SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI COLLEGE

45 Admiral Road, Talon III, Las Pinas City

ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019

GRADUATE SCHOOL of
BUSINESS and EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
EDMA 531 MODERN TRENDS and PRACTICES in EDUCATION

Performace-Based Assessment
Authentic, Performance-Based Assessment in ESL/EFL Reading Instruction
Richard Lynch

Submitted by: Ms. RIZA R. PINTO

Date Submitted: August 18, 2018

Abstract

In recent years there has been a reaction against standardized objective

testing and a movement toward authentic, performance-based testing in a variety

of learning domains, including ESL/EFL reading comprehension. A number of

measurement researchers have investigated and developed comprehensive test

validity criteria which should apply to all testing, traditional or authentic. The

advantage of performance-based testing resides in its potential to engender and

sustain positive washback on the teaching and learning process. Such positive

impact on the instructional process is not, however, a sine qua non of performance-

based testing. It can only derive from a comprehensively valid interaction between

the nature of the instruction preceding evaluation and the actual performances

being assessed. Validity must be grounded in a range of interrelated factors which

can all be subsumed under a general notion of construct validity. In order to

maximize the validity of performance-based assessments both test designers and

teachers need to be aware of these factors and their interaction. Construct validity

and its interrelated aspects are discussed and applied to the authentic,

performance-based testing of reading comprehension. A reading exercise is

presented and discussed as a representative instructional model that can be used

to inform valid performance-based reading comprehension tests.

Reflection

The performance-based approach to education enables pupils to use

their knowledge and apply skills in realistic situations. It differs from the traditional
approach to education in that as well as striving for mastery of knowledge and
skills, it also measures these in the context of practical tasks. Furthermore,
performance-based education focuses on the process pupils go through while
engaged in a task as well as the end product, enabling them to solve problems
and make decisions throughout the learning process.
In addition, performance-based education stimulates the development of
other important dimensions of learning, namely the affective, social and
metacognitive aspects of learning.
Regarding the affective (emotional) aspect of learning, performance-
based education motivates pupils to participate in interesting and meaningful
tasks. It helps pupils develop a sense of pride in their work, fostering confidence
in the target language. Encouraging pupils to experiment with their increasing
control of the language alleviates anxiety over “making a mistake.” This further
motivates them to invest in learning the foreign language.
The social aspect of learning is reflected in the peer interaction that
performance-based tasks require. Pupils thus develop helpful social skills for life.
Such cooperative work leads to peer guidance and other kinds of social
interaction such as negotiating, reaching a consensus, respecting others’
opinions, individual contribution to the group effort and shared responsibility for
task completion.
As for the metacognitive aspect of learning (pupils’ thinking about their
own learning), skills such as reflection and self-assessment also contribute to the
learning process. When teachers require pupils to think about what they are
learning, how they learn and how well they are progressing, they develop skills
which make them more independent and critical pupils.
 Michael (1993) noted the advantages of both standardized testing and
performance-based testing, while at the same time implying the drawbacks of
each. He pointed out that standardized testing tied to universally agreed objectives
have advantages in large-scale nationally-based testing scenarios. However, such
testing lacks the motivational impetus for learners and the positive impacts upon
instruction characteristic of local district or school-based performance testing. There
is a place, therefore, for both types of testing. In a very real sense, though, all testing
is local in that what is measured resides in the competencies of the individual
learner. And what that learner learns will derive from the instruction provided. The
link, therefore, between instruction and assessment is a critical one. The potential for
positive washback on instruction and learning is perhaps the greatest strength of
valid performance-based reading comprehension assessment.