Lesson 4

Performance Assessment
Strength and Limitations of Performance Assessment

Figure 4 A teacher observing her students performing a laboratory works- the performance of the student is being assessed

A ssessing of student performance can be applied through paper and pencil, observational using rubrics and behavioral
development. The teachers can assess the growth and development of students at various levels. Participation and involve-
ments of parents especially in the lower grades matters a lot. They are informed of the progress of their children in school. Also
the instructional supervisors are able to evaluate the strength and weaknesses of the academic program.

Reflective Questions REVIEW

•After showing involvement in Revisit the importance and process of performance assessment using concept
the topic, how do you see yourself map.
performed by the given task or
activity?
WHAT IS PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT?
•Is paper and pencil effective to
you as a learner? If not, give an Performance Assessment is one which the teachers observes and makes a judg-
options ment about the student’s demonstration or skill of competency in creating a prod-
uct, constructing a response, or making a presentation. Performance is shorthand
•What is the importance of per- for performance-based or performance-and-product. Performance and product as-
formance assessment? sessment expressed through a product such as completed paper, project or solution.
Over the past decade, educators have taken what is best about performance mostly
•Cite an example of performance by conventional objective tests.
assessment strength and limita-
tions in your class? Another definition of Performance Assessment as viewed by David et.al, (First
Edition) stating that an assessment activity or set of activities that require stu-
dents to generate products or performance that provide direct or indirect evidence
of students’ knowledge, skills and abilities in an academic content domain. It pro-
vide direct content domain. Performance based tasks include actual performances
Prepared by of making those products, such as carrying out laboratory experiments, exhibiting
Jose Ariel R. Ibarrientos, LPT, PhD creative and artistic talents, such as dancing, painting, and playing musical in-
Professor
strument, and demonstrating writing skills through extemporaneous essay writ-
ing, article review, and reflective papers. Both product- based performance-based
assessments provide information about how a student understands and applies
Assessment of knowledge and involve hands-on tasks or activities that students must complete
Learning 1 individually or in small groups.
 Authentic and Alternative assessment are sometimes interchangeably with performance assessment, but they actually
mean something different. When we say alternative assessment, it is a method that differs from conventional paper-and-pencil
tests, most particularly objective tests. Examples of Alternative Assessment include observations, exhibitions, oral presen-
tations, experiments, portfolios, interviews and projects. Some think of essays as a type of alternative assessment because
they require students to construct responses. Authentic Assessment involves the direct examination of a student’s ability to
use knowledge to perform a task that is like what is encountered in real life or in the real world. Authenticity is judged in the
nature of the task completed and in the contexts of the task. Examples are, in the options available, constraints, and access to
resources.
Performance Assessment may or may not be authentic. In fact, we find that authenticity in terms of the real world use of
knowledge in one several characteristics of performance assessment that is matter of degree. Some performance assessments
are more authentic than others.
What are the characteristics of a good performance assessment? It can be measured by using the following criteria.
1.It is authentic, that is, it includes tasks that are meaningful and realistic.
Example: Give an exam or final output by extracting their knowledge, skills and abilities through realistic and meaningful
style. Hands-on experience in performing a task that is done in the actual world like identifying market needs, gaps plan
out the marketing mix and 4Ms of operations and forecast the cost and revenues of the business.
2.It provides opportunities for students to show both what they know and how well they can do what they know.
Example: Actual Research in Practical research 2 Class to determine the students’ abilities about research in terms of
gathering data, interpreting it and conceptualization of whole paper output.
3.It allows students to be involved in the process of evaluating their own and their peers’ performance and output.
Example: Instructional Materials preparation by using rubric to facilitate self-assessment and peer assessment.
4.It assesses more complex skills.
Example: Instead of identifying the Four Pillars of Education, why not to give an activity that can express on how they
assess the four pillars by giving examples and outcomes.
5.It explains the task, required elements, and scoring criteria to the students before the start of the activity and the as-
sessment.
Example: Before class/group demonstration, students must be able to identify the criteria for them to be aware of their
performance before, during and after the demonstration.

HOW DO YOU CONDUCT A PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT?

