Which form of assessment represents literacy behavior of the community and workplace rather than relying solely on standardized tests?

• A. Curriculum-Based Assessment
• B. Assessment
• C. Authentic Assessment
• D. Echo Reading

Answer: (C)

Authentic assessment measures literacy as it is used in real-life settings. Rather than answering questions on a standardized test, students demonstrate reading and writing skills through tasks that resemble what people do in their communities and on the job. For example, they might read and analyze a community newsletter, write a letter requesting information, interpret a workplace memo, follow instructions to complete a project, or assemble a portfolio of writing and reading work that shows growth over time. These tasks provide evidence of applying literacy in meaningful contexts, which better reflects everyday literacy behavior than standardized items. In contrast, curriculum-based assessment focuses on progress within the school’s curriculum, often through brief, classroom-aligned tasks. It remains more tied to what is being taught in school rather than to authentic, real-world demands. A generic assessment label is too vague to specify how literacy is used outside the classroom, and an echo reading activity is a classroom strategy for fluency, not a form of assessing authentic literacy performance.