Authentic Assessment

Assessment should be aligned with the curriculum, with instruction. Rather than teaching to the test, this approach tests what is taught. Since the scope of what is taught may vary from year to year and class to class, the assessment tools must adapt to reflect those changes.

Assessment should be as free of cultural and social bias as possible.

Assessment should be comprehensive, assessing the spectrum of a student's learning experiences, including his or her social and emotional growth.

Ongoing, daily assessment is a powerful tool to further student growth and learning. Ongoing assessment allows for minor corrections and refined direction on a regular basis, avoiding the risk of veering off course. Educators call this formative assessment. At Presidio Hill, students are encouraged and expected to participate in class discussions on a daily basis. Small classes ensure that students do not "slip between the cracks," and that everyone is called upon to express and defend their thinking. Observant teachers take note of which students are displaying an understanding of the material at hand and how well they articulate that understanding.

Looking for high-level thinking and sophisticated conceptual understanding when assessing student work leads to less memorization-only learning.

Authentic assessment encourages student self-assessment. Involving students in the assessment process eventually frees them from the need for adult supervision of their work. They learn what they are capable of and what they need to do to give their best.

Good assessment practices allow for multiple solutions (where appropriate) and multiple approaches, and tap into the multiple intelligences of students. Observing both divergent and convergent thinking gives a more complete picture of a student's capabilities.