Alternative Assessment is any type of assessment in which students create a response to a question or task. (In traditional assessments, students choose a response from a given list, such as multiple-choice, true/false, or matching.)
Common Characteristics of Alternative Assessments
There are many ways to implement alternative, authentic assessment models in a classroom. But however it's done, the model will probably demonstrate most of these characteristics:
- Asks students to perform, create or produce something
- Encourages student self-reflection
- Measures outcomes of significance
- Taps higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills
- Uses tasks that represent meaningful instructional activities
- Invokes real-world applications
- Uses human judgment (rather than machines) for scoring
- Requires new instructional and assessment roles for teachers
- Provides self-assessment opportunities for students
- Provides opportunities for both individual and group work
- Encourages students to continue the learning activity beyond the scope of the assignment
- Defines explicit performance criteria
- Makes assessment equal in importance to curriculum and instruction
Alternative assessments can include short-answer questions, essays, performance assessment, oral presentations, demonstrations, exhibitions, and portfolios.
Performance Assessment
Performance assessment is the direct, systematic observation of an actual student performance and the rating of that performance according to previously established performance criteria. In this type of assessment, students are asked to perform a complex performance task or to create a product. They are assessed on both the process and the end result of their work.
Performance assessments may be used for individuals or groups. They often include real-life tasks that call for higher-order thinking skills
The National Center for Research, Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (1996) defines criteria as "guidelines, rules, characteristics, or dimensions that are used to judge the quality of student performance. Criteria indicate what we value in student responses, products, or performances."
Performance Criteria
In alternative assessments, students must clearly understand what criteria will be used to judge their performance. The problem of interpretation differences that result when performance requirements are ambiguous is compounded when students have diverse experiences based on their ethnicity, primary language, or gender. In an effort to assess higher-order cognitive skills and complex problem solving, educators must develop appropriate assessments that have no single right answer and in which students' interpretation of information or evidence is key in defending their solution.
Although student interpretations are important, educators must recognize that on the basis of cultural and environmental norms, explanations that seem diametrically opposed may be equally defensible or right. Because this quality of complexity allows performance assessments to mirror real life, educators must explicitly include the exact parameters of the responses they want to elicit in each assessment task or problem. (For example, educators should make sure students know if the writing process--rather than punctuation and grammar--is the criterion on which performance will be judged, or if a paragraph--as opposed to a few words--is the criterion response.)
Performance Task
A performance task is a goal-directed assessment exercise. It consists of an activity or assignment that is completed by the student and then judged by the teacher or other evaluator on the basis of specific performance criteria.
Exhibitions
An exhibition is a public performance during which a student showcases learning and competence in particular area(s). Exhibitions typically are judged by a trained panel of adults and peers (e.g., teachers, parents, community members, employers, students).
WebQuests
A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom March.
Source: http://webquest.org/
