EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

Chapter 3
NATURE OF PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
Week 3

Objectives
At the end of this week, students will be able to:
 analyze the nature and the essential characteristics of performance-based
assessment.
Introduction

Most of the time, the teacher relied on paper-and-pencil test which measures
knowledge and understanding, not the ability of the learners to actually carry out the
performance. With the implementation of the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) across the
country, greater emphasis shall be given in assessing student outcomes through real life
(authentic) which requires students to work and carry on tasks to perform and do
something Assessment in which students carry out activities or produce product in
demonstrating their metacognitive knowledge, understanding and skills is called
performance-based assessment.

1. Meaning and Characteristics

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Performance-Based Assessment is one which the teacher observes and makes
a judgment about the student ‘s demonstration of a skill or competency in creating a
product , constructing a response, or making a presentation (McMillan, 2007 as cited by
Cajigal and Mantuano, 2014). In this assessment, the emphasis is on the students’ ability to
perform tasks by producing their own authentic work with their knowledge and skills.

Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) is an alternative form of assessment that

moves away from traditional paper-and-pencil tests (Ferman, 2005 as cited by Cajigal and
Mantuano, 2014). It involves students producing a project, whether it is an oral, written,
individual or group performance. The students are engaged in creating a final project that
exhibits understanding of concepts they have learned.

Performance-Based Assessment process the creative aspect of the students in

bringing out what they know and what they can do through different performance tasks
such as exhibits, projects and work examples. Hands-on experiences allow them to be more
critical motivated and involved when they are allowed to perform on their own. Students
can acquire and apply more knowledge, skills and work habits through the different
performance tasks which are meaningful and engaging to the students.
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

Types of activities that best exemplified performance-based assessments include

writing a research report, solving and conducting experiments and investigations, return
demonstration, speech, skit, role playing, constructing and implementing seminar plan or
creating video presentation.

It is stipulated in the DepEd Order No7, s, 2012 that the highest level of assessment
focuses on the performances (product) which the students are expected to produce through
authentic performance tasks. The assessment at this level should answer the question,
“What product(s) or performance(s) do we want students to produce as evidence of their
learning or understanding?” or “How do we want them to provide evidence that they can
transfer their learning to real life situations?”

Moreover, Linn (1995) as cited by Cajigal and Mantuano (2014) stated that
performance assessment provide a basis of teachers to evaluate both the effectiveness of
the process or procedure used (e.g. approach to data collection manipulation of
instruments) and the product resulting from performance of a task (e.g. completed report of
results, completed art work). Unlike simple tests of factual knowledge, there is unlikely to be
single right or best answer. Rather, there may be formulation, the organization of ideas, the
integration of multiple types of evidence, and originality are all important aspects of
performance that may not be adequately assessed by paper-and-pencil tests.

Performance products are outputs produced by the students that provide concrete
examples of their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. These performances
allow them to demonstrate the application of what they have learned with their schemata
as well. Students may also engage in some tasks which are useful not only within the four
walls of the school such as doing field work, demonstrating rules and guidelines, and
engaging into extension services. Process-oriented assessments provide insights on the
students’ critical thinking, logic and reasoning skills. These will lead them to independent
learning and set goals for future use.

Some performance assessment proponents contend that genuine performance

assessments must possess at least three features (Popham, 2011 as cited by Cajigal and
Mantuano, 2014):

 Multiple evaluation criteria. The student’s performance must be judged

using more than one evaluation criterion.

 Pre-specified quality standards. Each of the evaluative criteria on which a

student’s performance is to be judged is clearly explicated in advance of
judging the quality of the student’s performance.
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

 Judgmental appraisal. Genuine performance assessments depend on human

judgments to determine how acceptable a student’s performance really is.

Some characteristics of performance assessment which can be observed in

the actual classroom setting may include student performance, creation,
construction and production of product which can assess deep understanding
and reasoning skills. The performance involves engaging ideas of importance
and substance which students can explain, justify, and defend. Lastly, the
performance should be grounded in real-word contexts which calls for
authenticity of the performance.

2. Types of Performance Tasks

The main objective of the performance task is to capture

all the learning targets which shall be aligned to the teaching
and learning objectives, activities and assessment. Thus, the
focus of performance-based assessment is the final output
that must blog.performancetask.com

be developed or completed. These could be in form of problem-solving, demonstration,

tasks and other authentic experiences that would influence the thinking processes, skills and
products required from performance tasks. Below are some performance-based assessment
tasks (Musial, 2009 as cited by Cajigal and Mantuano, 2014).

2.1 Solving a problem. Critical thinking and problem solving are important
skills that need to be sharpened and developed by the learners. Teachers may
include activities and make sense of complex authentic problems or issues to be
solved by the students.

2.2 Completing an inquiry. An inquiry tasks is one in which the students are
asked to collect data in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue.
Examples of inquiries include science investigation, research- based activities, survey
and interviews or independent studies.

2.3 Determining a position. This task requires students to make decision or

clarify a position. Case analysis and issue related activities or debate are some
examples of this task.

2.4 Demonstrating Task. This task shows how the students use knowledge
and skills to complete well-defined complex tasks. Students explain or describe how
something works or how to do something when they perform these tasks. Examples
are demonstrating steps or procedures of cooking, explaining the earthquake safety
procedures and demonstrating how to set up microscope for viewing slides. The
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

focus of demonstration tasks is accuracy in clarifying the steps of process as well as

careful reasoning concerning the rationale for each step of the process.

2.5 Developing Exhibits. Exhibits are visual presentations or displays that

need little or no explanation from the creators. An exhibit is offered to explain,
demonstrate or show something. Classroom applications include exhibit of best
works, pictures or paintings, projects or even portfolios.

