The Benefits of Authentic Assessment
“Authentic assessments help students analyze what they’ve learned and apply it their own experience. They don’t have to memorize facts for a test, so they can use their creativity to show what they’ve learned.”
Our mission at the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement is to “open the door to democracy by supporting teachers, empowering students, and engaging the community for a more educated Nevada” we accomplish this mission through the programs we support. All of our programs include authentic assessment as the culminating activity. These activities allow students to not only engage in their community but also give them voice and choice in how they want to show their depth of understanding and the skills they’ve built during their time in the class.
We the People: The Citizen & The Constitution students participate in a simulated congressional hearing with community members acting as the judging panel. This program is suitable for upper elementary, middle school, and high school level students.
National History Day in Nevada, students use authentic forms of presentation like documentaries, websites, papers, and more to present their findings to a panel of experts. This program is available for students in grades 4-12.
Project Citizen: Community Engagement in Public Policy students present their research and solution to an audience of decision-makers. This program is suitable for student and community groups of all ages.
In addition, our Ask the Expert series allows students to engage in an authentic conversation with subject matter experts in a webinar format.
“The goal of authentic assessment is to enhance the learning process and help students gain knowledge while completing tasks that are beneficial to their “real-world” experiences. ”
We know that authentic assessments are an important part of giving students a voice and choice and gives them an opportunity to show their knowledge and skill level.
The impact of Authentic Assessments is wide-ranging and valuable for all students. It’s even bigger than the snapshot in time of the culminating activity. It builds their readiness for their time beyond the classroom.
“Authentic assessments’ impact has also been viewed through the lens of workforce readiness and graduate attributes. For example, in a project-based learning experience, 78% of students reported that the experience prepared them to be workforce ready because of the real-world practice they received through the authentic assessment (Indrawn, 2019).”
NVCCE works with teachers across the state through our professional learning community to support their implementation of inquiry-driven learning. We believe it benefits everyone in our communities to bring these culminating experiences to students. These experiences encourage critical thinking, confidence, active listening, and taking informed action through the process of research, writing, active listening, communication, and presentation. “Authentic assessments let students show what they are really capable of,” and the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement envisions creating an informed, empathetic, and involved society through our programs.
Articles Cited:
Messier, N. (2022). Authentic assessments. Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois Chicago. https://teaching.uic.edu/resources/teaching-guides/assessment-grading-practices/authentic-assessments/
The Editorial Team, The Resilient Educator. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/tips-on-how-to-use-authentic-assessment-as-a-teaching-strategy/#:~:text=Why%20should%20educators%20use%20authentic,show%20what%20they've%20learned.
