Session 4Session 4

Performance-Based AssessmentPerformance-Based Assessment

Alternative Assessments “Showing”

Traditional Assessments“Knowing”

Authentic AssessmentAuthentic assessment evaluates students’

knowledge or skills in a context that approximates the real world or real life.

PortfoliosA portfolio is a systematic and organized

collection of a student’s work that demonstrates skills and accomplishments.

Performance-Based Assessment

Students complete product or performance-based tasks that demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge and skills or put their understanding into action.

Open-ended tasks with no objective answer allow students to think deeply and assess higher-order thinking skills. Classify these EXAMPLES: Speeches, create artifacts, routines, science projects, journal, play, art exhibit, model, video/audio tape, spreadsheet, debate, musical recital.

Guidelines for Performance-Based Assessment

Establish a Clear Purpose – Grade, as a progress check, a product for portfolio, examples of students’ work.

Identify Performance Criteria – Specific behaviours that students perform as part of the assessment (observations are precise, organized, systematic, focused)

Provide an Appropriate Setting – Observe the performance or the product (in- or outside of the classroom). Observe students on more than one occasion if possible.

Score or Rate the Performance – Based on the performance criteria (holistically, analytically) on a scale or with a rubric.

Considerations and Cautions:

Evaluation can be an individual’s contribution AND/OR a group’s product.

Self-evaluation may also be used to judge performance.

Self-reflection and continuous improvement are encouraged.

It is challenging for teachers to measure students’ work objectively and consistently.

It takes time to construct, administer and score performance-based assessments.

Rubrics

An assessment tool characterized by a series of statements describing the criteria for levels of achievement of a process, a product or a performance.

Rubrics may be formative (instructional) or summative (scoring) assessment tools.

Criteria:Subsets of the knowledge and skills that define each category and identify the aspects of student performance that are assessed and/or evaluated. 

Descriptors:Characteristics of the students’ performance with respect to a particular criterion.

Qualifiers:Define each level of achievement.

What is the difference between analytic and holistic rubrics?

Analytic rubrics identify and assess components of a finished product.

Holistic rubrics assess student work as a whole. This includes several criteria and descriptors merged into one qualifier.

Considerations for Rubric Development Include 4-7 different criteria based on performance, product or process.

The distance between qualifiers must be as nearly equidistant as possible.

Begin writing the higher descriptors first.

Descriptors must be clear and appear in each level of the rubric.

Descriptors should include characteristics that are observable, measurable and positive.

Get student feedback.

Descriptors to use in measuring qualifier levels 1 2 3 4

CriterionCriterion Needs improvement

Satisfactory Good Exemplary

CriterionCriterion Beginning Developing Accomplished Exceptional

CriterionCriterion Novice Apprentice Proficient Distinguished

CriterionCriterion Limited* Some* Considerable* High degree*