Importance of Authentic Assessments in Education

The report highlights the importance of authentic assessments in education, discussing the pros and cons of traditional and authentic assessments. It emphasizes the need for an open-ended learning system that allows students to develop their own opinions and ideas, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The report also touches on the role of educational settings in addressing real-world problems such as global warming, sustainability, and climate change.

AUTHENTIC
ASSESMENT
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
PART A...........................................................................................................................................3
PART B...........................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
The below report explores the types of assessments. Assessments refers to a systematic
process in which documenting is done. It is done from the usage of empirical data as
per the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs which are used in refine programs and
improve the learning of a student. The report discusses the types of assessments and
their differences. Along with it, it showcases in what ways authentic contexts can be
brought into learning in order to solve real world problems.
ESSAY
PART A
Assessments are one of the most integral part of instructions, as it determines that the
education goals of an individual are being met or not. It impacts the decisions about placements,
advancements, grades, curriculum, instructional needs etc. Most importantly, assessments allow
teachers to ask questions in terms of their own teaching and students learning.
Traditional assessment refers to a conventional method of testing in which a written
document is produced such as paper, exam, or a quiz. Questions are very limited with a number
of answer choices. These choices include short answer, multiple choice or true or false
responses. The most important benefits of traditional assessment are that it allows the admission
professionals and administrators to compare and analyse student scores easily.
The makers to the test in traditional assessment often categorizes questions in order to
determine areas in which students excel and the ones in which they are facing difficulties. The
students’ result is comparable over time and across a diverse and large group of students.
It allows the teacher to provide students with the data in which they want to test
themselves and learn things completely. These assessments increase the learning capability of a
student as questions are short and students are having more time to think about the questions
asked. They are often allocated with a set time to analyse and evaluate the questions asked and
answer them according to their own understanding and evaluation of the subject.
Authentic assessments allow to test an individual’s performance and are performance
oriented. It not only measures the correctness of the response but the thought process which is
involved in arriving at the response is also measured. This type of learning allows the students to
reflect their understanding and comprehension in both breadth and depth.
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It is one of the most suitable methods of learning and testing used by teachers and
students across the world. It allows students to think clearly about the things which are being
asked or said and provides with a freedom to share individual ideas and comprehensions clearly.
Authentic assessments provide a systematic learning and answering methods to the
students where the do not have to go through confusions and face problems related to thinking
and analysing. Today, Authentic assessments are across the world to engage students into
learning an helping them in bettering themselves in order to become better and achieving good
grades. Along with it, authentic assessments are accepted across the world as standards
assessments and are used by the most educational setting such as colleges, universities and
schools as well.
The traditional assessments involve multiple choice questions where the individuals or
students have to select from the multiple provided answers. It allows the teachers to set different
answers for a single question and the students have to evaluate and analyse which is the right
answer. The other technique which is used here is gap filling and true false. Most of the methods
used here are easy for the students and do not create difficulties while solving them. The major
motive of traditional assessments is to develop productive citizens and allowing individuals to
possess a body of skill and knowledge, Schools need to teach these body of skills and knowledge
to their students first before making traditional assessment as a part of their learning.
The students are tested if they have acquired the right skills and in the time period of their
learning through these assessments. It maintains a strong advantage of their learning and
possessing of knowledge. The curriculum of the college, university in the which the students are
studying into drives the assessment. It is entirely teacher structure and no other authority have
the right to make any changes or add questions or answers in the format of the assessment except
the teachers. The techniques which are used by teachers here include recall/recognition, It
provides the student with situations where they can understand what is being asked and answer
things clearly and eliminates confusions and other faced problems.
Authentic assessment in comparison to the Traditional assessments uses techniques of
inventory, peer rating and self-rating. It includes journals, portfolios, discussions and interviews.
These techniques allow the students to gain in-depth understanding of the concepts and the ideas
and allows them to think outside the box. Students are made to do various researches and are
provided with materials that helps me to gain understanding of not just the topic but the issues
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surrounding the topics. Along with it, helps them to analyse and make discussions as per the
understanding of the topic. These discussions increase their capability of learning and
researching as well. Teachers main motive here to is make their students capable of performing
real tasks and achieve set growth and advantage in their field of study. Also, to make the students
perform meaningful tasks rather than just making them answering questions.
