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Please post in the forum below your comments and reaction to the following prompt: Authentic Assessment is the only form of assessment consistent with Inquiry Instruction… any and all modalities of instruction.

There is no “only” anything in education.  In a world of differentiated instruction there needs to be (at least for me) a world of differentiated assessment.  Now it may be possible to find a way to assess all the different (iated) kiddies with authentic assessment, but it’s not likely.  That said, authentic assessment is one of the forms that works better with inquiry instruction than some others.  There can be a ‘vagueness’ to what info/content has been delivered in the inquiry instruction.  Then, with ADD kids you never know what part they took in or not! 

A good authentic assessment after inquiry instruction will give a sense of what info/material was adequately delivered and to whom.  It can identify gaps in the intended information and outliers in understanding.  Authentic assessment is an important component in determining the ability to transfer knowledge.  It can require that one convert concrete skills in a global way.  But, it is only one part of a complete assessment.