at the students draft,you score him a 6, ", 6, 6. hat hae you learned about how well this student can ealuate his own wor!D

Educator: ell, & can tell that the student recogni2ed that most of the parts of the letter were there, but he missedone part. 0lso, he correctly reali2ed that he included fie sentences. e appears to be aware that there were someincomplete sentences or mechanical errors, but & cannot tell which errors he identified. Finally, the student did notseem to reali2e that his character lost its oice in a few places.

Me: Thats a possible interpretation of the students ratings. &s it also possible that the student @ust guessed and

happened to agree with you on some criteria by chanceD

Educator: & guess thats possible, too. ow could & tell if he @ust guessedD

Me: & was about to as! you that. &f you were there with the student, what would you do to find outD

Educator: & would @ust as! him* hy did you circle 3/orrectly used all parts of a letter3 for that criterionD

Me: Then you can ma!e that question part of your assessment. ut, before we consider how you might incorporatethat formally into your assessment, lets go bac! to the way you originally described it. Simply as!ing your students toapply the rubric to their drafts is a good tas! in itself. &t may not tell you formally whether or not they are meeting thestandard, but it seres as good practice for this s!ill. 0nd with any s!ill, you would want to gie them feedbac! on it.So, you could gie them your ratings on the rubric and as! them to compare them with their own. ith second

graders, it may not be ery helpful @ust to see your ratings without some assistance. ut you could

• meet with some or all of your students indiidually to share your ratings and as! some questions li!e you

mentioned (they can also be inited to as! you questions about how you arried at your ratings so you canmodel that thought process)

• assign the students to pairs in which they help each other compare their ratings to yours to see if they can

figure out why there is a discrepancy for one or more of the criteria

• as! them to pic! one criterion where your rating differed from theirs and then carefully reiew their draft for

that criterion again

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y simply as!ing your students to apply the rubric and e'amining their ratings you will get some sense of how wellthey are @udging their own wor!. ou may notice certain patterns such as they all seem to be able to determine if they

hae included enough sentences, but they are quite poor at @udging whether their character has used a consistentoice. So, as an informal assessment, & thin! your tas! (and its many possible ariations) should gie you some usefulinformation and proide some good practice in the s!ill of self-assessment.

oweer, if you want to draw more alid inferences about how well the students are meeting your standard, you willneed to collect eidence that more clearly indicates how well your students are ealuating their own wor!. :arlier, yousaid you could help determine if students were @ust guessing when they applied the rubric by as!ing them follow-upquestions. ow might we include such questions as part of the tas!D

Educator: For a more formal assessment, & could gie the students the rubric at the top of a sheet with a fewquestions at the bottom. 0fter they apply the rubric to their drafts, the students could be directed to answer thequestions. For e'ample, & could gie them one of the following sheets*

4)

  =e$iew the ruric elow.

  Then re$iew your draft of the fairy tale letter.

  2ircle the descriptors Bsuch as correctly used all parts of a letterC that est descrie your draft.

  @inally, answer the 4uestions elow the ruric.

The =uric

@or each criterion in the rubric above# explain why you circled the level *1# &# or0 you did'arts of a letter

 +umber of sentences

 <entence structure

 Hoice

 

>)

  =e$iew the ruric elow.

  Then re$iew your draft of the fairy tale letter.

  2ircle the descriptors Bsuch as correctly used all parts of a letterC that est descrie your draft.

  @inally, answer the 4uestions elow the ruric.

The =uric

&hich rating that you 6ust circled in the ruric do you feel mostconfident aout- Tell me why.

 

&hich rating that you 6ust circled in the ruric do you feel leastconfident aout- Tell me why.

 

=e$iew the ruric elow.

  Then re$iew your draft of the fairy tale letter.

  2ircle the descriptors Bsuch as correctly used all parts of a letterC that est descrie your draft.

  @inally, answer the 4uestion elow the ruric.

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The =uric

>ic( one criterion that you rated the lowest in the ruric ao$e. &hat could you do in your letter draft to mo$e

you up to the ne't le$el in the ruric for that criterion-

 

Me: Those are ery good questions. & would feel more confident about assessing a students ability to ealuate hiswor! if, in addition to completing the rubric, he also had to answer one or more of those questions. ou willhae made his thinking visible so you can more easily discern whether he arried at his answer through guessing orthrough genuine reflection on his leel of performance.

:ngaging in such self-assessment, particularly with some thoughtful reflection, is not an easy tas! by any means, andparticularly not for second graders. S!ill deelopment requires careful scaffolding. So, we must assume that

administering an assessment such as one of these for your students would come only after considerable practice withthe s!ill. Furthermore, practice should follow significant teacher modeling. For e'ample, you could write a fairy taleletter, intentionally including some stronger and wea!er parts. Then, you would wal! through the rubric with yourstudents to illustrate how to apply the rubric. ou could model it yourself, or you could inite their participation in theprocess. Similarly, as!ing students to apply a rubric to someone elses wor!, whether another students in the class ora moc! sample you proide them, should also proide good practice.

