Understanding authentic assessment is more than just an anagram. Any buzzwords can be created from a collection of terms.
- AAQ Prerequisite 1 – Content through Context
- AAQ Prerequisite 2 – Autonomy
- AAQ Prerequisite 3 – Realism
- AAQ Prerequisite 4 – Engagement
Content through Context, Autonomy, Realism, and Engagement aren’t enough. They must also represent CARE. Certainly teachers care about their subject matter. They care about their jobs. They care about the young human beings in their charge. However, caring is much more than those elements.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary begins its six noun definitions with “a suffering of mind; grief.” That means it is the first and most common usage, though it hardly seems true with the hearts and smiles people express when they say they “care” about someone. The second definition refers to “a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility” and “a cause for anxiety.” While they sound sad and dark, these definitions represent an important element of the process of assessment. There is uncertainty in the process of ultimately verifying to see if the lessons have been learned and the experience of learning has been internalized. One might like to say that “good teachers” don’t have to worry about that because they know they have done their jobs well. Teachers set the parameters, but students are the ones to work within them. Any good teacher can have a student who falls short of expectations, just as any poor teacher can foster a star. Hence, it is absolutely essential to craft an authentic assessment with components which are not guaranteed to promote success, but one which creates a challenge for learners, putting them in a position to require the demonstration of their learning in an excellent way. Of course, when posing a challenge, especially a summative one which may have no figurative safety net, there is risk that students will misstep. Therefore, care truly is that actively disquieted state of uncertainty and anticipation leading to anxiety which has the potential for grief.
Crafting with Attention
Better still is the third definition: “painstaking or watchful attention” which highlights the importance of the craft of constructing assessments. Speaking at many education conferences, I often attend other sessions. Lately, those tend to be about the plethora of uses of artificial intelligence in education, especially to help teachers. How many times have I heard how AI can do lesson plans for teachers AND write assessments, especially quizzes and tests, which take the effort and time-consuming steps from the load of teachers? I am yet to see an AI-generated assessment which I considered remotely valuable. If I felt there was value in a multiple choice vocabulary test, I suppose elation would overwhelm me at the AI opportunities, but I don’t. Parroting a definition doesn’t have anything to do with knowing the use of the term. After all, didn’t we all think we knew what “care” meant before beginning this reading? I would have to substitute a synonymous phrase — “a labor of love” — into the conversation. I smile and experience joy when I select a question or scenario to add to an assessment which appropriately captures a unique nuance of the learning. No AI-generated quiz could give such elevation to my spirit.
The same joy happens when I see the right piece to match an opening in a puzzle I’m building. A connection awaits and the perfect match has been made. Crafting assessment is the building of many components which address the breadth and range of the skills which must be demonstrated for mastery. Authentic assessment, in a class by itself, is about mastery and demonstration of learning. Each component must be put into practice. Vocabulary is one part, but so is communication. There will be skills and background knowledge. There will be opportunity for adding elements which have not been specified, because that makes the assessment unique to each learner. They are, perhaps, a recipe for success.
Authentic Assessment: A Recipe for Success
As any good baker, the teacher must spend time crafting the authentic assessment before it is shared. This is the essential nature of the C.A.R.E. portion of the process. During this time, the ingredients are secret and very personalized. Authentic assessments are not created quickly or tossed together like a salad. They stem from an idea, which must be bloomed until it is ready. Who would have thought that authentic assessment is so much like baking bread, a staple of life? The yeast must “bloom” in warm water in order to create the process which will expand the dough, giving it dimension and softness.
- Content in Context assures that the connection to the curriculum or standard is verifiable.
- Autonomy affords the learner the opportunity to customize and tailor the experience.
- Realism demonstrates that the assessment goes beyond the classroom for future success.
- Engagement connects the learner with the whole experience instead of a small subset of the work.
Mixing them together creates the concern for the whole learner and the value of the assessment’s lasting authenticity, including the ability to unlock opportunities for extension and enhancement. Like any good bread, mixing isn’t enough. The authentic assessment must have time to rise before being subjected to some serious kneading to pull it in different directions and stretch it to extremes. This process for the teacher is the consideration of how the assessment will be apprehended by different learners. Will it be nourishing to a struggling student who needs encouragement often? Will it challenge a student who seems ready to do anything? Will it remain true to the primary goal of the lesson, topic, or unit, maintaining the integrity of the learning? Will the student be strongly prepared with the skills to adapt to unanticipated demands? If it can withstand that vigorous analysis, then it should be allowed time to rest, so that the teacher can reconsider the assessment over time. A half-baked assessment serves no one.
Vetting Assessments: The Work of Artisans
No assessment should be considered valid without a serious vetting process. Just over a month ago, I posted about processes for vetting assessments (click here). To assure validity, assessments must be subjected to some tests of their own, through the development stage, while detailing and describing, and in the long term.
The fourth definition from Merriam-Webster is “regard coming from desire or esteem” which suggests that we take the time to do this crafting and vetting of assessments because we have a desire to make them valid AND we foster an esteem for our students that we want the best for them. Second-rate is not acceptable. Teachers agonize over details of the work so that students have better experiences. That can happen quickly in the early development of an assessment, or it may happen after a learner is negatively impacted in the process. While we all understand that challenge comes with the risk of failure, it is necessary to assure that the tenets of the assessment itself have not facilitated any of those negative outcomes.
Promoting Well-Being
Definition five addresses the aspect of “charge” and “supervision,” which clearly connect with the teacher-student relationship. We take this time and put in the effort that we do because we know that the experience the child has is “under our watch,” so it must come with all reasonable concern for safety and well-being. Of course, assuring a student’s well-being does not mean giving a good grade because that wouldn’t be authentic. Earning what is fair contributes to well-being and does not inflate or misrepresent the value of labor dedicated to a task. Supervising is a matter of coaching through struggles and helping students to determine causes or potential directions for solutions. Ultimately, the teacher is available in managing the dynamics of the experience for the best interest of the student.
C.A.R.E. — The First Step
Authentic assessment only begins with CARE (content through context, autonomy, realism, and engagement). These ingredients work together to create foundational levels to support students in their growth and development through the process of assessment and demonstration of their skills. This is not about quizzes or multiple choice or quick solutions. Authentic assessment is grounded in the artisan steps of crafting with intentionality and great skill. While real care is the first part of authentic assessment, it comes naturally to invested teachers. It involves anxiety and apprehension because we don’t have all of the answers, but we pose the questions anyway, knowing that the quest for the answer is worth the effort. Thus, we supervise and guide and worry a little about the students who are on that quest, monitoring them the whole way to know that they are achieving through assessment, authentically.
Teacher Takeaways
“CARE” in AAQ is more than the simple word suggests. It is suffering in thought over someone, feeling uncertain or apprehensive, painstakingly attentive, watchful and concerned for good, while supervising.
“Care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/care. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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