Authentic Assessment Measures and Their Purpose
An educator needs to know a learner’s ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills in a meaningful way. Herein lies the significance of authentic assessment measures as the most effective tools for the described objective. By definition, an authentic assessment measure is a tool or set of tools that allows demonstrating a learner’s ability to apply the acquired knowledge in a meaningful way when performing practical assignments. Therefore, it is barely possible to single out several key types of authentic assessments due to the wide variety thereof.
Authentic assessment measures need to place a learner into the scenario in which they need to apply newly learned information to produce a coherent solution. Thus, during authentic assessments, a student is expected to act independently to develop a sense of personal agency and the ability to utilize their knowledge purposefully. Thus, apart from allowing educators to test students’ knowledge and abilities, authentic assessment measures serve the purpose of placing students in real-life situations and encouraging them to develop a corresponding ability to respond promptly.
Role of Assessment in Early Literacy Instruction
In the early education setting, assessments are critical for eliciting critical information about a child’s development and well-being. By performing the assessment of young learners’ progress, one can measure the extent of their progress, compare it to the expected outcomes, and gauge the amount of information that will have o be covered later. Moreover, problems in the development of a learner can be located comparatively early, which will help to prevent major impediments to the successful acquisition of key competencies and skills from emerging. Finally, the application of assessments in early education will inform a teacher about the gaps in a student’s knowledge system and the strategies that can be used to fill these gaps.
The use of assessments in early education allows a teacher to map the progress of a child, ensuring that the development occurs properly and that the child develops the necessary skills needed to gain independence I learning. For instance, the ability to deploy critical thinking skills, the use of abstract thinking, and similar capabilities can be tested with the help of different assessment techniques. As a result, a teacher will receive full information about a learner, mapping their progress and setting future goals.
Pros and Cons of Standardized Assessments
The application of standardized assessments has been debated in the academic setting for quite a while, causing educators to focus on the specified approach to a different extent. The main advantage of a standardized assessment is that it allows testing a student’s skill in a quasi-practical setting. Thus, a learner’s capability to apply a specific piece of knowledge or skill against a certain problem can be identified. Moreover, the utilization of a standardized assessment will highlight the areas that a student will need to address in their future learning process, allowing one o shape the teaching approach.
However, there are also several problems with the use of standardized assessments as the tool for evaluating students’ grasp of the material. The main one is that the rigid set of tasks that a student has to perform may encourage educators to teach students to solve tests as opposed to applying their knowledge o actual problems and the development of critical thinking. In addition, the use of a standardized test in the academic context may fail to show the extent of a student’s abilities. Nevertheless, with a well-developed standardized test, one can avoid the described problems and design a proper test tool for evaluating early learners’ progress.