Performance-based

Assessment
 Why performance-based
assessment?
 Paper-pencil tests are not enough to
determine if students know how to do
something.
 Learning objectives and outcomes may
call for performance
 Keeps the students engaged –
demonstrates relevance of what they learn
 Can be comprehensive (assess
knowledge, skills, attitude)
 Examples of PBA
 Writing
 Laboratory work
 Playing a sport
 Drawing, sketching
 Building structures
 Conducting your own research (science fair)
 Creating files, databases on computer
 Giving a speech
 Read aloud
 Construct a graph
 Types of PBA
 Restricted PBA (restricted to a specific, limited
skill like “opening a computer file”)
 Usually the purpose is to ensure that students have
learned skills that will later on become part of a larger
task
 E.g., dribbling a ball (for basketball)
 Extended PBA (comprehensive, includes a
variety of skills; gives students a lot of freedom
in selecting, performing, and self-assessing on
tasks)
 E.g., Playing a basketball game
 Types of PBA
 Restricted PBA is usually done for
formative assessment
 Extended PBA is usually done for
summative or for “placement” assessment
 Steps in conducting PBA
1. Specifying the Performance Outcomes
 Examples of verbs used in learning outcomes
• Measure (distance, sides of a room, angles)
• Mark (location of organs on an outline of human form)
• Construct a weather map
• Identify different parts of a microscope (for restricted PBA)
• Draw a figure (circle, square, parallelogram)
• Design a model of a building
• Demonstrate (a backhand in tennis, correct posture in shooting a basket)
• Perform (a musical instrument)
• Recite (a poem)
• Writes a research report
• Creates a poster display
 Steps in conducting PBA
2. Selecting the focus of the assessment –
can focus on process, product, or both
1. Assessing the process: If the PBA results in
a product, the teacher might want to assess
procedure in the beginning (e.g., identifying
different apparatus). Sometimes, the PBA
that results in a complex performance can
also be broken down to assessment at this
level (e.g., the first two weeks of a PE class
may focus on running, jumping, resistance,
etc.)
 Steps in conducting PBA
2. Selecting the focus of the assessment –
can focus on process, product, or both
2. Assessing the product – sometimes, we are
interested in the product (because the
processes may be many, not clearly
identifiable, etc.). E.g., solving a word
problem; throwing a discus; long jump; etc.
 Steps in conducting PBA
3. Selecting an appropriate degree of realism
1. Performance tasks can vary in degree of realism.
For example
1. 40 x .06 = 2.40 - lowest level of realism
2. Determine earnings on a principle of $40, with monthly
interest rate of 6% - more realistic than the first
3. Creating a chart of earnings for 12 months – more realistic than the
second
4. Managing a bank account (with fake dollars) – higher than the third
5. Managing a real bank account (with money earned through class
tasks) – high realism
 Steps in conducting PBA
3. Selecting an appropriate degree of realism
2. The level of realism a teacher needs to use
depends on:
a. The learning objective (which may be easily assessed
using a paper-pencil test – e.g., write a letter)
b. Components of the overall skills required may be satisfied
with a paper-pencil test (e.g., identifying different parts of a
microscope before learning to operate it)
c. Practical constraints may prohibit the teacher from doing a
full-scale performance based assessment (e.g., creating a
bank account may not be feasible)
d. The task may not allow for realism to be created (e.g., CPR
dummy HAS to be used)
 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation – for the
learning objectives/outcomes decided earlier,
the teacher may select from the following:
1. Paper-pencil performance
2. Identification test
3. Structured performance test
4. Simulated performance
5. Work sample
6. Extended research project

Let’s look at each one of these – including examples

 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation
1. Paper-pencil
Before they start a school year, the coach may be interested in whether
students know the various positions in the court. He/she may ask
students to create a layout of a basketball court and draw the location of
the different team members on court.
Before they handle expensive instruments, students might have to demonstrate
their knowledge of various parts of the instrument via a paper-pencil test.