2.6 Presentation Task. This is a work or task performed in front of an

audience. Storytelling, singing and dancing, musical play or theatrical acting are
some presentations which demonstrate presentations tasks.

2.7 Capstone Performances. These are tasks that occur at the end of a
program of study and enable students to show knowledge and skills in the context
that matches the world of practicing professionals. These tasks include research
paper, practice teaching, internship or on-the-job training.

With the different types of performance tasks, the teacher may decide what and
when materials should be used, specifies the instructions for performance, describes the
kinds of outcomes toward which students should work, tells the students they are being
assessed and gives students opportunities to prepare themselves for the assessment.
Performance tasks on the other hand can be performed also in a typical and natural setting,
which give students opportunity to perform particular activity which the teacher would like
to assess.

3. Strengths and Limitations

As we explored the nature of performance

assessment and examined the different types of
assessment tasks, several authorities discussed the
advantages of performance blogs.deusto.es assessments over other assessments.

3.1 Performance assessment clearly identifies and clarifies learning targets.

Authentic performance tasks such as real world challenges and situations can closely
match with the various complex learning targets. This offers a direct way to assess
what the students know and can do within the variety of realistic contexts.

1.2 Performance assessment allows students to exhibit their own skills, talents,
and
expertise. Tasks show integration of the student’s skills, knowledge and abilities,
provide challenge and opportunities to exhibit their best creation. This also assesses
the ability “to do” of the students.
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

3.3 Performance assessment advocates constructivist principle of learning.

Students
are more engaged in active learning and give more opportunities to demonstrate
their
learning in different ways in complex tasks. Students use their previous knowledge to
build a new knowledge structures and be actively involved in exploration and inquiry
through different tasks.

3.4 Performance assessment uses a variety of approaches to student evaluation.

This
offers students a variety of way of expressing their learning and increases the validity
of student’s evaluation. Teachers may share criteria of assessment before the actual
evaluation so that students can use this criterion as well.

3.5 Performance assessment allows the teachers to explore the main goal and
processes of teaching and learning process. Teachers may reflect and revisit
learning
targets, curriculum and instructional practices, and standards as they utilize
performance-based assessment. They may use a variety of teaching strategies and
techniques, and explore how students will use the Instructional material and
resources given to them.

Though performance assessments offer several advantages over traditional objective

assessment procedures, they have some distinct limitations as well.

1. Development of high quality performance assessment is a tedious process.

Performance assessment needs careful planning and implementation. It is very time
consuming to construct good tasks. Teachers have to make sure that the
performance tasks expected from the students are authentic and match the
outcome to be assessed and not with other qualities that are not part of the
outcomes to be assessed. Quality scoring rubrics are difficult to create as well.

2. Performance assessment requires a considerable amount of time to administer.

Paper-and-pencil takes 15 to 20 minutes per tasks to complete depending on the
number of items. Most authentic tasks take a number of days to complete. Most of
the time, performance assessment is administered to small groups of students unlike
traditional testing which is simultaneously administered to an entire class.

3. Performance assessment takes a great deal of time to score. The more complex the
process and performance, the more time you can expect to spend on scoring. To
reduce the scoring time, crafting a high quality rubrics is recommended.
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

4. Performance task score may have lower reliability. This resulted to inconsistency of
scoring by teachers who interpret observation quite differently. With complex tasks,
multiple correct answers, and fast paced performances, scoring depends on
teachers’ own scoring competence.

5. Performance task completion may be discouraging to less able students. Some

tasks that require students to sustain their interest for a longer time may discourage
disadvantaged students. They may have partial knowledge of the learning target but
may fail to complete the task because it does not allow them to utilize this partial
knowledge effectively and efficiently.

A summary of strengths and weaknesses of performance assessment is presented below:

Strengths Weaknesses
Integrates assessment with instruction. Reliability may be difficult to
establish.
Learning occurs during assessment.
Measurement error due to
Provides opportunities for formative
subjective nature of the scoring may
assessment.
be significant.
Tends to be more authentic than other types of
Inconsistent student performance
assessment.
across time may result in inaccurate
More engaging; active involvement of students. conclusions.
Provides additional way for students to show Few samples of student
what they know and can do. achievement.
Emphasis on reasoning skills. Requires considerable teacher time
Forces teachers to establish specific criteria to to prepare and student time to
identify successful performance. complete.

Encourages student self-assessment. Difficult to plan for amount of time

Emphasis on application of knowledge. needed.
Encourages re-examination of instructional Limited ability to generalize to a
goals and the purpose of schooling. larger domain of knowledge.

jeancotamora.blogspot.com ACTIVITY 1
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

Direction:

List down five (5) activities which are considered as performance-based outputs. From the
list you have made, what do you think are the competencies to be accomplished? What assessment
procedures were done by the Instructor? Use the template below.

Activities Competencies Assessment Procedure/s

teachstarter.com

Instruction:

As a teacher education student, think of a subject you plan to teach and make workable
tasks which are applicable to your teaching situation in the different types of performance
assessment.

Types of Performance Tasks Performance Task to be Workable Tasks (Authentic)

Undertaken
 EDUC 318 Assessment of Student Learning 2

References:
Akib, Erwin and Muh.Arief Muhsin (2018). Assessment of Teaching In 21ST Century. Journal of Physics: Conf.
Series 1179 (2019) 012065. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1179/1/012065
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1179/1/012065/pdf

Cajigal, R.M. and Mantuano, M.D. (2014). Assessment of Learning 2. Adriana Publishing Company, QC.

de Guzman, E.S. (2014). Field Study 5: Learning Assessment Strategies. Adriana Publishing Co. Inc.