Importance of Alternative Assessment in Education
Why alternative assessment
While we are mostly familiar with traditional methods of assessment in education, alternative assessments are slowly and steadily becoming common. It is important to understand the motivations behind this choice of assessment and make sure the right approach is implemented during the adoption process.
Most traditional assessments in education are based on a student’s capability to recall what they have learned in their classrooms using traditional teaching methods. It was observed that this form of assessment does not encourage a student to think out of the box and innovate. Nor did it prompt students to apply what they have learnt to a particular situation and come up with solutions.
In other words, students’ thinking capabilities did not get challenged and they did not bring out their best in terms of applying a learnt skill. This is what led educators and researchers to come up with different forms of assessment. This is also the reason why alternative assessments have become important in today’s context of education.
Understanding alternative assessments
Alternative assessments are designed to understand what a student can do rather than what he or she knows. Think about it as an authentic form of assessments that measures proficiency in relation to knowledge application rather than recitation. It brings out the ability of students through designated projects, portfolios and activities. In many ways, alternative assessments are also said to be more inclusive.
Students are requested to do the following during alternative assessments:
- Complete an assigned task that is meaningful
- Prove their skills through demonstrations
- Bring out the knowledge gained
Pros of alternative assessment
What benefits do students, educators and the education system overall stand to gain through alternative assessments? The list below provides some insight into this question.
- Students get an opportunity to apply the knowledge that they have learned and demonstrate it in a constructive way’ that provides a solution to a problem.
- They are encouraged to think, analyze, innovate and apply; and their sense of reasoning tends to improve.
- Students also improve on their communication skills as they need to also explain their solutions and the logic behind it to examiners.
- These tests are more realistic and bring in an understanding and the importance of the knowledge gained.
- A student’s skills are also measured along with the knowledge gained, making it more complete and correct.
- Provides educators with a real time understanding on how teaching methods can be improved. This is so because they get to see how students have imbibed what they have learned and bring it out productively.
- It is easier to grade a student overall like this rather than just scoring marks through shallow recitations.
- It is much more transparent and fair as all students are given an equal opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in a way they find fit rather than constraining them.
Cons of alternative assessment
While the benefits are numerous, there are also a few disadvantages that need to be taken into account. They are:
- Alternative assessments can be time consuming, costly, and involve a far more elaborate process than the traditional ones.
- If not understood and implemented correctly, these can also become disastrous and affect a child’s self esteem
- There is hardly any objective scope in alternative assessments as there are no predefined answers and solutions against which to match and score. Subjective assessments can tend to be biased at times.
The disadvantages can be easily overcome if the objective of alternative assessments is understood and implemented in the right way. It is important to ensure that education systems are fair, inclusive, and transparent and also encourage open thinking. This is the reason why alternative assessments are here to stay and will continue to evolve.