Authentic Assessment: Strategies and Tools Training Kit

Training Kit on Authentic Assessment, Its Strategies and Tools

Assessment is considered one of the pillars of the educational/learning process and an essential, inseparable part of it, as it is the means by which the extent of achieved objectives can be known, and the extent to which results align with the effort exerted by individuals at their different levels. Through the capabilities used in assessment, the positive and negative aspects of the educational process can be identified, and aspects of weakness and shortcomings can be diagnosed in order to take appropriate measures.

Authentic Assessment:

Traditional assessment relies on tests in their various forms, given once or several times during the academic year for the purpose of obtaining information about students' achievement to present it to parents and other stakeholders. Such assessment does not positively affect education, because it measures simple skills and concepts expressed in numbers that do not provide valuable information about student learning.

Why Authentic Assessment?

Assessment is no longer limited to measuring a student's academic achievement in different subjects, but has extended to measuring the elements of a student's personality in its various aspects. Thus, its fields have expanded and its methods and approaches have diversified. Authentic assessment aims to:

• Develop genuine life skills.

• Develop higher-order mental skills.

• Develop creative and new ideas and responses.

Advantages of Authentic Assessment:

• Focuses on analytical skills and the integration of information.

• It also encourages creativity, reflects real-life skills and encourages cooperative work.

• Develops written and oral communication skills.

• It is also directly consistent with educational activities and their outcomes, thereby confirming its integration with lifelong learning.