The purpose of assessment is to gather valid information
that guides instruction to benefit the student’s learning. The idea behind authentic assessments
is to have students demonstrate their knowledge in ways that are much more
applicable to life outside of school. Standardized testing, on the other hand,
is a more narrowly focused assessment tool.
By varying forms of assessment, it is easier to balance preparation for
state-mandated End of Grade tests, yet keeping student learning more
authentic.
When using traditional assessments like tests or
quizzes, I incorporate open-ended questions and higher-level questions that are
more real-world. Other assessments that we use in our class include
technology-based assessments, inquiry-based projects, choice boards/tic-tac-toe
boards, journal entries in their interactive student notebooks, foldables,
graphic organizers, tickets-out-the-door, formative assessments such as “thumbs
up” or whiteboard “Show What You Know,” and student choice to exhibit their
creativity. We are constantly assessing, whether it be formally or
informally. Pre-assessments are extremely crucial when customizing
instruction and for making modifications for gifted students in order to
prepare them for state assessments and individualized learning. In our
class, we use technology such as Kahoot or Padlet to quickly assess the
students’ understanding.
To establish and encourage rigorous assessments for
the gifted learner, high expectations from the student and the teacher are
essential. In my experience, gifted students respond more positively to
high expectations when they find value in the tasks they are completing, such
as in authentic assessments. I feel that motivation and engagement are
linked together, and are critical in developing successful students. By
incorporating authentic assessments linked to the students’ interests, student
motivation and engagement increases. In addition to high expectations,
gifted students need encouragement to help them fulfill these
expectations. A sense of belonging and a respectful environment are
essential for gifted learners to succeed. Authentic assessments that
provide student choice are a powerful motivator for the gifted learner.
To maintain opportunities for rigor, gifted students must be given the
opportunity to help design the content or process and product rather than just
completing a teacher-created assignment. In our classroom, students
are given the opportunity to explore their own interests through inquiry-based
projects. By choosing topics that interest them, the students delve into
their assessments with greater complexity and depth, therefore making their
learning more meaningful.
Blending authentic assessment activities with
opportunities to better prepare the students for End-of-Grade testing occurs
daily in our classroom. Other than
formal assessments, I constantly assess the students informally through class
discussions that center around questioning, with a focus on higher-level
thinking skills. While utilizing question stems from Bloom’s Taxonomy is
important for all students, it is especially critical to implement a class
atmosphere for gifted students wherein constant high-level questioning
occurs. The complexity of high-level thinking should be raised for gifted
learners and questions should be relevant to real world situations to challenge
them. This helps prepare them for their
state tests as well as keep their learning authentic.
Beyond the simple recalling of answers, more
complex assessments evoke answers that are beyond grade level.
Assessments that we use in our class include inquiry-based projects, individual
and group activities that encourage creativity and greater depth.
Students also create journal entries, detailed graphic organizers and foldables
to demonstrate their knowledge. Many of the assignments, such as their
choice boards, encourage student choice of assessment. I think that when I
organize instruction
around assignments that demand higher order thinking, in-depth understanding,
and make a connection to the students’ lives beyond school, the students
produce more intellectually complex work, therefore preparing them for state
mandated tests. Assignments calling for
more authentic, real-world concepts help to improve student scores on
End-of-Grade testing. Unlike
standardized testing, authentic assessments are student-centered and allow
students to demonstrate their knowledge in a way that best suits them. Authentic assessments provide more
opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding than a
standardized test does; can give me more direct evidence about how he/she
arrives at an answer; and takes some of the guesswork out of trying to understand
how much they have really learned. As a
result, authentic assessments are better indicators of student learning than
state mandated tests.
Campbell, D. (2000). Authentic Assessment and
Authentic Standards. Phi Delta Kappan, 405-407.
Kingore, B. (Winter 2011). Differentiating
Instruction to Promote Rigor and Engagement for Advanced and Gifted Students. Tempo,
XXXI (3), 9-15.
Tomlinson, C. (1997). It Means to Teach Gifted
Learners Well. Instructional Leader. Retrieved July 12, 2015, from
http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/what-it-means-teach-gifted-learners-well
