Good Measures: Developing a Process for Authentic Assessment Creation in Food Education.

Area of Science:

• Educational Assessment
• Curriculum Development
• Food Education

Background:

• A nonprofit educational organization aimed to develop authentic evaluation tools for K-12 Food Education.
• Tool development involved a collaborative effort between organization staff and teachers during an Evaluation Summit.
• The Summit included 14 teachers across grade bands preK-12.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the process of creating authentic evaluation tools for Food Education in K-12 schools.
• To describe the collaborative development process during an Evaluation Summit.
• To outline challenges and outcomes of authentic assessment creation.

Main Methods:

• Direct observations and artifact analysis (brainstorming charts, online documents) captured the tool development process.
• Post-Summit activities were documented through surveys and artifacts.
• Themes of successful approaches and challenges were identified.

Main Results:

• In-person collaboration among teachers is crucial for effective evaluation tool development.
• Centering students in the evaluation process is a key finding.
• Equity and accessibility are vital considerations in developing authentic assessments.

Conclusions:

• The study provides valuable insights for nonprofit organizations in the education sector.
• It highlights the importance of community building in specialized educational fields like Food Education.
• The findings offer guidance on new approaches to classroom evaluation.