Authentic assessment is an evaluation method where educators observe and document a child’s skills during everyday activities. Instead of using staged tests, teachers assess learning as it naturally happens in the childcare program.
Authentic assessment allows you to evaluate a child’s learning in the natural experience of the day. This non-intrusive approach gives you a more descriptive and realistic appraisal of their development. Read on to learn why authentic assessment is important and how to use it in your preschool classroom.
What is authentic assessment?
Authentic assessment is when a teacher observes and documents a child’s skills, knowledge, and behavior during their regular daily routines. It’s an integrative method that happens over time in a familiar environment. The process involves collecting information from the child’s family and other caregivers to get a complete picture of their development. After observing and collecting data, the teacher shares their findings with school administrators and the child's family to discuss any adjustments needed to improve learning.
There are key differences between authentic and traditional assessment methods:
- Authentic assessment: A child performs a task with a real-world application. For example, you can assess a child’s fine motor skills by watching them play in a sensory bin as they scoop, stir, and move objects. You observe the child’s natural response and can evaluate the thought process behind their actions.
- Traditional assessment: A teacher sets up a specific, structured task. For example, a teacher might ask a question and give a child a list of answers to choose from. This method has a more limited scope, as a correct answer could just be a lucky guess.
While traditional assessment has its place, it’s easy to complement it with authentic assessment to get a more realistic and descriptive appraisal of a child’s development.
|
Aspect |
Traditional assessment |
Authentic assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
What it measures |
Rote memorization and recall of specific facts |
Skills and knowledge applied in real-life situations |
|
How it's done |
Standardized tests, quizzes, and multiple-choice questions |
Observations, portfolios, projects, and real-world tasks |
|
When it happens |
At the end of a unit or a specific, scheduled time |
Continuously, as part of everyday learning activities |
|
Child's role |
Passive; the child recalls information |
Active; the child demonstrates skills and understanding |
|
Context |
Often isolated from real-world context; contrived scenarios |
Integrated into daily routines and natural play environments |
|
Feedback |
Typically a score or grade (e.g., 85%) |
Descriptive, actionable feedback focused on the learning process |
Family Engagement Guide
A free guide to help you foster family engagement at your childcare program.
Why is authentic assessment important?
Authentic assessment is important because it gives educators a holistic, accurate overview of a child’s abilities without the pressure of a formal test. Because the assessment takes place over time, a more accurate picture of the child’s abilities emerges.
Since families participate in authentic assessment, educators build strong relationships with them, which is essential to a child’s overall development. It also helps families create relevant learning opportunities at home for their children. Collecting data from various sources gives educators accurate information about the child’s routines and activities. This data reveals learning gaps, which inform the individual and general instruction needed to improve learning outcomes.
Authentic assessment outcomes typically include an understanding of the following areas:
- Cognitive processes, which you can evaluate by asking questions like “Why do you think the rock sank?” or “What do you think will happen when we mix yellow and red paint?”
- Social and communication skills, which you evaluate by observing real-life behavior and interactions with peers and teachers.
- Routines and activities that provide the best learning opportunities.
- Physical development through activities like walking heel-to-toe in a straight line or throwing and catching in free play.
- Content knowledge through activities like object identification with pictures.
- Creative expression through activities like drawing pictures of their families, painting, and making crafts.
What are examples of authentic assessment?
Examples of authentic assessment include observing a child's social skills during a group art project, evaluating language skills in a dramatic play center, or assessing gross motor skills while they play outside. Educators can conduct authentic assessment in various ways, including the following:
Example one: Michael’s teacher wants to assess his understanding of a lesson on friendship and how he applies it in his regular routine. The teacher can observe if he’s willing to wait his turn or share materials during activities like shared art projects, scavenger hunts, and building activities at the block center.
Example two: Nolan’s teacher wants to assess his expressive language skills. The teacher can use a dramatic play activity to do this. For instance, in a hospital dramatic play center, Nolan can pretend to be the doctor talking to and examining a patient. The teacher observes how well he uses words, answers questions, and makes eye contact.
Example three: Cindy’s teacher wants to assess her gross motor skills. The teacher observes Cindy’s steadiness during activities that require whole-body movement, hand-eye coordination, and balance. For example, the teacher watches Cindy jumping on a trampoline, swinging on a swing set, or using rope ladders on the playground.
How do you use authentic assessment in the classroom?
To use authentic assessment in the classroom, educators should follow four main steps: observing, documenting, recording, and reflecting.
Step one: Observing
Educators start by objectively observing each child in their natural classroom environment. Observing 15 children for various skills and developmental milestones sounds overwhelming and almost impossible. That is why you should focus on one child, one skill, and one experience at a time. For example, if you choose to focus on social skills, your job is to observe the child in group play and other activities where they take turns or share. Plan projects or activities that will encourage the skill you want to assess.
Step two: Documenting
Documentation involves taking notes, capturing photos, or recording videos. Remember to focus on one child demonstrating their ability to use a specific skill during various activities. Documentation provides accountability and makes the child’s learning visible to families and caregivers. Brightwheel's digital daily reports make it easy for educators to record photos, activities, and learning milestones all from the brightwheel app. Teachers can quickly document children's daily progress and share it with families.
Step three: Recording and rating
Record your observations by writing factual anecdotal notes about what the child said or did. You can use a notepad, sticky notes, or digital assessment forms. Make the notes specific, concise, objective, and strength-focused. Record the level the child demonstrated and write notes about any possible influences that may have impacted the child’s actions or behavior during your observation. These influences might include their health, environment, interests, and people around them.
Step four: Reflecting
Finally, reflect on your documentation and adapt your teaching to each child’s level and interests. With authentic assessment, you will want to set up your classroom to prompt whatever skill you want to assess. However, assessing every skill for each child is tedious without the right tools. Brightwheel's Experience Curriculum manages the assessment planning process with lesson plans, guides, and planning charts that allow you to track ongoing growth and development throughout the year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between authentic assessment and traditional assessment?
Traditional assessment relies on staged, one-and-done tasks where a teacher tests specific knowledge, often outside of normal routines. Authentic assessment evaluates a child naturally during everyday activities, providing a more comprehensive and realistic view of their applied skills.
How often should educators conduct authentic assessments?
Educators should conduct authentic assessments continuously over time. Because it happens during regular daily routines and play, teachers can gather data daily or weekly to build a thorough portfolio of a child's developmental progress.
Can families participate in the authentic assessment process?
Yes, families play a crucial role in authentic assessment. Educators collect information from families about the child’s routines at home, which helps create a complete picture of the child's development and strengthens the partnership between the childcare program and the family.
The bottom line
While many educators are familiar with more traditional assessment methods, learning and using authentic assessment can help bring about better outcomes for teachers, children, and their families. Recording a child’s learning as it happens might seem time-consuming, but collecting accurate information to effectively guide a child’s learning makes it worthwhile.
