Check Sheets & Rubrics

The Basics of Authentic Assessment, Check Sheets and Rubrics

Authentic Assessment
As you read this section, keep in mind that "Authentic Assessment" is a concept with several interpretations. On the one hand, authentic assessment can be described as "an ongoing feedback system that monitors and records student learning and outcomes" (Halstad & Lacy, 1998: p. 14). While, on the other hand, authentic assessment is a method "whereby students are engaged in applying skills and knowledge to solve "real world" problems, giving the task a sense of authenticity. The tests attempt to measure the acquisition of knowledge from a holistic standpoint." (Lund, 1998: p.25). These two definitions, although very different from each other, both emphasize a common point.... that being that assessment needs to be "real" and needs to be "meaningful" in order for students, parents, and administrators to be able to make sense of the results. Measurement, evaluation, and grading methods have been an integral part of the student - teacher - parent - administrator - school board gap which has become increasingly apparent in school systems across the nation.

If you plan to incorporate some form of Authentic Assessment into your evaluation plan, be aware that your pedagogy may need to change a little. In order to asses authentically, you must incorporate authentic academic achievement into your curriculum. This means that achievement tasks should meet at least three criteria: disciplined inquiry, integration of knowledge, and value beyond education. For a complete description of these criteria, see Archbald & Newman (1988) or Burke (1994).

Links to further information on the Web

Rubrics

A rubric is a performance guide that outlines the criteria that learners must demonstrate to reach class expectations or standards. With rubrics, behavior is described in various levels of performance; the lower levels of performance are subsumed in each higher level." (Schincariol & Radford, 1998: p.26).

Here are some links to information about Rubrics:

Guidelines for Creating Rubrics
Empowering Students with the help of Rubrics
The Rubricator (Software to help you create rubrics)
Ask Dr. Rubric
Examples of Checklists and Rubrics
Building Rubrics

Observation Skills

Observation is an excellent tool for finding out what a student can and can not do, and is widely used by teachers in all disciplines. College teacher prep programs devote a significant amount of time toward techniques for observing performance and the accompanying feedback given to the student (this is usually connected with the ability to define and apply the "key elements" contained in a skilled performance). Observation in terms of evaluation is not significantly different from this process, however, teachers who use observation as an evaluative assessment must also develop a formalized written document where their observations can be recorded. This document can take many forms, however, the most commonly used recording method is a "check-list". An important component which distinguishes feedback from evaluation that can be used for grading purposes lies in the energy and attention that must be devoted to creating a "scoring system" in which the final outcome is reported numerically.

Creating good checklists takes a lot of time and effort. Qualities of well-designed checklists that can be used for evaluation include;

Listing behaviors in a sequential manner
Simple to use
Training/practice sessions are conducted before use
Behaviors are meaningful
Results in a reliable evaluation
Results in a valid evaluation
Reduces the subjective nature of observation
Results can be translated/transformed into numerical data

NOTE: Keep in mind that these qualities pertain to checklists that are used for evaluative purposes. For example, if you used a checklist for feedback, you would not necessarily need to transform the data into a number!

Check Sheets

..... putting all of this to good use in a classroom situation..... links to check sheet examples...