A Living Authentic Assessment Third Grade Program: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Authentic Assessments, in which students demonstrate a breadth and depth of knowledge as opposed to a shallow recitation of facts, is becoming an alternative evaluation of students, able to give specific information about students’ strengths, weaknesses, areas of mastery, and areas in need of improvement. This paper is a descriptive study of a third-grade classroom in Village Elementary School of the Hilton Central School District. The author observed and describes the classroom instruction of the teacher as well as her use of authentic assessments. Students in the class were also interviewed to understand how they view the assessments. The author found that defining authentic assessment and portfolio assessment to be complex and multifaceted. Given that the ultimate purpose of assessment is for students and teachers to reflect on a child’s learning, portfolios should be used as an interactive means for charting the student’s learning and reflection. Students must have ownership of their portfolio, deciding what should and should not be included. This active approach allows the student to better understand what is important to themselves and therefore to get the most out of their learning experience.