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Learning Theory and Concepts

Alternative Assessment

Instructional Design and Curriculum Frameworks

Alternative assessment, also called authentic, integrative, or holistic assessment, stands in direct contrast to traditional or standardized testing, evaluating student learning through creative demonstrations of knowledge rather than conventional selected-response or constructed-response tests of discrete facts. Examples include composing poetry in a language arts class, staging a theatrical production, or holding a mock trial in a government class, with performances typically judged against a rubric. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Claim
Alternative assessment evaluates learning through performance-based tasks, such as writing, dramatic performance or a mock trial, that require students to apply knowledge in novel ways, in contrast to traditional selected-response or constructed-response testing. 1
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Associated With

Source Alternative assessment (Wikipedia)

Open Questions

Sources
1. Alternative assessment (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, third paragraph
    Alternative assessment is sometimes used as a substitute for certain students who are unable, generally because of disabilities, to take the one given to most students.
  • Lead section, second paragraph
    Instead of traditional selected-response or constructed-response tests that look for discrete facts or knowledge students recall in a standard way, students can apply knowledge in alternative, novel ways.
  • Associated With: Authentic Assessment, Lead section, first paragraph list
    Alternative assessment is also known under various other terms, including: authentic assessment
View the Source
Open Questions (1 open question)
In what year did alternative assessment emerge as a named alternative to standardized testing?

The Wikipedia article describes alternative assessment's forms and practice (portfolios, performances, rubrics) at length but names no founding year or originator for the term or the practice.

What would resolve this A citation to the specific work that first named or proposed alternative assessment as a distinct practice.
educationAlternative assessment (Wikipedia)
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