Explain the potential drawbacks of traditional norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests and how both differ from authentic assessment

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Drawbacks of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests
o Although they are efficient and typically easy to score, some individuals criticize norm- and criterion-referenced tests because they measure understanding rather than application, are too structured, and often contain only true/false or multiple-choice questions.
o Some contend that the focus must be changed from measuring understanding to measuring application—or students’ ability to apply the knowledge and skills they gain to performing real-world tasks and solving real-world problems.
o Authentic assessment provides students the opportunity to demonstrate learned knowledge and skills
o The focus of authentic assessment is on assessing a student’s ability to perform real-world tasks by applying the knowledge and skills he or she has learned.
o Proponents of authentic assessment believe that students acquire their knowledge to perform a task or produce a product—and assessment should focus on evaluating students’ ability to perform the task or produce the product.
• How traditional norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests differ from authentic assessment
o Traditional and authentic assessments are grounded in different reasoning and practice.
? Traditional assessment includes using standardized criterion- and norm-referenced tests and teacher-created tests. With the traditional assessment model, curriculum drives assessment. Assessments to measure knowledge and skills are developed and administered to measure the extent to which students acquire the knowledge and skills of the curriculum.
? On the other hand, with the authentic assessment model, assessment drives the curriculum. Educational administrators and classroom teachers identify the tasks students must perform to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills. To teach students to perform the tasks, and to ensure that students have the essential knowledge and skills to perform the task, administrators and teachers
o Traditional and authentic assessments also differ with respect to the acceptability of teaching to the test. Most articles we read include discussion of how teaching to the test is bad. With the traditional assessment model, teaching to the test is indeed discouraged; however, under the authentic assessment model, teaching to the test is encouraged.