As compared to traditional assessments, these are student structured. These assessments
include real-life situations where students have to apply their knowledge and understanding of
the concept. The tasks are determined first and the students perform to demonstrate their mastery
in achieving of set goals and objectives during the completion of the assessment. Students often
learn and gather new material and knowledge while performing their tasks and they tend to
generate new ideas to solve real world problems as well. Authentic assessments are used across
the universities of the world to develop individuals with excellent knowledge and learning
capabilities. It helps them gaining a new perspective over the real-world situations and scenarios.
PART B
As per the above evaluations, it can be seen that traditional assessment uses approach
where students are provided with an ease to showcase their skills and knowledge in their
particular field of study. It allows them to be clearer and more specific with the kind of
knowledge they have gained and study they have done. Also, it maintains an advantage over
learning capabilities and are focused on structure and time period, whereas Authentic assessment
uses the approach of researching, and gathering large sums of data to seek the desire results.
The approach of Authentic assessment is better than the ones used in traditional
assessment. It allows students to think more clearly and evaluate the results of their own and gain
a wide knowledge on the chosen topics. The research which they do provides with them different
information backgrounds and a deeper understanding of the particular area which they are
involved in while learning. It is important that students and learners are more open to the things
which they are learning, along with it, they do things which are beyond their usual learning
rituals. It is an important aspect that students do not just learn and understand what is being
taught to them but they go and think outside the box. It is going to make them seek different
things rather than just being involved in usual learning schedule. Information is necessary but
knowledge is said to be far important in education.
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Traditional assessment is based on curriculum and is bounded with the same topics and
learning criteria. They only provide individuals with the information which their university,
college or educational setting wants to make them learn and does not let them do or think
beyond. It lacks the advantage of making individuals better and provide them with new
learnings. Also, it dwells on the criteria of information not knowledge as the individuals are
provided with the information and are tested with the same. It is important that learning should
be knowledge based but not information based. Also, it should maintain ethics of making
situations in which the individual is thriving into rather then just making them do what needs to
be done. Individuals need to develop their opinions on what is being shared with them in context
of knowledge and information both. Having their own opinions is going to create awareness
within them and would allow them to develop new ideas and critical thinking skills.
In terms of solving real world problems by bringing authentic context to learning it is
important for our education system to be based on openness rather that being in boundaries. The
universities, colleges and education settings across the globe needs to identify which content and
skills their students need to learn in order to find such solutions. Also, in what context their
understanding can be developed needs to be identified as well. It can allow the students and
individuals to make new arguments are create understanding over varied scenarios of life and the
nature of their learning.
The students should be provided with real data and statistics of the problems which the
world is facing. It can help them in gaining an understanding of the situations. Today, our world
is facing issues such as global warming, sustainability, and climate change. These issues need to
be addressed well by the educational setting by providing their students with clear information
and ideas about what can be done and in what manner these students can help to make things
better. The authentic context is the best way in which these things can be done with an ease. The
authentic context deals with major involvement of students in which they develop their own set
of ideas and learning from desired sources of information. Along with it, it allows them to better
themselves accordingly. New research and learning in authentic contexts are going to develop
them as individuals with capabilities to break limitations and set new growth.
It is going to help our world in setting new records for individual development and
resolve surrounding issues with the help, involvement and effort of new age individuals. Along
with it, it is going to develop the universities, colleges, and educational setting across the world
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to be better in transforming individuals and bring learning styles which are growth oriented
transformative. Learning in authentic context can open the individuals in shaping themselves
towards a better future and would provide them with both information and knowledge which is
new and beyond.
CONCLUSION
The above report showcases the importance of assessments in learning and development
of individuals across the globe. The report provides a brief information on both traditional and
authentic assessments. It shows their pros and cons and understand which approach is better.
Along with it, it explains in what ways authentic context can be used in solving real world
problems and better individual learning.
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