Lesson 1: Basic Concepts, Theories, and Principles in Assessing Learning Using

Alternative Methods
Desired Significant Learning Outcomes
In this lesson, the students are expected to:
• explain the alternative assessment and related concepts and
• demonstrate an understanding of the different principles in assessing learning using alternative
methods of assessment.
What is an alternative assessment?
Assessment is generally defined as the process of gathering quantitative and/or qualitative data for
the purpose of making decisions, whereas assessment in learning can be defined as the systematic and
purpose-oriented collection, analysis, and interpretation of evidence of student learning in order to make
informed decisions relevant to the learners. Further, assessment of learning refers to the use of assessment
to determine learners’ acquired knowledge and skills from instruction and whether they were able to
achieve the curriculum outcomes. In contrast, assessment for learning refers to the use of assessment to
identify the needs of students in order to modify instruction or the learning activities in the classroom. It
is meant to identify gaps in the learning experiences of students, so they can be assisted in achieving the
curriculum outcomes. Assessment as learning which is also formative in nature, refers to the use of
assessment such as tasks, results, and feedback to help learners become self-regulated.
In practice, most teachers use traditional assessment methods to assess and evaluate the learning
of students in the classroom. Traditional assessment refers to the use of traditional assessment strategies
or tools to provide information on student learning. Typically, objective (e.g., multiple-choice) and
subjective (e.g., essay) paper-and-pencil tests are used to assess students. Traditional assessments are often
used as the basis for evaluating and grading students. They are more commonly used in classrooms
because they are easier to design and quicker to be scored.
In contrast, alternative assessment refers to the use of alternative or non-traditional assessment
strategies or tools to collect information on student learning. Examples of alternative forms of assessment
are performance-oriented and product-oriented assessment methods. At the core of alternative assessment
is the need to design and implement assessment tasks or activities that refrain from using traditional paper-
and-pencil tests, which typically assess cognitive learning outcomes and thus have right or wrong answers.
The following are features of alternative assessment (Silvestre-Tipay 2009, p.58):
1. Assessment is based on authentic tasks that demonstrate learners’ ability to accomplish communication
goals;
2. Instructor and learners focus on communication, not on right and wrong answers;
3. Learners help to set the criteria for successful completion of communication tasks; and
4. Learners have opportunities to assess themselves and their peers.
While the practice of assessing learning using traditional methods like paper-and-pencil tests is
still common in many classrooms, there is an emerging trend toward the use of alternative assessment or
assessment using nontraditional methods, which in theory and practice can capture learning targets and
learning outcomes in more authentic ways. Indeed, the use of alternative assessment can lead to more
authentic assessment of learning. In comparison, traditional assessments are viewed as less authentic
types of assessment.
While traditional assessment typically uses paper-and-pencil tests, alternative assessment is more
concerned with performance assessment or performance-based assessment. Performance assessment
refers to assessing student learning by requiring a student to perform a task or develop a product as a
demonstration of one’s learning. The focus of the assessment is on providing opportunity for the students
to apply what they have learned through task performance and/or product creation. The emphasis is on
assessing what students know and what they can do. If the task to be demonstrated closely resembles what
is typically performed or experienced in the real world (high degree of realism), then performance
assessment is also more authentic.
Another alternative method of assessing learning is through portfolio assessment, which pertains
to students’ construction and use of portfolios in a purposeful and systematic manner in order to document
their progress in the attainment of learning targets. A portfolio is a collection of learning and performance
artifacts by a student and is typically accompanied by personal narratives and reflections. The use of a
portfolio allows students to document and demonstrate their accomplishments in the classroom and
provide opportunities to the learners and their teachers to evaluate the progress in a given period of time
(Tolentino, 2009). A portfolio assessment also allows the assessment of students’ learning processes and
products/outputs in a comprehensive and integrative manner.
Other alternative strategies for assessing learning are assessment of non-cognitive learning
outcomes through performance rubrics (for psychomotor outcomes) and rating scales and checklists (for
affective or dispositional outcomes). The use of rubrics and scales may also provide opportunities for
using self-assessment and peer assessment, which allow for a more comprehensive assessment of student
learning and performance in the classroom.
What are the different models of alternative assessment?
The three most common models of nontraditional assessment are: (1) Emergent Assessment, (2)
Developmental Assessment, and (3) Authentic Assessment.
Emergent assessment is based on Michael Scriven’s goal free evaluation model (1967). In this
model, the assessment focuses on determining the “effects” of instruction on students. The emphasis is on
the assessment of both the intended and unintended effects or learning outcomes. Hence, assessment is
not limited to collecting information if the intended learning outcomes defined were met or not, but also
gives importance to unintended learning outcomes whether positive or negative.
