How Pilot Schools Authentically Assess Student Mastery

The purpose of this study is to document how member schools of the Boston Pilot Schools Network use authentic assessments to understand what their students know and can do. These principles not only reflect the belief that a student's learning must be measured in multiple, authentic ways, they also reflect the Network's focus on equitable practices--schools should take responsibility to encourage students from different contexts and cultures to show in diverse ways what they know and how they learn. This study provides documentation of a new generation of schools that have come of age after most of the foundational research on authentic assessment was produced. This paper offers a snapshot of the use of authentic assessment in the Pilot Schools and identify the challenges the schools face as they try to advance this work. This study contributes to the field by documenting performance assessment schools as they struggle to continue the work in a difficult political context. The researchers hope to inform those working with authentic assessment or evaluating its impact. Ideally, their work will also be of use to practitioners as they implement personalized assessments in an increasingly standardized environment. Pilot Schools Network Statement on Accountability is appended. (Contains 1 footnote and 26 resources.) [Funding for this report was provided by the Barr Foundation, the Goldberg Family Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation.]