MODULE 3 – EDUC.

8- ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING 2

NATURE OF PERFORMANCED-BASED ASSESSEMENT

1. Meaning and Characteristics -
Performance-Based Assessment is one in which the teach observes and makes a judgement
about the students’ demonstration of a skill or competency in creating a product , constructing
a response, or making a presentation (McMillan, 2007). 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 for 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 processes the creative aspects 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 them 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.
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 No. 7, s. 2017 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 situation?”
Moreover, Linn (1995) stated that performance assessment provides as bases of
teachers to evaluate both the effectiveness of the process or procedure used (eg. Approach to
data collection, manipulation of instruments) and the product resulting from performance of a
task. Unlike simple tests of factual knowledge, there is unlikely to b a single right or best

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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 or performance that may not
adequately assessed by paper-and-pencil tests.
Performance products are outputs produced by the students that provide concrete
examples to 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):
 Multiple evaluation criteria. The students’ performance must be judged using more than
one evaluation criterion
 Pre-specified quality standards. Each of the evaluative criteria on which a students’
performance is to be judged is clearly explicated in advance of judging the quality of the
students’ performance.
 Judgmental appraisal. Unlike the scoring of selected- responses tests in which electronic
computers and scanning machines can, once programmed, carry on without the need of
humankind, genuine performance assessments depend on human judgements to
determine how acceptable a students’ performance really is.
All educational institution expects students to demonstrate different skills in various
learning areas and most often subjected to classroom performance assessment. Some
characteristics of this assessment which can be observed in the actual classroom setting
may include student performance, criterion, 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 I real-world contexts which calls for authenticity of
the performance.---

2. Types of Performance Tasks-

The main objective of the 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-

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based assessment is the final output that must be developed or completed. These
could be in form of problem solving, demonstration, tasks and other authentic
experiences that influence the thinking processes, skills and products required
from performance tasks.
Below are some performance-based assessment tasks (Musial, 2009):
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. This helps students become independent
thinkers and learners for life, and help them meet the challenges of the 21 st
century.
2. Completing an inquiry. An inquiry task is in which the students are asked to
collect data in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue.
Examples of inquiry include science investigation, research-based activities,
survey and interviews or independent studies. Students determine what
data are needed and under what conditions that data should be collected,
present data and develop conclusions.
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.
4. Demonstration task. This task shows how the students use knowledge and
skills to complete well-defined complex tasks. Student 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 focus of demonstration task is
accuracy in clarifying the steps of process as well as careful reasoning
concerning the rationale for each step of the process.
5. Developing exhibits. Exhibits are visual presentations 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.

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 6. Presentation task. This is a work of task performed in front of an audience.
Storytelling, singing and dancing, musical play or theatrical acting or some
presentation which demonstrate presentation tasks.
7. Capstone performances. These are tasks that occur at the end of the
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 instruction 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 assessments over other assessments.
1. Performance assessment clearly identifies and clarifies learning
targets. Authentic performance tasks such as a real world challenges
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 students’ skills,
knowledge and abilities, provide challenge and opportunities to exhibit
their best creation. This also assess 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 learnings in different ways in

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 complex tasks. Students use their previous knowledge to build a 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 increases the validity of students’ evaluation so that
students can use this criterion as well.
5. Performance assessment allows the teachers to explore the main goal
and processes of teaching and learning process. Teacher 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 ad resources given to them.

Though performance assessments offer several advantages over

traditional objective assessment procedure, they have distinct
limitations as well;
1. Development of high quality performance assessment is a tedious
process. Performance assessment needs a 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
outcome 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.

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 3. Performance assessment takes a great deal of time to score. The
more complex the process of performance, the more time you can
expect to spend on scoring. To reduce the scoring time, crafting a
high quality rubrics s recommended.
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 owned
scoring competence.
5. Performance task completion may be discouraging to less able
students. Some tasks that require students to sustain interest for a
longer time may discourage disadvantage students. They may have
partial knowledge of the learning target but may fail to complete
the tasks because it does not allow them to utilize this partial
knowledge effectively and efficiently.

Summary of strengths and weaknesses of performance

assessment is presented below:
STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES
Integrates assessment with Reliability may be difficult to
instruction establish
Learning occurs during assessment Measurement error due to
subjective nature of the scoring
may be significant
Provides opportunities for Inconsistent student performance
formative assessment across time may result in inaccurate
conclusions
Tends to be more authentic than Few samples of student
other types of assessments achievement
More engaging, active involvement Requires considerable teacher time
of students to prepare and student time to
complete
Provides additional way for Difficult to plan for amount of time
students to show what they know needed.

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and can do.
Limited ability to generalize to a
Emphasis on reasoning skills larger domain of knowledge
Forces teachers to establish specific
criteria to identify successful
performance
Encourages student self-
assessment
Emphasis on application of
knowledge
Encourages re-examination of
instructional goals and the purpose
of schooling

Explore:

Think of a slogan that would describe performance-based

assessment. Tell something about your slogan and be ready to share it with
your classmates.

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AND BE READY ANYTIME TO SHARE DURING OUR GOOGLE CLASS.