Blog #9- High-stakes tests vs. Authentic Assessments

Just like in a high-stakes poker game, important decisions or consequences are riding on the outcome of a high-stakes test. There is a clear line as to the final outcome of the test; a student either has a pass or fail grade. There is usually no room for error or half mistakes. I am not sure these tests are the best for all students because they present a problem of being bias and un-fair. English Language learners would not benefit at all from these tests because our languages, cultures and mannerisms vary greatly!

Authentic Assessments are "A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills" An authentic assessment usually includes a task for students to perform and a rubric by which their performance on the task will be evaluated.

Authentic

• Performing a Task
•  Real-life
•  Construction/Application
• Student-structured
•  Direct Evidence

Alternative Names for Authentic Assessment

You can also learn something about what AA is by looking at the other common names for this form of assessment. For example, AA is sometimes referred to as

• Performance Assessment (or Performance-based) -- so-called because students are asked to perform meaningful tasks. This is the other most common term for this type of assessment. Some educators distinguish performance assessment from AA by defining performance assessment as performance-based as Stiggins has above but with no reference to the authentic nature of the task (e.g., Meyer, 1992). For these educators, authentic assessments are performance assessments using real-world or authentic tasks or contexts. Since we should not typically ask students to perform work that is not authentic in nature, I choose to treat these two terms synonymously.
• Alternative Assessment -- so-called because AA is an alternative to traditional assessments.
• Direct Assessment -- so-called because AA provides more direct evidence of meaningful application of knowledge and skills. If a student does well on a multiple-choice test we might infer indirectly that the student could apply that knowledge in real-world contexts

Source: http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

My Artifact is an article from "The Resource Room".  It defines High-stakes testing
http://www.fundeducationnow.org/resource-room/high-stakes-testing/
I chose this article because I wanted to learn more about the High-stakes testing. It is a shame that the tests results are so important that they determine what will be done about the school and curriculum. These tests never factor in the many students that have test anxiety which would account for low scores.