Authentic and Adaptive Assessment

Indiana University Bloomington's Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning has provided a wonderful summary describing authentic assessments and how these differ from traditional assessments. Authentic and adaptive assessments allow students to showcase the skills mastered through a myriad of differing modes. These assessments are also not a one-size fits all, but rather can adjust to the student's ability and encourages growth from there.

ASCD article, The Potential of Adaptive Assessment, points to the importance of not only meeting student's individual academic needs but going one step further and adjusting assessments to their individual achievement levels. Technology now offers educators with the opportunity to provide adaptive assessments that measure student's by adjusting questions throughout the test. Computerized adaptive testing provides real time feedback helping to inform teachers of individual learner needs.

Some drawbacks to authentic and adaptive assessments include the need for a device for every student, knowing which program to use, ensuring the program used aligns with state standards, money to invest in the needed tools/programming, professional development for utilizing data to guide instruction, and collaboration time to be able to work with a team in order to differentiate instruction.

In my role as a Board of Education member, I have been charged to ensure the system makes decisions and policies based on the values prescribed. One way to ensure that the system is preparing students through a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum, is to encourage personalized instruction. The Board has recently approved multiple expenditure of funds to ensure every student has a device (iPad or MacBook), Computerized Adaptive Assessment tools for teachers to regularly utilize to guide instruction, and professional development opportunities to know how to use the data and tools to guide instruction and assess students.

In addition, the Board has provided support of the elementary principal to implement Leader in Me. Through this whole school implementation of 7 habits that encourage students to set goals, take ownership for their learning, and other important leadership skills; the teachers have a common focus on encouraging project based learning and collaborating consistently with each student. This is another tool to promote authentic assessments.