SHIFT IN FOCUS

Some of us who have worked on this website concur with Frank Smith when he says, "assessment is discriminatory, and it stigmitizes and disempowers individuals for life. It does not encourage anyone to read and write, though it does leave students and teachers frustrated, confused, resentful, and angry......we don't need more tests or better tests; we need to extricate ourselves from tests. (Frank Smith, Phi Delta Kappan, April 1995.p.587)

Unfortunately teachers are left with the reality of testing, evaluating, and assessing,but there has been a shift from traditional assessment to authentic assessment.

Traditional assessment: students work is compared to the work of others.

Authentic assessment: students' work is compared to her/his previous work.

Characteristics of assessment:

Traditional Assessment	Authentic Assessment
teacher controlled	students active participants in the process
focuses on product	focuses on process and product
judgemental	provides diagnostic information
asks child to provide a singular desired response	helps child to be more reflective about his work/knowledge
assesses tasks which are artificial and may not be purposeful	assesses realistic and meaningful tasks
focuses on a narrow range of topics/items likely to appear on the tests	is ongoing providing many opportunities for observation and reflection