Authentic and adaptive assessment "evaluates if the student can successfully transfer the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to various contexts, scenarios, and situations beyond the classroom" (Authentic Assessment | Institute for Teaching Excellence, n.d.). This form of assessment may look like; hands-on performance labs or experiments, presentations, projects (semester or unit), debates, simulations, and more. According to Grant Wiggins (1998), an assessment is authentic if it;

is realistic.
requires judgment and innovation.
asks the student to “do” the subject.
replicates or simulates the contexts in which adults are “tested” in the workplace or in civic or personal life.
assesses the student’s ability to efficiently and effectively use a repertoire of knowledge and skills to negotiate a complex task.
allows appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice, consult resources, and get feedback on and refine performances and products.

Authentic assessments are different from traditional because it drives curriculum whereas traditional assessments are driven by the curriculum (Mueller, 2018). Other names for authentic assessment include; performance assessments/performance0based, alternative assessments, and direct assessments. This type of assessment is based on classroom usage because, unlike traditional assessments where a correct response is required, students can produce high-quality products that truly demonstrate their understanding.

Exit Tickets

One way to ensure my students feel confident in their learning progression is by providing exit tickets. I either give a digital copy of this exit ticket or a printed copy at beginning, middle, and end of each concept to know where my students are. This information allows me to know where to go next with each student. Students that are "not feeling good" or "need more help" will be pulled for small group intervention. If the whole class feels that way I know I need to do some more whole group activities. Students feeling good can do independent work and enrichment activities. I can utilize this information in co-planning meetings with my students so we can write SMART goals for personalized learning.

Self-Reflection Google Forms

This year I began implementing self-reflection questions for students. Students should self-reflect because it "helps us remember lessons learned and gives us a sense of accomplishment" (Shea, 2021). Providing students with self-reflection questions in the form of a survey or Google Forms/Microsoft Forms allows students to think critically and analyze the work they have done and the growth they have made. This allows them to feel proud and become reflective naturally in life. Reflection questions help allow our students to become autonomous learners and take ownership of their learning.

In eighth-grade high school physical science students compare and contrast atoms, ions, and isotopes by making models and analyzing images. Students will "obtain, evaluate, and communicate information from the Periodic Table to explain the relative properties of elements based on patterns of atomic structure". In personalized learning students work with their teachers and co-plan how they will demonstrate their understanding of a concept. In the sections below you will find various examples of students who demonstrated their mastery of AKS 1a. develop and use models to compare and contrast the structure of atoms, ions, and isotopes (GSE SPS1a).

Kinesthetic Expression

One way students demonstrated "develop and use models to compare and contrast the structure of atoms, ions, and isotopes" was by creating models out of various materials. Some students preferred to create models and either verbally explain their models or write an explanation. In this activity, most students had chosen to work independently. They had the same requirements as the students who decided to go the visual or auditory route. They would create a model and then explain the difference between their three models to me focusing on one specific element. Students were given creative freedom but most elected to utilize their white boards.

Auditory Expression

Some students decided they wanted to demonstrate "develop and use models to compare and contrast the structure of atoms, ions, and isotopes" by creating a presentation. Students created a powerpoint and then presented their project to the classroom independently or in groups. They explained the difference between atoms, ions, and isotopes. Some students create images on Google Draw while others found some on the internet. First, the group chose an element, then they describe that element as an atom, ion, and isotope and explained how the number of subatomic particles changes depending on what it was.

Visual Expression

Students can also demonstrate "develop and use models to compare and contrast the structure of atoms, ions, and isotopes" by creating Google Sites. In this activity, students worked together with no more than two partners or independently and explained the differences between atoms, ions, and isotopes. They were given a checklist of the things they needed to incorporate into their project. First, the group chose an element, then they describe that element as an atom, ion, and isotope and explained how the number of subatomic particles changes depending on what it was. Some groups used hand-drawn images, Google Draw, and others found images online.

Diagnostic

In my classroom, students see a wide variety of diagnostic assessments. Diagnostic assessments are pre-test that allows you and the test taker to gauge where they are at when it comes to their learning of a given subject or content. There are many ways you can conduct a diagnostic test, some of my favorites include KWLs, Graffiti Walls, World Splashes, and the radiational formal assessments. Diagnostic assessments should be used to drive your curriculum and determine what needs to be covered. Edulastic is another assessment platform that is built into our LMS which we have administered assessments on such as pre-assessment or diagnostic and post-assessment in order to provide students with data and reports to help drive their SMART goals and co-plan in the classroom. Once they've taken the diagnostic test they can analyze their growth.

Formative

Formative assessment is a type of assessment where you "discover what students know while they’re still in the process of learning it" (Thomas, 2019). It is also a way for students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement as well. There are a number of ways to give a formative assessment besides a traditional quiz. Doodle notes, Quizizzs, Gimkit, Blooket, Venn diagrams, four corners and more. Quizizz, and Blooket provide data such as what answer was picked the most, question that had the most incorrect responses, and the questions that had the most correct responses. I can see a percentage of overall correctness/incorrectness. This allows me to group students in heterogenous grouping and homogenous groupings for reteaching and extension. Quizizz allows for multiple choice, reordering, matching, fill-in-the-blanks, drag and drop, drop-down, math responses, drawing, open-ended, polling, or video/audio responses. Formative assessment are not always done in a quiz-like setting. Formatives can be conducted as observations or class discussions to see where students are at.

Summative

"Summative data can help illuminate areas of strength and gaps in curriculum and instruction, and especially for student subgroups" (Summative Assessments, 2022). It is a great tool for students and teachers to reflect on the mastery shown, however, it should be allowed to be demonstrated summatively multiple times throughout the year as students may be able to show mastery long after the concept was covered. In science, summative do not have to be a standard assessment. They can include simple kinesthetic expression through the conduction of a hands-on lab activity, students can produce a product for a project. Students are often demonstrating their mastery through PBL in the science classroom. Students prefer this method od demonstration and other authentic and adaptive assessments since it is not as punitive as the traditional standardized assessment. It truly demonstrates a student's understanding and mastery. In the pictures to the left you can see a "Show Me What You Know" project where students had an outline and rubric for the atoms, ions, and isotopes from the previous section.

Authentic assessment. (n.d.). Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/assessing-student-learning/authentic-assessment/

Authentic assessment | institute for teaching excellence. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.njit.edu/ite/authentic-assessment

Mueller, J. M. (2018). What is authentic assessment? (authentic assessment toolbox). Retrieved January 20, 2023, from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

Shea, A. S. (2021, July 13). Teaching young students how to reflect on their learning. Edutopia. Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-young-students-how-reflect-their-learning/#:~:text=Reflection%20helps%20us%20remember%20lessons,to%20do%20differently%20going%20forward.

Summative Assessments. (2022, October 3). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. https://dpi.wi.gov/strategic-assessment/cycles-assessment/summative

Thomas, L. T. (2019, April 26). 7 smart, fast ways to do formative assessment. Edutopia. Retrieved January 26, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-smart-fast-ways-do-formative-assessment

What is a diagnostic assessment? (2022, August 6). Edulastic Blog. https://edulastic.com/blog/diagnostic-assessment/

Wiggins, Grant. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance. Chapter 2 in Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 21 – 42.