Authentic Assessment: Designing Performance-Based Tasks

Luke Lawson is a teacher and administrator in Vancouver, B.C.

Few issues in contemporary education create more intense debate than
assessment. Educators have argued for decades as to what is the best
form of assessment for children.

Katherine Luongo-Orlando states that “[a]uthentic assessments involve
students in tasks that require the application of knowledge and skills
in real-life situations.” Linked to assessments is performance-based
learning, whereby students are presented with real-world challenges that
“require them to synthesize and apply concepts, strategies and work
habits they have developed through classroom instruction to [an]
authentic assessment situation.” After the introduction of assessment,
the remainder of the book centres on how to develop authentic assessment
and performance tools and tasks.

Despite the author’s aversion to standardized tests, nearly 40
percent of this book consists of standard worksheets for
classroom/teacher use. If students are to develop and tackle real-world
challenges, then the use of worksheets must go. For example, there is a
student worksheet for developing a “want ad” that outlines with
headings what should be included. Real-world learning would suggest that
students should, as much as possible, figure out for themselves what
information should be included in a want ad—and by viewing actual
examples rather than being presented with a worksheet.