Rubrics - The Case for Authentic Assessment

Assessment has always been used as a means to determine what students have learnt in a given teaching period. Traditionally the method of assessment was primarily the ‘pencil and paper’ test. This was a rather narrow view of assessment as it focused mainly on the facts given in a particular time frame and the ability of the respondents to adequately make their representations on paper. Over the years we have come to realize that our assessment should try to measure how the stimuli have impacted on the students not only in the cognitive but also in the affective domain. It should therefore determine not only if the students have been able to remember facts or can repeat given theories but how these theories, facts and ideas impact or change behavior. It should measure how the students can practically and effectively apply what they have learnt in real life situations.

Some educators previously used assessment as a surprise element to seemingly catch the students off guard. The students seldom or in most cases, never knew what was the criteria being used to come up with a grade or mark. Testing was mainly to find out how much of the material given was right or wrong. Assessment was mainly a teacher’s subjective view of a student’s performance. Traditional assessment can be redefined to make them more authentic. Martin Kniep writing in the book “Becoming A Better Teacher: Eight Innovations That Work” describes authentic as that which engage students with real-life problems, issues, or tasks for an audience who cares about or has a stake in what students learn. Authentic tasks enable students to make sense of and apply what they have learned and to establish clear connections.

Dietel, Herman and Knuth from the North Central Regional Education Laboratory defines assessment as “ any method used to better understand the current knowledge that a student possesses”. The full story, which is important for administrators, can be found under the heading - What  Does Research Say About Assessment?

Rubrics are becoming more widely used in schools as a vital and important component of authentic assessment. A rubric is defined as a rating scale that shows different levels of  performance. They are considered to be critical and vital links between assessment and instruction. Alan D. Rowe indicates that rubrics operationalize quality in our minds so we can more effectively teach and lead. Investigate these links to find out why rubrics are used and what are their critical components