Performance assessment requires the teachers and students fair judgment when evaluating the resulting product and perfor-
mances. The following are the basic steps in planning and implanting performance-based or product-based assessment:
1.Define the purpose of performance or product-based assessment. The teacher may ask the following questions:
-What concept, skill, or knowledge of the students should be assessed?
-At what level should the students be performing?
-What type of knowledge is being assessed (e.g., remembering to create)?
2.Choose the activity/output that you will assess.
The performance tasks should be feasible, interesting, challenging, achievable, and with sufficient depth and breadth so
that valid evaluation about students’ learning can be made.
3.Define the criteria. Criteria are guidelines or rules for judging student responses, products, or performances. The set
of criteria should be discussed and agreed upon by the teacher and the students. There are four types of criteria that can
be used for evaluating student performances:
a.Content Criteria- to evaluate the degree of a student’s knowledge and understanding of facts, concepts, and
principles related to the topic/subject;
b.Process Criteria- to evaluate the proficiency level of performance of a skill or process;
c.Quality Criteria- to evaluate the quality of a product or performance;
d.Impact Criteria- to evaluate the overall results or effects of a product or performance.
4.Create the performance rubric. A rubric is an assessment tool that indicates the performance expectations for any
kind of student work. It generally contains three essential features: (1) criteria or the aspects of performance that will be
assessed, (2) performance descriptors or the characteristics associated with dimension or criterion, and (3) performance
levels that identify student’s level of mastery within each criterion. There are different types of rubrics:
a.Holistic Rubric- in holistic rubric, student performance or output is evaluated by applying all criteria simulta-
neously, thus providing a single score based on overall judgments about the quality of student’s work.
b.Analytic Rubric- in analytic rubric, student’s work is evaluated by using each criterion separately, thus provid-
ing specific feedback about the student’s performance or product along several dimensions.
c.General Rubric- contains criteria that are general and can be applied across tasks (eg. the same rubric that can
be used to evaluate oral presentation and research output).
d.Task- Specific Rubric- contains criteria that are unique to a specific task (i.e., a rubric that can be used for oral
presentation and another rubric applicable only for research output).
5.Assess student’s performance/product. In assessing a student’s wok, it is important to adhere to the criteria set and
use the rubric developed. This is to ensure objective, consistent, and accurate evaluation of student’s performance. It is
also important to provide specific and meaningful feedback and explanation to students on how they have performed the
task clarifying to them what they can improve.
Assessment of Learning 1 Jose Ariel R. Ibarrientos, LPT, PhD
 STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS
Students are more engaged in active learning as part of the assessment because that is what they need to perform
successfully as contrasted by memorizing the information. Because the emphasis is on what students do, skills are
more directly assessed and there are more opportunities to observe the process students use to arrive at answers or re-
sponses. Students who traditionally do not perform well on paper-and-pencil tests have an opportunity to demonstrate
their learning in a different way.
Another advantage of performance assessments is that they force teachers to identify multiple intelligences of learn-
ers by judging into specific criteria. As stated by Waggins (1993), that performance assessment is simply applying the
teaching/learning methods used successfully for years in the adult world. Musicians, artists, athletes, architects, and
doctors all learn by getting feedback on what they do, and the important goal is not what they know but how what they
know is demonstrated in practice. It is also same approach can be applied to learning all content areas. It helps target
more important outcomes. Finally, performance assessment motivates educators to explore the purposes and processes
of schooling. (Jamentz, 1994; Wiggins, 1998).
The limitations of using performance assessment lie in three areas:
1. Reliability;
2. Sampling and
3. Time
Inconsistent student performance also contributes to error. That is, student performance at one time may differ
noticeably from what the student would demonstrate at another time. Example: If student on the day of assessment is
ill. Because it takes a lot of time for students to o performance assessments, you will have relatively few samples of
student’s achievement and ability. Furthermore, we know that performance on one task may not provide a very good
estimate of student’s proficiency on other tasks. Another limitation of performance assessment concerns time. It is very
time consuming to construct a good task, develop scoring criteria and rubrics, administer the tasks, observe students,
and then apply the rubrics to student performance. For students performance that are not yet recorded things to consid-
erations are the following: (1) Adequate time needs to be taken with each student as he or she performs the task; (2) it
is difficult in a timely fashion, to interact with all students and give them meaningful feedback as they learn and make
decisions; and (3) it is difficult to estimate the amount of time students will need to complete performance assessments,
especially if the task is a new one and if students are unaccustomed to the format and expectations.
Figure 1. Strengths and Weaknesses of Performance Assessments
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Learning in the process in the process of being assesses. Reliability may be difficult to establish.
Integrates assessments with instruction. Measurement error due to subjective nature of the
scoring may be significant.
Learning occurs during assessment. Inconsistent student performance across time may
result in inaccurate conclusions.
Provides opportunities for formative assessment. Few samples of student achievement.
Tends to be more authentic than other types of assess- Requires considerable teacher time to prepare and
ments. student time to complete.
More engaging; active involvement of students. Difficult to plan for amount of time needed.
Provides additional way for students to show what they Limited ability to generalize to a larger domain of
know and can do. knowledge.
Emphasis on reasoning skills.
Forces teachers to establish specific criteria to identify
successful performance.
Encourages student self-assessment.
Emphasis on application of knowledge.
Encourages reexamination of instructional goals and the
purpose of schooling

Assessment of Learning 1 Jose Ariel R. Ibarrientos, LPT, PhD

 POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
To be able to check whether you have learned the important information about identifying and designing performance as-
sessments please complete the following graphical representation:

Performance
Assessment

Performance What is good

What are the When
Assessment
to use? performance How to create? How to conduct?
types? assessment?

ASSESSMENT

1. What are the types of performance assessments?

2. What are the characteristics of good performance assessments?
3. What are the basic steps in conducting performance-based assessments?

REFERENCES

Balagtas, Marilyn U. et al., ( ). Assessment in Learning 2, Rex Book Store

Mcmillan, James H. ( ). Classroom Assessment: principles and practice for effective Instruction, __________?

Assessment of Learning 1 Jose Ariel R. Ibarrientos, LPT, PhD