Authentic Assessments for Reading Comprehension

1. Authentic Assessments for Reading Comprehension By Jennifer Epstein

2. Implementing Authentic Assessments • To achieve the goal of authentic assessments, teachers first need to give their students an opportunity for authentic learning • We will be looking at the experts opinion, discussing authentic learning in the classroom and ideas for instruction • We will be looking at experienced teachers ideas and examples of authentic assessments

3. What the Experts Say… • We will be looking at three different experts opinions to help teachers understand why authentic assessments are important • We will be looking at ways to implement real life situations in the classroom for more authentic learning • We will be looking at one experts views specifically on assessments

4. Victoria Purcell- Gates • Authentic assessments are assessments that connect to real-world activities • Examples are recipes, newspapers, skills to write a letter • “Several large research studies have documented a real relationship between the frequency between engagement in authentic reading and writing and achievement in reading and writing” (p 3, Purcell-Gates).

5. Victoria Purcell- Gates (cont.) • The continuation of students using real life examples and texts increases their comprehension • This was concluded from a study of second and third graders. The study was used over a two year period, with a total of six tests given. • Students who were given real life opportunities and assessments in the classroom scored higher than those who did not.

6. Victoria Purcell-Gates: Elements to Achieve Authentic Literacy • 1. Knowing your students learning • 2. Creating real-life situations in reading and writing • 3. Giving students opportunities for real-life texts and writing assignments • 4. Authentic formative assessments to show learning skills

7. Victoria Purcell-Gates: Ideas to Implement in the Classroom • Centers using menus, newspapers, and magazines to read • Writing a letter to an author of a book the students just read • Having students take pictures of themselves reading and writing at home, and make a poster of the pictures to put in the classroom • Give students an extended project about finding reading in their everyday lives to explore literacy outside the classroom

8. Nell Duke • It is important to start comprehension instruction in the younger grades • “Comprehension improves when teachers design and implement activities that support the understanding of the texts students read in their classes” (p 7, Duke).

9. Nell Duke (cont) • There are studies that show fictional texts should be used in instruction in primary grades • Duke disagrees and says there is no evidence • Many teachers don’t realize even young children are interested in informational text and this can be more authentic learning because it can connect to real- life situations

10. Nell Duke: Ideas to Implement in the Classroom • Children connect to texts more if they have background knowledge about the text • Informational text has a “strong knowledge building function” (p 12, Duke). • Many topics, the teacher gives the students the experiences for the background knowledge • In discussions, use open ended questions that make the students think, using that background knowledge

11. P. David Pearson • Standardized tests are assessments that are not authentic to show a students learning • Many assessments give information on what a student can do, not what comprehension they have • Students’ learning should never be based on only one test score

12. P. David Pearson (cont) • Skills students learn should be able to connect their knowledge together, instead of having content and assessments isolated about one area • “Curriculum and instruction should drive assessment; assessment should not drive the curriculum. This means that assessments should be developed out of the curriculum and instruction—how is it valid otherwise?” (Pearson).

13. What the Teachers Say… • We will be looking at teacher assessments used throughout the year • We will be looking at their opinions on what kinds of assessments are authentic, and what are required for the district but not authentic

14. Meet the Teachers… • We will be looking at two teachers • The teachers have worked together for the past 15 years in third grade classrooms • They work in an open- pod setting and have team planning meetings on a weekly basis • The school they work at is very diverse and has great parent involvement

15. Meet the Teachers… • Cindy Nell: Nell teaches third grade at University Park Elementary in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has taught third grade at University Park for 20 years. Nell has had experience teaching first grade through eighth grade. She also taught overseas in Germany for 5 years on a military base.

16. Meet the Teachers… • Michele Rowland: Rowland teaches third grade at University Park Elementary in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has taught third grade at University Park for 15 years. Rowland has had experience teaching kindergarten through fifth grade.

17. The Teachers: Authentic Assessments in the Classroom • Students are given projects in reading, which allow the students to apply the skills taught in an individual and creative way • Students are given a chance to form book clubs, discussing stories with each other • Students are given tests on stories read in class where they have to write ideas

18. The Teachers: Authentic Assessment Examples • One unit of study in reading was poetry. The students read poetry and learned characteristics of poems • After this unit, students wrote and illustrated their own poetry books • They did have some guidelines, but could also use their creativity and knowledge • They also picked topics about seasons and used their own experiences in their poetry

19. The Teachers: Authentic Assessment Examples • After reading four biographies and taking notes, the students were assigned a project • The Biography Book Project allowed the students to choose a person of significance to read about, take notes, and follow the steps to good writing to report on the subject of their biography book • It is a culmination of all the skills taught in class and they were able to choose a person significant to them

20. The Teachers: Authentic Assessment Examples • Book clubs can give students a chance to discuss their thoughts with each others • Students challenge each other with questions and different ideas about predictions or characters in the story • They also are given books that they can relate to some of the characters to use their background knowledge

21. The Teachers: Authentic Assessment Examples • Tests given in class have questions that ask students opinion • These are also stories that students have been given background knowledge and discussed numerous times • The tests ask questions where students can go back to the ideas of the story and give examples of why they had that thought

22. The Teachers: Non Authentic Assessments • In Maryland, they have a state-wide test called the Maryland School Assessment • This test is taken in March • Nell and Rowland both feel much of the school year is spent teaching towards the test since there is so much pressure on how well students do • This is non authentic because it is judging the students based on one test • It also causes non authentic learning when teachers are teaching towards a test

23. In Conclusion… • Authentic assessments are an important part of a classroom • There are many ideas for teachers to teach authentic information to students • Authentic assessments can be used in many different ways and subjects

24. Works Cited Duke, Nell. (2006). Reading Comprehension Instruction for Students Who Are Learning to Read [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/ Pearson, P. David. (2010). Reading Assessment: Still Time for a Change [Speaker Notes]. Retrieved from http://readingintheborderlands.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/p-david-pearsons-views-on-assessment/ Purcell- Gates, Victoria. Real-Life Literacy Instruction: K-3 Handbook for Teachers [pdf]. Retrieved from http://www.authenticliteracyinstruction.com/img/HandbookK3.pdf