Incorporating Authentic Assessment into Social Studies

This self study focuses on the incorporation of authentic assessments into the social studies curriculum of a second grade class. My goal was to incorporate assessments that were more creative and thought provoking than traditional assessments. From the literature review I concluded that authentic assessments support students’ higher order thinking skills and allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in an individualized manner. Thus, I implemented assessments that included simulations, research, and literature discussions. Data collection included the lessons plans that led up to the assessments, student work, and my observations of students during the assessments. Data analysis indicated that students were actively involved in these assessment activities and were able to successfully demonstrate what they had learned, whereas their performance on traditional assessments, such as quizzes, was less successful