How authentic is authentic assessment?

Stuart Pedley-Smith explores whether authentic assessment delivers everything it promises.

A version of this article was first published in Pedleysmiths Blog on 30 June 2025.

There is a saying often attributed to Peter Drucker – “what gets measured gets achieved.” I think the quote is “gets done” but that always feels a little clumsy. Although it’s easy to argue that the statement is crude and simplistic, it has a real-world truth.

Such is the inherent challenge with exams. Once a syllabus is written and a pass mark set, the students’ goal often shifts from trying to learn the subject to simply figuring out what needs to be done in order to pass. This, in turn, creates a ripple effect for teachers, especially if their performance is measured by pass rates. They will inevitably adapt their teaching methods to align with that target.

Measure what is measurable and
make measurable what is not so

Galileo

Having spent over 30 years helping accountancy students pass high-stakes exams, I’m not personally going to criticise this (exam-driven) approach, though I appreciate many will. I have seen how effective it can be in providing clarity and focus for students, helping them manage the huge amounts of information they are required to learn, and in many ways making what might seem impossible – possible.

But this isn’t an argument for “teaching to the test”, it’s an acknowledgement of a fundamental truth that targets shape behaviour, regardless of how well-intentioned the original objectives. Keep this in mind as we discuss one of the solutions currently being proposed to improve assessment. It’s called authentic assessment.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Peter Drucker

Authentic assessment

First, a definition. Authentic assessment involves evaluating learners through realistic tasks that reflect the types of challenges they will face in the workplace (Wiggins, 2014) Wiggins, G. (2014) Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained, Authentic Education website . It prioritises realism and encourages learners to “do” the subject, mirroring or simulating the real world. These assessments measure a learner’s ability to apply knowledge and skills to complex, realistic tasks. There are two main components, one a real-life task that needs to be completed by the learner and two, a rubric by which their performance can be measured.

Beyond the exam room – Instead of asking learners to sit in a room for two, maybe three hours regurgitating memorised content, an authentic assessment might need the learner to prepare a portfolio, complete a project, engage in a debate, or even enter a realistic business environment, as required for a case study or simulation. Many consider them more engaging and motivational, largely because learners appreciate their real-world application. They also foster the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and ease the transition into the workplace.

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

Albert Einstein

But they are not a panacea – and there are a number of problems with authentic assessments (Fawns, Bearman, et al, 2024) Fawns, T., Bearman, M., Dawson, et al (2024) Authentic assessment: from panacea to criticality, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27 September 2024 not least the lack of consistency in measuring performance. This is because they prioritise validity (measuring what it’s supposed to) over reliability (consistent results – marking scripts to the same standard). The issue with reliability is partly the result of not having a “perfect” model answer that can be used as a benchmark, nor a sufficiently robust rubric (marking guide). Traditional exams by way of contrast aim for high statistical reliability through objective scoring but allow little flexibility in rewarding learners who produce creative or original answers and arguably benefit those who are just good at exams.

In addition to the difficulty in objectively measuring success, as a method of assessment, they are not well defined. For example, what exactly is the “real world,” and what is meant by “authentic”? One company’s definition of the workplace will be very different from another’s.

One final observation, although authentic assessment has been proven to increase employability-type skills, there is no evidence to show that having been assessed in this way increases your chances of getting a job! (Vlachopoulos & Makri, 2024) Vlachopoulos, D. and Makri, M. (2024) A systematic literature review on authentic assessment in higher education: Best practices for the development of 21st century skills, and policy considerations, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Volume 83, 2024, 101425, ISSN 0191-491X

What gets measured . . .

Changing the assessment directly alters the focus for both learners and teachers, shifting it towards real-world tasks, which means that learners are less consumers of information but active participants in its use. For teachers, instead of concentrating on delivering content, their role becomes more facilitative, guiding learners through complex tasks rather than just lecturing. And overall, this change in approach is hugely positive. 

But as highlighted above, it comes at a cost; there is some confusion over what authentic actually means, and measuring success becomes subjective, making it difficult to mark consistently. This last point is important, because it means that one person may interpret your answer as a pass and another as a fail – it then becomes the luck of the draw!

The answer . . . well, one of them

Think of assessment not as a single exam but as a framework under which several different formats and approaches can be used. The assessment framework will expose the learner over several modules or even several years to a blend of formal (reliable) exams and authentic (valid) exams. The outcome might just give us – the best of both worlds.

Further reading and resources

Wiggins, G. (2014) Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained, Authentic Education website. Available at: https://authenticeducation.org/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/. (Accessed 16 July 2025).

Fawns, T., Bearman, M., Dawson, P., Nieminen, J.K., Ashford-Rowe, K., Willey, K., Jensen, L.X., Damşa, C. and Press, N., (2024) Authentic assessment: from panacea to criticality, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 50(3), 396–408. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2404634. (Accessed 16 July 2025).

Vlachopoulos, D. and Makri, M. (2024) A systematic literature review on authentic assessment in higher education: Best practices for the development of 21st century skills, and policy considerations, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Volume 83, 2024, 101425, ISSN 0191-491X, Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2024.101425. (Accessed 16 July 2025).

About Stuart Pedley-Smith

With over 30 years in professional education, Stuart is an educational strategist focussed on innovation, specialising in digital learning and evidence-based practice. After serving as Head of Learning at Kaplan Financial (UK), his focus has expanded to tackle some of the broader challenges in professional education.

He is the author/co-author of two books and a regular blogger (pedley-smith.uk).

© Stuart Pedley-Smith

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How to cite this article: Pedley-Smith, S. (2025). How authentic is authentic assessment? Accounting Cafe. Available at: https://accountingcafe.org/2025/07/16/how-authentic-is-authentic-assessment/ Retrieved: [insert date].