Authentic Assessment Strategies And Practices

Running head: AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES

Authentic assessment strategies and practices Benjamin Stewart June 2008

Authentic Assessment

2

Abstract This essay discusses authentic assessment strategies and practices from both an instructional leadership and teacher viewpoint. Instructional leaders who model formative-types of reflective support allow teachers to transfer that same knowledge into the classroom. Authentic assessment for learners provides the means for facilitating the novice’s journey to a more expert level of proficiency. Since authentic assessment is based on real-world experiences, learners explore meaningful learnings that have not only current appeal but also long-lasting benefits for future pursuits. Instructional leaders who plan, implement, and monitor assessment strategies and practices are better prepared to provide the support needed in order to assure its success.

Authentic Assessment

3

Authentic assessment strategies and practices Authentic assessment strategies and practices provide learners with meaningful learning experiences that offer a more real-world application. The teacher-student relationship takes on more of an expert-novice dynamic that allows to a more collaborate, collegial partnership. This same partnership emulates that of the principal-teacher relationship as well. Instead of the principal give direct post-conference feedback that pushes teachers to change behavior, a more reflective approach is sought after so that teachers make the personal choice to change. For new authentic assessment strategies and practices to be implemented and monitored, the instructional leader much first communicate clearly what the school-wide objectives are so that changes in teaching techniques have a purpose and reasoning. School-wide objectives In order for instructional leaders to be affective, school-wide objectives pertaining to authentic assessment strategies and practices should be presented to the entire staff in an ongoing manner. An overall philosophy, mission and vision statement, and core value system that stress the importance of authentic assessment provide the groundwork from which teachers to start. Staff development meetings that focus on belief statements, for example, are a good way for an instructional leader to understand current educational philosophies among teachers. Collaborating with staff on why the school exists can better cultivate a mission statement that incorporates authentic assessment in an interdisciplinary way. Working on a common vision statement with staff empowers others to take on a teacher-leader role in achieving projected goals. Delegating responsibility throughout the staff provides the infrastructure to better promote core values that the school treasures. Collegiality between instructional leader and staff afford an active pursuit towards objectives that include more authentic assessment strategies and

Authentic Assessment practices both within and outside the classroom. Taking a bottom-up approach to establishing school-wide objectives gives teachers voice in expressing personal perspectives and beliefs in how the school is planning for future improvement. But a bottom-up approach can have its drawbacks should staff and instructional leaders have opposing views. Instructional leaders often must take on a change agent role when staff fails to share common educational beliefs. If after a staff development meeting, the staff tends to favor a perennial educational philosophy and the intent of the principal is to pursue a more existential educational philosophy, then conflict could result. Wiles and Bondi list perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism as the five major educational philosophies, each having the following criteria: ontology, epistemology, axiology, reality, teacher and student roles, and school attitude toward change (2007, p.43). These criteria have a large impact on the perceived value of implementing authentic assessment in the classroom. For example, if staff feels that the role of the student is to passively receive information from the “sage” - teacher (i.e., perennialism), then authentic assessment takes on a different meaning than if the student plays an active role in the learning process whereby the teacher coaches the student through the learning process (i.e., experimentalism). When planning for change, the instructional leader must provide research-based evidence that new strategies and practices result in improved learner outcomes. That providing the proper teaching context allows for more authentic assessment strategies and practices to take place. Modeling new strategies and practices is also an important step in assuring that staff has the support and direction they need to achieve the objectives. McEwan’s second step to effective instructional leadership calls for instructional leaders to “be an instructional resource for your staff” (2003, p. 33). Being an “instructional

