WRITTEN REPORT

CHAPTER 3: NATURE OF PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

( GROUP 1 )

Names of Members:
Dimapunung, Jowairiah
Doro, Nor-Aliah
Dima-ampao, Nor-Alya
Mustapha, Amilah
Mananggolo, Janima
Cali, Anica
Pacote, Mohammad Nassief
Macausor, Norhanie
 Chapter 3 : Nature of Performance-Based Assessment

Overview

Traditional testing cannot measure a number of skills directly. Skills requiring the
demonstration of student’s understanding by creating an answer, carrying out performance, or
producing a product which involves independent judgement, critical thinking and decision-
making are best assessed provides evidence of what the students know and can do in the
context of real life. This chapter gives an introduction to performance assessment. It discusses
the nature, principles, types, advantages, and limitations of performance-based assessment.
Section Intended Learning Outcome
Apply the principles in constructing and interpreting performance-based assessment.
Chapter Intended Learning Outcome
At the end of the chapter, you should be able to analyze the nature and the essential
characteristics of performance-based assessment.
1. Meaning and Characteristics

 Performance-Based Assessment is one which the other teacher observes and

makes a judgment about the student’s demonstration of skill or competency in
creating a product, constructing a response, or making a presentation (McMillan,
2005.) In this assessment, the emphasis is on the student’s 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.) 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 samples. Hands-on experiences allow
then to be more critical, motivated and involved when they are allowed to perform
on their own. Students can acquire and apply knowledge, skills and work habits
through the different performance tasks which are meaningful and engaging to the
students.

It is stipulated in the DepEd Order No.7,s.2012 that the highest level of

assessment focuses on the performances 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 transfer their learning to real life situations?”
 Moreover, Linn (1995) stated that performance assessments 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 a single
right or best answer. Rather, there may be multiple performances and problem
solutions that may be judged to be excellent. Problem 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.

Some performance assessment proponents contend that genuine performance

assessments must possess at least three features (Popham, 2011.)
 Multiple evaluation criteria. The student’s performance must be judged
using more than one evaluation criterion.
 Pre-specified quality standards. Each of the evaluate 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.
 Judgmental Appraisal. Unlike the scoring of selected-response tests in
which electronic computers and scanning machines can once programmed,
carry on without the need of humankind, genuine performance assessments
depend on human judgments to determine how acceptable a student’s
performance really is.

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. 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.)
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 which the students are asked to collect
data in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue.
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 Demonstration of task. This task shows how the students use knowledge and skills to
complete well-defined complex tasks.
2.5 Developing exhibits. Exhibits are visual presentations or displays that need little or no
explanation from the creators.
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
demonstrates presentation 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.

2. Strengths and Limitations

Different types of assessment tasks, several authorities discussed the advantages of

performance 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.
3.2 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 creations.
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.
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.
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 standard as they utilize performance-based assessment.

Though performance assessments offer several advantages over traditional objective

assessment procedures, they have some distinct limitation as well.

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

Performance assessments needs careful planning and implementations. it is very time
consuming to construct good task. Quality scoring rubrics are difficult to create as
well.
2. Performance assessment requires a considerable amount of time administer.
Paper-and-pencil takes 15 to 20 minutes per tasks to complete depending on the
number of items. Most authentic tasks takes a number of days to complete.
3. Performance assessments takes a great deal of time to score.
The more complex the process and performance, the more time you can expect to
expend on scoring to reduce the scoring time, crafting a high quality rubrics is
recommended.
 4. Performance task score may have lower reliability.
This resulted to inconsistency of scoring by teachers who interpret observations quite
differently. With complex tasks, multiple correct answers, and fast-paced
performances, scoring depends on teachers own scoring competence.
5. Performance tasks 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. This may have partial knowledge of the learning
target but may fall 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 Reliability may be difficult to establish.
instruction.
Learning occurs during Measurement error due to subjective nature of the scoring
assessment. may be significant.
Provides opportunities for Inconsistent student performance across time may result
formative assessment. in inaccurate conclusions.
Tends to be more authentic than Few samples of student achievement.
other types of assessment.
More engaging; active Requires considerable teacher time to prepare and student
involvement of students. time to complete.
Provides additional way for Difficult to plan for amount of time needed.
students to show what they
know and can do.
Emphasis on reasoning skills. Limited ability to generalize to a larger domain of
knowledge.
Forces teachers to establish
specific criteria to identify
successful performance.
Encourages student self-
assessment.
Encourages re-examination of
instructional goals and the
purpose of schooling.