Problem
Teachers can make authentic assessments in their science classrooms by ensuring that the assessment is directly connected to the learning objectives. Authentic assessments are designed to measure a student's ability to perform a task or solve a problem, and they do not measure whether or not the student has memorized information. In the case of my state's science standards, an authentic assessment would be one that requires students to use scientific inquiry skills such as asking questions, conducting investigations, analyzing data, and reaching conclusions based on evidence. An authentic assessment should also require students to communicate their findings using technical language relevant to the grade level they are in.
A. Have students work on a project where they apply their knowledge to a real-world problem or situation. For example, if the standard is "How does water evaporate?" have them create a project that involves designing and building something (like a solar still) which will make use of the principles of evaporation.
B. Have students work on an experiment where they collect data and then analyze their results in order to answer a question related to what they learned in class. For example, if the standard is "What happens when you mix two different liquids?", have them set up an experiment where they mix two different liquids together and calculate how much each has evaporated from its original volume by measuring them before mixing and after mixing
These are both great ideas for authentic assessments to show student understanding of content-specific standards.
Do you feel that assessments such as these are the only way to assess students in science? Do all assessments need to be this "hands-on"? Why or why not?