4

Authentic Assessment

5

resource” also is a vital element to the implementation stage of assessment strategy and practice techniques. Authentic Assessment Strategy and Practice Implementation Implementation of authentic assessment strategies and practices requires a level of reflective practice that is brought about by supportive supervision. Gupton mentions that “reflective practice, supportive supervision, cooperative team-based evaluation, and work-study groups are forms of authentic school processes (as opposed to event-oriented staff development that occurs on occasion rather than routinely) that can be powerful tools for sharpening staff’s, teachers’, and administrators’ skills and performance” (2003, p.96). Thus, authentic assessment occurs at two levels. Authentic assessment at the supervisor level entails a formative attempt on the part of the principal to modify teacher performance by providing the necessary reflectivetype questioning that allows teachers to change future teaching practices on their own. This is contrary to many who believe that a direct approach to postconference feedback is preferred (i.e., directly telling a teacher to assess students in a different way). At the teacher level, authentic assessment mirrors the collegiality relationship established between teacher and principal in that teachers act as a facilitator, coach, or mentor that assists the novice to achieve a particular goal. Authentic assessment that relates to real-world experiences provides what Dewey calls “educative” experience; that is, experience that has “an immediate aspect of agreeableness” and that has “influence upon later experiences” (1938, pp. 25-26). Instructional leaders model authentic assessment by implementing best practices through collaborative and collegial learning communities that are built on trust and creativity. Once new practices are within the implementation stage, instructional leaders must then monitor assessment strategies and practices in order to drive future improvements.

Authentic Assessment

6

Assessing Assessment Strategies and Practices When assessing assessment strategies and practices implemented by teachers, instructional leaders rely on a variety of elicited-based evidence that gauges how effective and efficient techniques are for improving student achievement. Formative and summative forms of assessment help staff, as they do with learners, to evaluate past performance and to direct future efforts towards higher quality educational designs. For example, reflective postconferences can act more as a formative assessment if the instructional leader provides the means for selfreflection without fear of any negative impact on any post teacher evaluations. In contrast, yearly evaluations (i.e., summative assessment) are used to assess past performance and usually are judgmental in nature. In addition to conferences and yearly evaluations, instructional leaders may seek evidence from the participation in staff development meetings, educational conferences, and teacher-leader roles in assessing instructional techniques that foster authentic assessment in the classroom. The ultimate test in assessing assessment strategies and practices is monitoring learners’ achievement through randomized testing and reviewing students’ work. Assessing strategies and practices that involve formative and summative-type assessments have one clear objective – improved student achievement. Formal testing, such as standardized tests, is not the only means of monitoring strategies and practices. Informal testing (e.g., academic prompts, observations, instructional conversations, etc.) also provide additional evidence of how new strategies and practices are working. Monitoring the learning process and product outcomes offer additional means for evaluating best practices as teachers, students, and instructional leaders each play their role in the overall learning community.

Authentic Assessment

7

Conclusion Creating authentic assessment scenarios provides the means for the expert and novice (i.e., teacher and student) to interact within real-world experiences. Experiences that are seen as agreeable by the expert and novice and are seen as having some future benefit are considered to be more worthwhile and of lasting benefit. To better assure that such experiences take place both inside and outside the classroom, instructional leaders assume the role as change agents in order to rally the staff into new directions. Carefully explicit goals help clarify the reasoning for the change and help staff realize the necessity of such a change. Once a plan has been communicated, the implementation stage takes the staff through the new teaching practices through a supportive supervisory relationship with the principal. A collaborative learning environment allows for teachers to take risks without fear of having negative observations during a subsequent evaluation. As the implementation stage is underway, the instructional leader is also monitoring its progress. Assessing the assessment practices through formative means allows the instructional leader to base future actions on current teaching events. This ongoing process continues as authentic strategies and practices are improved over time. The file test is determining whether authentic assessments are having a positive impact on student achievement. Formal and informal assessment should contain a variety of evidence in this regard. Having a plan for implementing and monitoring authentic assessment strategies and practices cultivates the learning environment so that all learners have a voice and are able to actively participate in the learning process.

Authentic Assessment References Dewey, J. (1938). Experience & Education. New York, NY: Touchstone. Gupton, S. (2003). The Instructional Leadership Toolbox: A Handbook for Improving Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. McEwan, E. (2003). 7 Steps to Effective Instructional Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Wiles, J. and Bondi, J. (2007). Curriculum Development: A guide to practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

8