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Differentiated Assessment

Jessica Pennington

CUR/528

January 15, 2018

Siddeeqah Johnson
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Differentiated Assessment

While learning about the process of assessment, it is necessary to note the many forms

that assessment can take and how they relate to and shape instructional practices. In assessing

student performance, there are two primary forms of assessment that are present in the modern

classroom: traditional assessments and authentic assessments. By defining each term and

comparing the two different forms, conclusions can be drawn to determine how best to utilize

each form in the classroom to improve instructional practices and increase student learning.

While each form offers its own unique features, such as the benefits of time management or

efficiency, they also present a set of challenges in ensuring that the assessment is formatted

correctly and properly measures the objectives being learned. As much as assessment is

concerned with instruction, instruction relies on assessment to overcome obstacles in student

learning and behavior.

Traditional assessments, while often viewed as antiquated, are planned and structured

prior to the beginning of a course. They are used objectively as a “skills check” to evaluate

whether an individual student has learned the key terms or information presented by the

instructor. Brenda Litchfield and John Dempsey, well-respected authors, professors, and

instructional directions, claim that “the objective test has held its ground as the preferred

assessment method in tertiary education around the world” (2015).

While many other forms of assessment have developed a place in modern education, the

traditional assessment still remains; why is that? “This is because the most common method of

teaching is still the lecture and information dissemination by the instructor” (Reeves 2000). For

this reason, lectures and objective testing have maintained a long-lasting relationship that is
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focused more on the teacher (teacher-centric learning) and may be difficult to move away from

as changes are made to instructional practices. Until major renovations reshape the way that

classrooms are management, instruction is designed, and information is delivered, the traditional

form of assessment plays a valuable role in measuring what basic information was received and

how successfully. However, those renovations are happening more each day with the

development and implementation of technology. As many educational outlets are shifting to

online modality, the methods of receiving information are adapting—through videos, e-lectures,

and learning simulators. With this indirect form of instruction, there is a question of whether the

traditional assessment is appropriate to gage learning or whether students need to “practice” what

they are learning by demonstrating skills in performance-based assessments.

Performance-based assessments are a common form of authentic assessments. An

authentic assessment contrasts with traditional assessments in that it is developed in conjunction

with student progress and is used to measure which objectives and skills the student can

successfully perform as the course continues to build upon that foundation. This is possible

through the implementation of projects designed by the instructor to assess student knowledge

and application through higher-order thinking skills. Examples of authentic assessment may

include developing a portfolio or creating a lesson plan for students based on a rubric that

indicates the expected quality of work that the competent student can produce. Authentic

assessments vary from traditional assessments in that they are not planned prior to the beginning

of a course, but are announced and explained during the course and afford the students the

opportunity to play an active role in the assessment. By performing a specific task instead of

selecting a predetermined answer from a list of alternatives, students are involved in real-world
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simulations that give them a deeper understanding of the demands that they may experience in

their future careers (Dempsey, 2015).

Many instructional designers believe that authentic assessment should be a requirement

of a degree program and that simply acquiring knowledge through memorization and lecture is

not sufficient to demonstrate the essential skills necessary to be successful in a particular field.

(Litchfield, 2015). By being encouraged to participate in projects and assignments that appear

more “meaningful,” many adult learners may prefer authentic assessments in that they feel that

their time is being well spent on coursework. However, in the same respect that authentic

assessments make good use of the learners’ time, their development and scoring requires more

time from the instructor, as feedback must be prepared.

Although feedback can be very useful for the adult learner, the process of providing

helpful, detailed comments can be time-consuming for the instructor. While many instructors

and instructional designers may agree that modern forms of assessment pose new opportunities

for student learning, they also may agree that traditional assessment still serves a purpose—it can

be designed easily, it can be scored quickly, and it is a quick gage for student learning. This type

of assessment can be graded by anyone competent enough to hold the scoring key and can save

time that the instructor would spend interpreting essays or grading a project based on a rubric. In

a traditional assessment, objectives are measured quickly through correct responses to multiple

choice, true/false, matching, or short answer questions. These questions, though requiring skill

to correctly format, are designed to be read quickly and understood easily by students. They

typically involve lower-order thinking skills, as noted in Bloom’s Taxonomy with the simple,

concrete terms of knowledge and comprehension; author David Krathwohl refers to this
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Taxonomy by stating that “one of the most frequent uses of the original Taxonomy has been to

show the lack or breadth in the objectives and test items across the spectrum.” (2002).

It is that same “lack of breadth in the objectives” that concerns modern instructional

designers and educators. It is through extensive research in andragogical studies that many

educators arrive at the conclusion that feedback is an essential part of the adult learning process.

One major concern in that discovery is that many higher learning instructors do not have a

background in andragogy, instructional design, or assessment. It is for that reason that they may

be inexperienced in designing authentic assessments or be completely unaware of their existence.

This presents a widespread challenge in how authentic assessments are implemented across a

campus. Instructors lacking experience in assessment planning will naturally default back to the

antiquated system of traditional assessments and will be left with no options in how to

differentiate instruction and offer feedback.

Differentiating instruction and assessment practices allows for a more diverse range of

student needs to be met. Not all adult learners learn the same way; not all adult learners test the

same way. By capitalizing on the benefits of both traditional and authentic assessments,

instructors have a greater chance of minimizing the challenges that result from each form and

developing a system that works for their classroom and their unique set of students. While being

time-efficient and utilizing memorization of basic knowledge, traditional assessments offer

summative data that can indicate course progress and concerns. Although time-efficient, the

traditional assessments leave minimal opportunities for truly helpful feedback. Because

feedback is such an important part of developing a relationship between the instructor and

students, the use of authentic assessments grants the opportunity for a more personal approach to
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monitoring progress and evaluating skills. It is through authentic assessment that the instructor

is capable of delving deep into the student’s perception of a topic and learning how their

instruction can adapt in moving forward. Though each form of assessment presents challenges,

it also provides a key piece in the instructional puzzle. Without traditional assessments,

instructors would spend excessive amounts of time in developing methods of measuring learning

while balancing other classroom responsibilities. Without authentic assessments, instructors

would have limited opportunities to offer feedback and provide real-world experience. Through

achieving a balanced and differentiated approach to assessment, instructors have the potential to

improve instructional practices and increase student learning.

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References

Litchfield, B. C., & Dempsey, J. V. (2015). Authentic Assessment of Knowledge, Skills, and

Attitudes. New Directions For Teaching & Learning, 2015(142), 65-80.

doi:10.1002/tl.20130

Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory into

Practice, 41(4), 212. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/218799120?accountid=134061

Reeves, T. C. 2000. “Alternative Assessment Approaches for Online Learning Environments in

Higher Education.” Journal of Educating Computing Research. 23: 101–111