2. Identification test
Identify the various sounds made by different instruments
Identify the different types of leaves that can be toxic/harmful (before
going on a field trip)
Identify the best sentence from a list of different sentences
 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation
3. Structured performance test - Elements of a larger
performance – highly structured/controlled
Running a half length of the court while dribbling the ball and
executing a jump shot
Adjusting the focus in a microscope

This becomes a bit time-consuming. It also requires detailed

directions. Grading also calls for judgment – so, criteria for
grading need to be set up ahead of time (e.g., in Handwriting, is
posture important? Is type of grasp important? To what extent
can students write outside the line before they are deemed to be
failing? How many words do they need to write? Is time/speed
important?)
 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation
4. Simulated performance
Internet / computer programs that simulate banking
Pretend grocery store

5. Work sample
Create a database, given specific directions
Identify elements of a cell, given a prepared slide
Write one page to demonstrate handwriting
Draw a still-life
 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation
6. Extended Research Project
Any project you assign to students should follow the following steps/criteria
1. Establish criteria and standards for performance
It’s best to involve students in setting criteria (more motivating, higher
engagement on part of student; must be checked against the learning
objectives)
2. Help select and state the problem
Make sure that the problem is:
clear
do-able
authentic
has more than one solution
free from bias, is fair
Encourage students to participate in deciding on the problem – try to state as
question
3. Help locate and select resources
Identity resources they can use (remember, children whose parents are poor
may not be able to take them to meetings/public library or purchase items)
Make sure resources are relevant
 Steps in conducting PBA
4. Selecting the performance situation
6. Extended Research Project
Any project you assign to students should follow the following steps/criteria
4. Provide guidance in writing the report
-Develop criteria for writing the report (best to use student self- or
peer-evaluation here)
-Criteria should come from the learning objectives
-Give detailed feedback as the report is being developed (peer-
evaluation or teacher evaluation)
5. Help design and complete the product
sometimes the written report is the project, but sometimes it needs to
be further developed into a display, include graphs, a model, etc.
-make sure criteria for evaluating product are developed and
communicated!
6. Create time/space/opportunities to present product (fosters
communication skills, helps children learn from each other)
 Steps in conducting PBA
5. Making performance assessment more
authentic
-What are the benefits of making assessment authentic?
* more relevant
* more motivating
* encourages real-world skills (and transfer to real world)
* can be complex and employ higher-level thinking
*aids real understanding
 Steps in conducting PBA
6. Selecting the method of observing, recording and
scoring
-systematic observation & anecdotal records
-checklists
-rating scales
-scoring rubrics

You can use any one or combination of these to evaluate.

 Steps in conducting PBA
6. Selecting the method of observing, recording and
scoring
-systematic observation & anecdotal records
When/if students are working on a project in class – teachers are
often informally observing. Instead, teachers could write notes
on specific events – e.g., unusual cooperation between
students, descriptions of areas where students had the most
difficulty. The anecdotal records should be created/maintained
in the following way:
-focus on meaningful incidents
-write them up soon after the incident
-write enough detail to make sense of it later
-keep judgments/interpretations separate from the discussions
 Steps in conducting PBA
6. Selecting the method of observing, recording
and scoring
-checklists
Contains of elements/steps sequentially listed with a
“yes” or “no” option
Often used to provide students with a means of self-
check
Activity: Create a checklist for students working on the
poster (My Community OR Alternative sources of
energy)

-Rating scales
Can be used to assess process and/or product
 Steps in conducting PBA
6. Selecting the method of observing, recording
and scoring
-Rubrics
Are of two types: Analytical & Holistic
Analytical - Much like checklists, they explain the
number of points assigned to each element. You
add up the points to assign a grade.
Holistic/global – see handout. Based on a general
rating, you can assign writing in categories of 4, 3,
2, or 1.
Analytical is helpful for formative, Holistic for
summative assessment.
 Advantages & Disadvantages of
PBA
 Advantages
 Can assess complex
learning outcomes
 Provides a natural, direct,
and complete evaluation of
some types of skills
 Meaningful
learning/performance
makes the student more
motivated
 Encourages the application
of learning to real-life
situations
 Disadvantages
 Vulnerable to effects of
rating biases (personal,
generosity)
 Requires a lot of time and
effort to implement
 Evaluation must be done
individually (not in groups)
 Can do only few of these –
especially if they are
extended response