Emergent assessment examines how and what the educational program and instruction are doing
to address the needs of students. The assessor should have no preconceived notions or biases regarding
learning outcomes or instructional goals. With this model, assessment is more qualitative and the assessor
uses multiple methods to record all data accurately and determine their importance and quality. Hence,
categories emerge from the observations of the assessor. In this model, direct and indirect evidence of
student learning are both collected. Direct evidence refers to tangible and compelling evidence of what
students have and have not learned, whereas indirect evidence refers to proxy signs for learning that are
less tangible and less compelling compared to direct evidence.
Developmental assessment, on the other hand, focuses on determining the extent that students
have developed their competencies from instruction. This model adopts a pre-test and post-test
methodology to collect information if student has developed or improved after instruction. It involves a
comparison of what students can do at different time points and/or different contexts to assess if there is
progress. Developmental assessment is said to be useful for assessing learning outcomes based on
students’ development rather than a final product. Assessors should have adequate knowledge of how a
skill or attribute develops so appropriate assessment strategies and tools can be designed.
Authentic assessment is the most popular model for alternative assessment. It is an approach in
the assessment of student learning that refers to the use of assessment strategies or tools that allow learners
to perform or create a product that is meaningful to the learners as they are based on real-world contexts.
The authenticity of assessment tasks is best described in terms of degree and not in terms of the presence
or absence of authenticity. Hence, an assessment can be more authentic or less authentic compared to other
assessments, The most authentic assessments are the ones that allow performances that most closely
resemble real-world tasks or applications in real-world settings or environments.
The following can be used as criteria in determining if an assessment task or activity is authentic
or not (Silvestre-Tipay 2009):
The assessment task or activity can ...
1. be built around topics or issues of interest to the students;
2. replicate real-world communication contexts and situations;
3. involve multistage tasks and real problems that require creative use of language rather than simple
repetition;
4. require learners to produce a quality product or performance;
5. introduce the students to the evaluation criteria and standards;
6. involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers, self) and person assessed; and
7. allow for self-evaluation and self-correction as they proceed.
What are the different principles in assessing learning using alternative methods?
There are many principles in the assessment of learning using alternative assessment or
nontraditional methods: Based on the different readings and references on these principles, the following
may be considered as core principles:
1. Assessment is both process- and product-oriented. An assessment gives equal importance to student
performance or product and the process they engage in to perform or produce a product. While traditional
assessment methods are focused on assessing student products or outputs, non-traditional or alternative
methods like performance assessment and portfolio assessment give value to the product developed by
students, as well as in the process students have undergone to develop the product.
2. Assessment should focus on higher-order cognitive outcomes. For assessment to be valid and
authentic, it should require students to demonstrate their knowledge. However, the focus should be on
providing tasks or activities that would allow students’ demonstration of higher-order cognitive outcomes
(e.g., creating, analyzing) or skills (e.g., creativity, critical thinking). The use of nontraditional or
alternative methods of assessment like performance assessment allows the assessment of both lower-order
and higher-order cognitive outcomes in ways that are more authentic.
3. Assessment can include a measure of noncognitive learning outcomes. Traditional assessment
focuses on knowledge and other cognitive learning outcomes. However, psychomotor and affective
outcomes are also important learning outcomes, and there are learning targets that are noncognitive in
nature. Hence, an assessment should also consider the assessment of these noncognitive outcomes.
Nontraditional assessment tools like rubrics, scales, and checklists allow the measurement of noncognitive
learning outcomes that allow a more complete and assessment of student learning.
4. Assessment should reflect real-life or real-world contexts. Assessment tasks or activities should be
authentic. The assessment should closely, if not fully approximate real-life situations or experiences.
Authenticity of assessment can be thought of as a continuum from least authentic to most authentic, with
more authentic tasks expected to be more meaningful for students. Performance assessment is optimal if
the performance task to be demonstrated is similar or close to what is expected in the real world.
5. Assessment must be comprehensive and holistic. Assessment should be performed using a variety of
strategies and tools designed to assess student learning in a more integrative way. Assessment should be
conducted in multiple periods to assess learning over time. Moreover, the use of both traditional
assessment and alternative assessment strategies and tools should be considered. Nontraditional methods
of assessment (e.g., use of rubrics, scales) allow the possibility of multiple assessors, including the use of
self and peer assessment. This ensures that students are being assessed in a more comprehensive and
holistic way.
6. Assessment should lead to student learning. This means that assessment should be like classroom
instruction. This principle is consistent with the concepts of assessment for learning and assessment as
learning. Assessment for learning refers to the use of assessment to identify the needs of students in order
to modify instruction or the learning activities in the classroom. In assessment as learning, assessment
tasks, results, and feedback are used to help students practice self-regulation and make adjustments in
order to achieve the curriculum outcomes.