CHAPTER 3

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the chapter, the students are expected to:
a. Explain Outcome-Based Assessment;
b. Identify the different types of Performance-Based assessment; and
c. Determine the strengths and limitations of performance-based assessment.

Most of the time, the teacher relied on paper-and-pen test which measures knowledge and
understanding, not the ability of the learners to actually carry out 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.

Assessment is most effective when it reflects an understanding of learning as multidimensional,

integrated, and revealed in performance over time. Learning is a complex process. It entails not only
what students know but what they can do with what they know; it involves not only knowledge and
abilities but values, attitudes, and habits of mind that affect both academic success and performance
beyond the classroom.

Assessment should reflect these understanding by employing a diverse array of methods,

including those that call for actual performance, using them over time so as to reveal change, growth,
and increasing degrees of integration. Such an approach aims for a more complete and accurate picture
of learning.

The Outcome-Based Education of in the Philippines

In response to the need for standardization of education systems and processes, many Higher
Education Institutions in the Philippines shifted attention and efforts toward implementing Outcome-
Based Education (henceforth OBE) system on school level. The shift to OBE has been propelled
predominantly because it is used as a framework by international and local academic accreditation
bodies in school- and program-level surveillance, on which many schools invest their efforts into.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) even emphasized the need for the
implementation of OBE by issuing a memorandum order (CMO No. 46, s. 2012) entitled, “Policy
Standard to Enhance Quality Assurance in Philippine Higher Education through an Outcomes-Based
and Typology Based QA”.
What is OBE?
Outcomes-based education as defined by Spady (1994, p. 12) means “clearly focusing and organizing
everything in an educational system around what is essential for all students to be able to do
successfully at the end of their learning experience.”

The definition explicitly specifies certain markers, which should serve as bases of actions and
procedures that schools must undertake to ensure the proper institution-wide implementation of
OBE. Tucker (2004) further emphasized this in his description of OBE as a process that should
involve the restructuring of curriculum, assessment, and reporting practices in education.
The changes that OBE entails put emphasis on students’ “demonstration of learning
outcomes” rather than accumulation of course credits. Also, these definitions of OBE emphasize the
need to accordingly align all aspects of educational processes and systems to the expected outcomes
that all students should be able to proficiently exhibit at the end of the curriculum, and that outcomes
should not be viewed synonymously with grades or simply curricular completion, but rather authentic
demonstrations of expected competencies as a result of significant learning experiences.
In OBE schools, assessment, when implemented appropriately, would have manifold
purposes and benefits. Aside from providing educators ideas about the progress of students, it also
informs them about the effectiveness of their teaching methodologies and approaches. Moreover,
assessment results in an OBE school are used as bases to improve educational services and systems
on an institutional level (Bresciani et al., 2012).
Proper implementation of OBE both in the classroom and institutional levels would demand
paradigm shift. The following summarizes the shifts of assessment practices moving from the
traditional practices to OBE practices:

Paradigm Shift 1: Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Approach

Assessment in outcome-based education require a shift in mindset of educators and
educational leaders. The shift requires a turnaround of approach from teacher-centered to learner-
centered education (Bresciani, 2012; Bresciani et al., 2009; Ramoroka, 2006; Nieburh, 1996).
Traditional OBE
What are our (educators) What our students have become
practices and able to demonstrate
Teaching (inputs, contents) Learning (demonstration of skills
and competencies, outcomes)
Teaching and Learning as the end Teaching and Learning as the means
to an end
Practice determines the outcomes Outcomes inform the practice
Paradigm Shift 2: Being Outcomes-Minded
Needless to say, in outcome-based education framework everything should be based on
outcomes. Thus, assessment methods and techniques should be consistent with the stated outcomes
of education. According to Bresciani (2006), outcome-based assessment is a systematic and intentional
process. This means that the assessments used in this set-up are deliberately designed and administered
in pursuit of outcomes attainment.

Spady (1994) specified four operating principles that will guide educators and academic leaders
in the implementation of OBE. When applied consistently, systematically, creatively, and
simultaneously the efforts of shifting to OBE can be almost guaranteed. The four operating principles
of OBE and their implications for assessment are as follows:

Clarity of focus. Educators should be made aware and conscious about the outcomes of education
each student must manifest or demonstrate at the course level and that these outcomes at the
classroom level are connected to the attainment of higher level outcomes (i. e., program/institutional
outcomes and culminating outcomes). Thus, at the initial stage of academic or course planning, the
higher outcomes serve as guide for educators in defining and clearly stating the focus of the
course/subject.

High expectations. As stated in the clarity of focus principle, learning outcomes at the course level
are necessarily connected to higher level outcomes. These connections warrant educators from
eliciting high level of performance from students. This level of performance ensures that students
successfully meet desired learning outcomes set for a course, and consequently enable them to
demonstrate outcomes at higher levels (program or institutional level). Thus, the kind of assessments
in OBE learning context should challenge students enough to activate and enable higher order
thinking skills (e. g., critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, etc.), and should be more
authentic (e. g., performance tests, demonstration exercise, simulation or role play, portfolio, etc.).

