FAQ Frequently Asked Questions on Authentic Assessment 1. Authentic assessment refers to assessment tasks that resemble tasks that are done in the real world and in school. Authentic assessment addresses the skills and abilities that are needed to perform the actual tasks and asks students to apply their knowledge and skills.
Authentic assessment is different from curriculum-based measurement.
Curriculum-based measurement is a set of assessment methods that is done to show student growth and competence in the curriculum. Curriculum-based measurement requires that teachers use specific procedures to develop test content based on the curriculum. Authentic assessment techniques are a way for teachers to determine whether their students have learned a previously taught concept, beyond the recall level, before they go on to a new concept. These assessments look at a student's knowledge at higher levels than a completion or multiple choice test typically would. A completion or multiple choice test would only inform a teacher of what knowledge a student has at the recall level.