How to Provide Authentic Assessments in Your Classroom: A Complete Guide for Math Teachers
If you've ever watched a student ace a multiple-choice test, or turn in work that magically has the right answer, only to struggle when asked to explain why an answer is correct, you've experienced the limitation of traditional assessments. They measure what students can recall—but not what they truly understand.
Authentic assessments, on the other hand, offer a different approach. Instead of asking students to bubble in answers, they ask students to demonstrate their thinking in ways that mirror real-world problem-solving.
For math teachers especially, this shift can be transformative. When students explain their reasoning—out loud, in their own words—you get a window into their understanding that no standardized test can provide.
What Are Authentic Assessments?
Authentic assessments evaluate students by having them apply knowledge in meaningful, real-world contexts. Rather than testing isolated facts, they require students to:
Explain their reasoning (not just give answers)
Solve complex problems with multiple valid approaches
Demonstrate understanding through performance, not just recall
Connect concepts to real situations
In math, this might look like a student explaining how they solved a problem, why they chose a particular strategy, and what they would do differently next time.
Why Authentic Assessments Matter in Math
Traditional math tests often reward memorization and procedure-following. A student might correctly apply the quadratic formula without understanding what a quadratic is or why the formula works.
Authentic assessments flip this script. Research from Ohio State University on mathematical communication shows that students progress through three levels of explanation:
Algorithmic – "I followed these steps"
Structural – "I understand why these steps work"
Transformative – "I can adapt this approach to new problems"
When you ask students to explain their thinking, you can see which level they've reached—and help them grow to the next one.
5 Practical Ways to Add Authentic Assessment to Your Classroom
1. Video Explanations
Have students record themselves solving a problem while explaining their thinking out loud. This reveals their reasoning process in ways written work cannot.
When students explain math verbally, they often catch their own mistakes, make connections they hadn't seen before, and demonstrate understanding that wouldn't show up on a worksheet.
Pro tip: Use a simple phone stand to help students record hands-free while they write on paper or a whiteboard. The Capture Thought phone stand is designed specifically for this—positioning the camera to capture both the student's voice and their written work.
2. Think-Alouds
Ask students to verbalize their thought process as they work through a problem. This can be done live in class or recorded for later review.
Listen for:
How they approach the problem initially
What strategies they consider
Where they get stuck and how they recover
Whether they check their work
3. Portfolio-Based Assessment
Have students collect their best work over time, including reflections on what they learned and how they improved. This shows growth, not just a single snapshot.
4. Peer Teaching
Ask students to teach a concept to a classmate. If they can explain it clearly enough for someone else to understand, they truly grasp the material.
5. Real-World Problem Solving
Present open-ended problems connected to real situations. For example: "Your family is planning a road trip. Given these constraints, plan the most efficient route and explain your reasoning."
The Challenge: Time
The biggest obstacle to authentic assessment isn't philosophy—it's time. Watching 30 student videos or reading 30 detailed explanations takes far longer than running a Scantron through a machine.
This is where technology can help
AI-powered tools can now analyze student explanations and provide detailed feedback in minutes rather than hours. For example, Capture Thought analyzes student video explanations using AI to assess:
Mathematical accuracy – Did they get the concepts right?
Communication clarity – Can they explain their thinking?
Understanding depth – Are they algorithmic, structural, or transformative?
Visual alignment – Does their written work match what they're saying?
Teachers get research-based feedback on each student in about 2 minutes per video—compared to 10-15 minutes of manual review.
Getting Started: A Simple First Step
If you're new to authentic assessment, start small:
Choose one concept you're teaching this week
Ask students to record a 2-3 minute explanation of how they solved a problem
Listen for understanding, not just correct answers
Provide feedback on their reasoning, not just their result
You'll likely discover things about your students' understanding—both strengths and gaps—that traditional tests never revealed.
The Bottom Line
Authentic assessments take more time than traditional tests, but they reveal what students actually understand—not just what they can memorize. For math teachers, hearing students explain their thinking is the clearest window into their learning.
And with tools designed to streamline the process—from simple phone stands that make recording easy, to AI-powered analysis that speeds up feedback—authentic assessment is more practical than ever.
Ready to try it?
Start with one video explanation assignment this week. You might be surprised by what you learn about your students.
Capture Thought helps teachers provide research-based feedback on student math explanations. Learn more or get the phone stand.
