Introduction
Standardized testing has become more critical in the assessment of whether or not pupils are receiving the high-quality education that will prepare them to be productive members of society as a direct result of measures to promote accountability (Bai, 2019). Proponents of using assessments that are more realistic to assess learning outcomes that are not easily quantified by standardized examinations claim that using reviews that are more authentic is the best solution to concerns that these standardized measures are not acceptable.
Reasons for Authentic Assessment amongst the K-12 and Higher Education
Dr Grant Wiggins, one of the first researchers to use the term authentic assessment, claims that accurate estimates directly examine student performance on deserving intellectual tasks, present the student with tasks found in the best instructional activities and real life, and assess the student’s ability to craft polished, exhaustive, and convincing answers, performances, or products (Woolfolk & Hoy, 2003). The most typical genuine assessment methods entail having the student do activities while the teacher assigns grades depending on how well the final demonstrations meet the criteria. While standardized, multiple-choice exams are reliable predictors of academic success, Wiggins contends that they frequently mislead students and instructors into thinking that testing comes after the event, is meaningless, and manufactured (Luo et al., 2021). Teaching and learning are improved when activities and results are more accurate. Instead of viewing themselves as passive consumers of esoteric knowledge, students who participate in authentic assessment perceive themselves as active contributors engaged in relevant tasks. It supports instructors by enticing them to consider the applicability of what they teach and offers beneficial outcomes for enhancing education.
Participants in standardized tests are expected to recognize or retain the material. Contrarily, authentic evaluations frequently require students to examine, synthesize, and apply what they have learned significantly (Parkes & Rawlings, 2021). In doing so, students generate new meanings. Therefore, genuine evaluations provide far more concrete evidence of knowledge construction and application. Since authentic assessments emphasize the learning process, effective teaching strategies, and the advanced thinking abilities and proficiencies required for success in the real world, they may provide students who have experienced them a significant edge over those who have not.
Ways Educational Leaders Promote Faculty using a More Direct, Alternative, or Authentic Assessment
According to educators, authentic assessment is a method for gauging student achievement in a direct, pertinent manner to determine whether the learning objectives were accomplished. Teachers may assess pupils’ curriculum comprehension through projects, including papers, journals, speeches, videos, and interviews. Accurate evaluations are immensely gratifying for both the student and the teacher, even though they require planning and effort (Parkes & Rawlings, 2021). Teachers should anticipate difficulties when introducing them to a new class and do their utmost to overcome them. Teachers and students will grow more accustomed to the process and appreciate the satisfaction of completing comprehensive projects as actual assessment is used more frequently. Many students often become overwhelmed; therefore, professors can assist them by breaking the job into several tiny parts (Almerino et al., 2020). Kids in middle school and beyond can plan the chores on their own and learn about self-discipline at the same time. For younger students, actions should be allocated to a timeline.
Teachers must remember that there is no right way to complete authentic tasks. They ought to approach it creatively, just as they want their students to finish their work. Teachers should begin by thinking about the assessment and the final product they want the students to be able to display as they create the sessions (Parkes & Rawlings, 2021). They may plan their classes properly if they know the objectives they wish to see pupils achieve. Teachers must try to fit the assessments to the student’s interests. This will only sometimes be successful but consider how much more engaged pupils will be when tech-savvy kids get to make a movie or a website showcasing what they’ve learned, or musically inclined kids can communicate their knowledge via lyrics. Once the project and evaluation are finished, ask the students to reflect (Nilson, 2003). They will be able to synthesize better what they have learnt, and instructors will get a firsthand account of what the kids thought of the project. Additionally, knowing that the teacher is interested in their viewpoints will make the pupils happy.
Conclusion
An increasing amount of studies shows that the development of trust is essential for the effective transfer of leadership. The successful and gradual distribution of administration depends on trust. It is directly linked to supportive school culture, enhanced teaching and learning environments, increased teacher autonomy in the classroom, and a steady rise in student conduct, engagement, and performance. Conservative or pragmatic notions of alternative assessment may lead teachers only to understand authority in quantitative units of sovereign and, correspondingly, epistemological power. On the other hand, teachers who have a progressive view of the alternative assessment show an understanding of how power plays out in alternative assessment in terms of discipline.
Instructors with a progressive view on alternative assessment undertake self-reflection about current assessment methods and urge their students to do the same. Therefore, another way to analyze the power of alternative evaluation is to consider the degree of student reflexivity. Alternative assessment may be judged in terms of how much its practices enable or support students in being reflective about assessment methods rather than how much power is shared or given to students. It is advised to research the potential for reflective learning among students in alternative assessment.
References
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Bai, H. (2019). Pedagogical practices of mobile learning in K-12 and higher education settings. TechTrends, 63(5), 611–620. Web.
Luo, H., Li, G., Feng, Q., Yang, Y., & Zuo, M. (2021). Virtual reality in K‐12 and Higher Education: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2019. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. Web.
Nilson, L. B. (2003) Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint.
Parkes, K. A., & Rawlings, J. R. (2021). Higher education music teacher educators and assessment: their understandings, efficacy, and satisfaction. Journal of Assessment in Higher Education, 2(1), 35–53. Web.
Woolfolk, A. & Hoy, W. K. (2003) Instructional leadership: A research based guide to learning in schools.