Authentic assessment is in contrast to standardized testing. The descriptor, "authentic," refers to a real-world connection between the teacher's lesson objectives and the kind of assessment conducted. For example, if the objective is for the student to be able to conduct an experiment in science, an assessment would be for the teacher to pose a situation or problem and ask the student to describe how he/she would set up an experiment to investigate it. Standardized tests on the other hand, are distantly removed from day-to-day classroom teaching and learning.

Michael Bentley, EdD, Expert Panelist