Expanded opportunity. The first and second principles importantly necessitate that educators
deliver students’ learning experiences at an advanced level. In the process, many students may find it
difficult complying with the standards set for a course. As a philosophical underpinning of OBE,
Spady (1994, p. 9) emphasized that “all students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day, in
the same way.” This discourages educators from generalizing manifestations of learned behavior from
students, considering that every student is a unique learner. Thus, an expanded opportunity should be
granted to students in the process of learning and more importantly in assessing their performance.
The expansion of opportunity can be considered multidimensional (i. e., time, methods and modalities,
operational principles, performance standards, curriculum access and structuring). In the assessment
practice and procedures, the time dimension implies that educators should give more opportunities
for students to demonstrate learning outcomes at the desired level. Thus, provisions of remedial,
make-up, removal, practice tests, and other expanded learning opportunities are common in OBE
classrooms.
Design down. This is the most crucial operating principle of OBE. As mentioned in the previous
section, OBE implements a top-down approach in designing and stating the outcomes of education
(i. e., culminating – enabling – discrete outcomes). The same principle can be applied in designing and
implementing outcomes’ assessments in classes.

Traditionally, the design of assessments for classes is done following a bottom-up approach.
Educators would initially develop measures for micro learning tasks (e. g., quizzes, exercises,
assignments, etc.), then proceed to develop the end-of-term tasks (e. g., major examination, final
project, etc.). In OBE context, since the more important outcomes that should be primarily identified
and defined are the culminating ones, it follows that the same principle should logically apply. Thus,
the first assessment that should be developed and designed for a course is the final assessment; from
this, smaller measures (discrete tasks) can be logically designed and progressively implemented. This
process employs the top-down approach, which guarantees that all course assessments are
constructively linked and aligned to the desired outcomes of the course/subject, and ultimately to the
culminating outcomes of education (i. e., program/ institutional, and exit).

Performance-Based Assessment
Performance-based assessment is one in which the teacher observes and makes a judgment about the
students’ demonstration of skills or competency in creating a product, constructing a response, or
making a presentation (McMillan, 2007).

It is stipulated in the DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2012 that the highest level of assessment focuses on the
performance (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) stated that performance assessments provide a basis of teachers to evaluate
both the effectiveness of the process or procedure used and the product resulting from performance
of a task. 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, organization of ideas, integration of multiple types of evidence, and originality
are all important aspects of performance that may not be adequately assessed by paper-and-pen 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 evaluative criterion 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 test, genuine performance
assessments depend on human judgments to determine how acceptable a student’s
performance really is.

Types of Performance Tasks

The main objective of 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 be developed or completed.
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 that make sense of
complex authentic problems or issues to be solved by the students.
2. Completing an inquiry. An inquiry task is one in which the students are asked to collect data
in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue. Examples include science
investigation, research-based activities, surveys and interviews, or independent studies.
3. Determining a position. This task requires students to make decision or clarify position.
Case analysis and issue related activities or debate are some examples of this task.
4. Demonstration 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 and explaining the earthquake safety procedures.
5. Developing exhibits. Exhibits are visual presentation or displays that need little or no
explanation from the creator. An exhibit is offered to explain, demonstrate, or show
something. This includes exhibit of best works, picture presentation, or portfolios.
6. Presentation task. This is a work or task performed in front of an audience. Storytelling,
singing, and dancing are some examples.
 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, and internship.
Strengths of Performance Assessment
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 context.
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.
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 schema to build new knowledge
structures and be actively involved in exploration and inquiry through different tasks.
4. Performance assessment uses a variety of approaches to student evaluation. This offers
students a variety of way of expressing their learning and increasing the validity of student’s
evaluation. Teachers may share criteria of assessment before the actual evaluation so that
students can use this criteria as well.
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 performancebased 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.

Limitations of Performance Assessment

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-
pen test takes 15 to 20 minutes per task 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.
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.
 4. Performance task score may have lower reliability. This resulted to inconsistency of
scoring by teachers who interpret observation quite differently.
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.

Strengths Weaknesses
1. Integrates assessment with 1. Reliability may be difficult
instruction. to establish.
2. Learning occurs during assessment. 2. Measurement error due to subjective
3. Provides opportunities for formative nature of scoring.
assessment. 3. Inconsistent student performance
4. Tends to be more authentic than other across time may result in inaccurate
types of assessment. conclusion.
5. More engaging; active involvement of 4. Few samples of student achievement.
students. 5. Requires considerable teacher time to
6. Provides additional way for students to prepare and student time to complete.
show what they know and can do. 6. Difficult to plan for amount of time
7. Emphasis on reasoning skills. needed.
8. Forces teachers to establish specific 7. Limited ability to generalize to a larger
criteria to identify successful domain of knowledge.
performance.
9. Encourages student self-assessment.
10. Emphasis on application of
knowledge.
11. Encourages re-examination of
instructional goals and the purpose of
schooling.
Name: __________________________________________ Score: _______________
Course/Year & Section: ____________________________ Date: ________________

EXERCISES
A. Brainstorm on the nature of the performance-based assessment and created a webbing as a graphic
organizer.

PERFORMANCE-
BASED
ASSESSMENT
EXERCISES
B. List down five 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 teacher?

Activities Competencies Assessment Procedure/s

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

Performance Task to be
Types of Performance Tasks Workable Task
Undertaken