TRADITIONAL VERSUS AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS

Traditional assessments refer to conventional methods of testing, usually standardized and use pen and paper with multiple-
choice, true or false or matching type test items.

Authentic assessments refer to assessments wherein students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate
meaningful application of what they have learned.

To better compare traditional vs. alternative assessments, refer to the table below:

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

• Purpose: to evaluate if the students have learned• Purpose: to measure students’ proficiency by
the content; to determine whether or not the asking them to perform real life-tasks; to provide
students are successful in acquiring knowledge; students many avenues to learn and demonstrate
to ascribe a grade for them; to rank and compare best what they have learned; to guide instruction;
them against standards or other learners to provide feedback and help students manage
their own learning; to also evaluate students’
competency

• Provides teachers a snapshot of what the • Provides teachers a more complete picture of
students know what the students know and what they can do
with what they know

• Measures students’ knowledge of the content • Measures students’ ability to apply knowledge of
the content in real life situations; ability to
use/apply what they have learned in meaningful
ways
• Requires students to demonstrate knowledge by • Requires students to demonstrate proficiency by
selecting a response/giving correct answers; performing relevant tasks showing application of
usually tests students’ proficiency through paper what has been learned
and pencil tests
•
• Students are asked to choose an answer from a
set of questions (True or False; multiple choice)
to test knowledge of what has been taught.

• Provides indirect evidence of learning • Provides direct evidence of

learning/competency; direct demonstration of
knowledge and skills by performing relevant
tasks

• Requires students to practice cognitive ability to • Provides opportunities for students to construct
recall/recognize/reconstruct body of knowledge meaning/new knowledge out of what has been
that has been taught taught

• Tests and strengthens the students’ ability to • Tests and strengthens the students’ ability to
recall/recognize and comprehend content, but reason and analyze, synthesize, and apply
does not reveal the students’ true progress of knowledge acquired; Students’ higher level of
what they can do with the knowledge they cognitive skills (from knowledge and
acquired. Only the students’ lower level of comprehension to analysis, synthesis,
thinking skills, (knowledge and comprehension), application, and evaluation) are tapped in
are tapped. multiple ways.

• Hides the test • Teaches the test

• Teachers serve as evaluators and students as the • Involves and engages the students in the
evaluatees: teacher-structured teaching, learning and assessment process:
student structured

• Assessment is separated from teaching and • Assessment is integrated with instruction.

learning. Test usually comes after instruction to Assessment activities happen all throughout
evaluate if the students have successfully learned instruction to help students improve their
the content. learning and help teachers improve their
teaching.

• Provides limited ways for students to • Provides multiple avenues for students to
demonstrate what they have learned demonstrate best what they have learned

• Rigid and fixed • Flexible and provides multiple acceptable ways

of constructing products or performance as
evidence of learning

• Standardized; valid and reliable • Needs well defined criteria/rubrics and standards
to achieve reliability and validity

• Curriculum drives assessment. • Assessment drives curriculum and instruction.

Examples: Examples:
• True or False; multiple choice tests • demonstrations
• standardized tests • hands-on experiments
• achievement tests • computer simulations
• intelligence tests • portfolios
• aptitude tests • projects
• multi-media presentations
• role plays
• recitals
 • stage plays
• exhibits

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Advantages of Traditional Assessment Over Authentic Assessment:

Traditional assessments do have advantages over authentic assessments:

Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Easy to score; Teachers can evaluate students • Harder to evaluate
more quickly and easily.

• Less time and easier to prepare; easy to • Time consuming; labor intensive
administer • Sometimes, time and effort spent exceed the
benefits.

• Objective, reliable and valid • Susceptible to unfairness, subjectivity, lacking

objectivity, reliability, and validity if not properly
guided by well-defined/clear criteria or
rubrics/standards

• Economical • Less economical

Advantages of Authentic Assessment Over Traditional Assessment

On the other hand, here are the advantages of authentic assessment over the traditional assessment:
Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment

Disadvantages: Advantages:

• Provides teachers with just a snapshot of what • Provides teachers with the true picture of how
the students have truly learned and where their students are in their learning;
gives more information about their students’
strengths, weaknesses, needs and preferences that
aid them in adjusting instruction towards
enhanced teaching and learning

• Provides students limited options to demonstrate• Provides students many alternatives/ways to

what they have learned, usually limited to pencil demonstrate best what they have learned; offers a
and paper tests
 wide array of interesting and challenging
assessment activities

• Assessment is separate from instruction. • Assessment is integrated with instruction.

• Reveals and strengthens only the students’ low • Reveals and enriches the students’ high level
level cognitive skills: knowledge and cognitive skills: from knowledge and
comprehension comprehension to analysis, synthesis, application
and evaluation

• Assesses only the lower level thinking/cognitive • Enhances students’ ability to apply skills and
skills: focuses only on the students’ ability to knowledge to real lie situations; taps high order
memorize and recall information cognitive and problem solving skills

• Hides the test • Teaches the test

• Teacher-structured: teachers direct and act as • Student-structured: students are more engaged in
evaluators; students merely answer the their learning; assessment results guide
assessment tool. instruction

• Involves students working alone; promotes • Oftentimes involves students working in groups
competitiveness hence promotes team work, collaborative and
interpersonal skills

• Invokes feelings of anxiety detrimental to • Reduces anxiety and creates a more relaxed
learning happy atmosphere that boosts learning

• Time is fixed and limited; students are time- • Time is flexible.

pressured to finish the test.

• Focuses on one form of intelligence • Focuses on the growth of the learner;

 • Learners express their understanding of the
learning content using their preferred multiple
forms of intelligences.
• Provides parents and community with more
observable products, proofs of the students’
learning which motivate them to support their
kids’ learning more

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References:
Dikli, S. (2003). Assessment at a distance: Traditional vs. alternative assessments. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology, 2(3) Article 2 [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://www.tojet.net/articles/v2i3/232.
Kwako. A brief summary of traditional and alternative assessment. Retrieved
from www.stat.wisc.edu/~nordheim/Kwako_assessment4.doc
Traditional vs. Authentic Assessment. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cssvt.org/wp/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/Traditional-vs-Authentic-Assessment.pdf
Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=2