0lternatiely, some teachers proide students with samples of what specific descriptors might loo! li!e. For e'ample,you might share e'amples of what a " or a 6 or a 4 loo!s li!e for the criterion of +oice for the Fairy Tale Eetter tas!.

Of course, een if students ta!e the tas! seriously and attempt to fairly @udge their wor!, they still may hae greatdifficulty doing so. For e'ample, one of the criteria in the aboe rubric is 3sentence structure,3 and applying thatcriterion means @udging if the sentences are complete and the mechanics are free from errors. That is not always easyfor good writers1 how will wea! writers !nowD 0n interesting article by 2unning et al* 755/; entitled, AWhypeople fail to recogni4e their o#n incompetence%A describes research finding that 3...poor performers are doublycursed* Their lac! of s!ill depries them not only of the ability to produce correct responses, but also of the e'pertisenecessary to surmise that they are not producing them3 (p. 56). Thus, before many of our students can effectielyealuate their own wor! we need to equip them with the meta-cognitie s!ills of thin!ing about how they wouldaccomplish that tas!.

&n other words, how  would good or wea! writers determine if their writing contains mechanical errorsD &f they cannot

do that, they cannot yet apply that criterion in the rubric. So, another question we might as! a second grader or asi'th grader or a high school senior when applying a rubric to a tas! is

• ow will you determine which leel of that criterion applies to your wor!D

Of course, the easy answer to that is 3as! my teacher,3 and we are bac! where we started this whole discussion= ut,

if we teach and model the meta-cognitie strategies underlying good self-assessment, then eentually we should getsome intelligent answers to that question, and better self-assessment, and better performance.

So, what do you thin!D /ould you feasibly assess how well your students could ealuate their own wor!D

Educator: & thin! so. 0t least & am much more confident about it than when we started. &t will definitely ta!e a lot ofpractice and feedbac! and reflection.

Me: &s it worth the timeD

Educator: Gefinitely. &nstead of spending all that time as!ing my students to learn to apply criteria to their wor! andthen giing them assessments on it, & could hae them deote more time to wor!ing on their fairy tale letter, fore'ample. ut, in the long run, & beliee they will produce better wor! if they can confidently critique it themseles,they will acquire a truly aluable s!ill that they can apply to almost eery facet of their lies, and & may een saetime if they become more efficient at producing good wor!.

Me: ou sold me. ut, you !now whatD e are not done yet. :ons ago, or wheneer we started this conersation, youalso said you would li!e your students to acquire a related ability* The ability to @udge when their wor! is 3done.3 e

will try to !eep this brief, but lets see if we can come up with a tas! or two to assess that s!ill.

Educator: O!ay. our turn. oue got 4" seconds. Ao=

Me: hatD=D=D By...mind...is...blan!...oh, here we go. efore students turn in a particular assignment, and, perhaps,after reiewing the assignment rubric, gie them one of the following sheets*

=ave you completed the requirements of Assi$nment .G es +oIf not# what do you still need to do to complete the assi$nmentG

7/25/2019 Authentic Assessment Toolbox

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/authentic-assessment-toolbox 19/19

 

=ave you completed Assi$nment . wellG

 es +oIf you said es# how do you 6now it is 4nished and it is done wellG

 If you said +o# how do you 6now it is not 4nished or not yet done wellGorIf you said +o# what still needs to be improvedGorIf you said +o# how will you 6now when it is done wellG

 

Educator: 0t this point, my students would hae a hard time answering those questions. et, as you said, you haeto start somewhere. & could definitely model answers to those questions, and & would gie my students plenty ofpractice, feedbac! and opportunity for reflection on these s!ills. The tas!s we created should help me teach mystudents self-assessment s!ills and proide me a tool for assessing the standard. So, are we done hereD

Me: One more thing... e created some possible tas!s, but for a formal assessment of the s!ill you would need someway to score your students performance.

Educator: 0 rubricD

Me: Thats one possibility. 0uthentic assessments are not required to include a rubric1 some do, some dont. ut wewill sae rubrics for a rubric wor!shop. To get your thin!ing started in that direction & @ust want to as! you to brieflyidentify a few of the criteria you would loo! for in your students efforts on these tas!s. hat would be thecharacteristics of good performance on your first self-assessment tas! that you might measureD

Educator: & would probably loo! for the following indicators*

• Gid the students select the appropriate descriptors in the rubric for their draftsD

• For the first two sheets, did they proide reasonable @ustification for their choicesD

•

Or, for the last sheet, did their answer indicate a good grasp of their deficienciesD

Me: +ery nice. ere done= Oh, could you grab that sheet of paper on the table.