Designing-meaningful-performance-based-assessment-1

ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING 2 TOPIC: DESIGNING MEANINGFUL PERFORMANCE- BASED ASSESSMENT Defining the Purpose of Assessment The first step in designing performance-based assessment is to define the purpose of assessment. Defining the purpose and target of assessment provides information on what students need to be performed in a task given. By identifying the purpose, teachers are able to easily identify the weaknesses and strengths of the students’ performance. Purpose must be specified at the beginning of the process so that the proper kinds of performance criteria and scoring procedures can be established. Basic questions which teachers ask in determining possible learning competencies to be considered are listed below. Five questions to consider in determining competencies Five questions What important cognitive skills or attributes do i want my student to develop? What social and affective skills or attributes do I want my student to develop? What metacognitive skills do I want my student to develop? What types of problems do I want my students to be able to solve? What concepts and principle do I want my student to be able to apply?

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Examples Communicate effectively in writing, employ algebra to solve real-life problems Work independently, appreciate individual differences Reflect on writing process, self-monitor progress while working on an independent project Perform research, predict consequences understand cause-and-effect relationships, use principle of ecology and conservation

Basically, the teacher should select those learning targets which can be assessed by performance which fits to plan along with the assessment techniques to be utilized for measuring other complex skills and performances. 1.1 Four Types of Learning Targets Used in Performance Assessment In defining the purpose of assessment, learning targets must be carefully identified and take in consideration. Performance assessments primarily use four types of learning targets which are deep understanding, reasoning, skill, and products (McMillan, 2007). Deep Understanding The essence of performance assessment includes the development of students’ deep understanding. The idea is to involve students meaningfully in hands-on activities for extended periods of time so that their understanding is rich and more extensive than what can be attained by more

conventional and traditional paper-and-pencil assessments. This focuses on the use of knowledge and skills. Reasoning Reasoning is essential with performance assessment as the students demonstrate skills and construct products. Typically, students are given a problem to solve or are asked to make a decision or other outcome, such as a letter to the editor or school newsletter, based on information that is provided. Skills In addition to logical and reasoning skills, students are required ro demonstrate communication, presentation, and psychomotor skills. These targets are ideally suited to performance assessment. Psychomotor skills Psychomotor skills describe clearly the physical action required for a given task. These may be developmentally appropriate skills or skills that are needed for specific task: fine motor skills (holding a pen, focusing a microscope, and using scissors), gross motors actions (jumping and lifting), more complex athletics skills (shooting a basketball or playing soccer) some visual skills, and verbal/ auditory skills for young children. These skills also identify the level at which the skills is to be performed. Generally, deep understanding and reasoning involve in-depth, complex thinking about what is known and application of knowledge and skills in novel and more sophisticated ways. Skills include student’s proficiency in reasoning, communication and psychomotor task. Product Are complete works, such as term papers, projects, and other assignments in which students use their knowledge and skills. 1.2 Process and Product-Oriented Performance-Based Assessments In defining the purpose of assessment, the teacher should identify whether the students will have to demonstrate a process or a product. If the learning outcomes deal on the procedures which you could specify, then it focuses on process assessment. In assessing the process, it is essential also that assessment should be done while the students are performing the procedures or steps. Learning targets which require students to demonstrate process include the procedures of proper handling/manipulating of microscope, or steps to be done when in an earthquake drill. Mathematical operations, reciting a poem, and constructing a table of specification are other examples of this target.

Example of process oriented performance-based assessment in which the main domain is Oral Language and Fluency. Example 1: English Grade 7 Content Standard: Performance Standard:

The students demonstrate oral language proficiency and fluency in various social contexts. The learning proficiently renders rhetorical pieces .

Task :

Oral – Aural Production (Teacher may use dialogs or passages from other written or similar texts). 1. Observe the right syllable stress pattern in different categories. 2. Observe the use of the rising and falling intonation, rising intonation, and the combination of both intonation patterns in utterances. 3. Demonstrate how prosodic pattern affect understanding of the message.

Example 2: Filipino Grade 7 Kakayahan (domain): Pag-unawa sa Napakinggan Pamantayang Pangnilalaman (Content Standard): Naipamamalas ng mga mag-aaral ang pag-unawa sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan. Pamantayan sa Pagganap para sa aralin (Performance Standard): Ang mga mag-aaral ay nakasusulat ng talata na may kaugnayan sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan. Kakayahan: 1. Nakapagbabahagi ng mga nasaliksik na impormasyon. 2. Nakapag-uugnay ng mga nasaliksik na impormasyon sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan. 3. Natutukoy ang ilang akda o awitin na may pagkakatulad sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan.

Usually, the learning objectives start with a general competency which is the main target of the task, and it follows with the specific competencies which are observable on the target behavior or competencies. This can be observed also in defining the purpose of the assessment for product-oriented performance-based assessment.

Sometimes, even though you teach specific process, the learning outcomes simply implies that the major focus is product that the student produces. Nitko(2011) suggested focusing assessment on the product students produce of most or all of the evidence about their achievement of the learning targets

is found in the product itself, and little or none of the evidence you need to evaluate students is found in the procedures they use or the ways in which they perform. Assessment of products must be done if the students will produce products include building a garden, conducting classroom-based researches, publishing newspaper and creating commercials or powerpoint presentation. In the given examples 1 and 2 for English and Filipino Grade 7 domains, product-oriented performance-based assessment can be stated as:  

Use the correct prosodic pattern (stress, intonation, phrasing, pacing, tone) in rendering various speech acts or in oral reading activities, and Nakasusulat ng talatang nagsasalaysay ng ilang pangyayari sa kasalukuyan na may kaugnayan sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan.

Below is another example of product-oriented performance-based assessment task. Example 3: Creating a Book Cover Taken from a Digital Camera Performance Task: Creating A Book Cover Competencies: The students should be able to: 1. Generate appropriate shots for book cover using digital camera; 2. Use a page lay-out software (MS Publisher) or presentation software (MS PowerPoint); 3. Create size estimation of image, shapes, and textbox in terms of importance, emphasis and visual hierarchy; and 4. Demonstrate skills in information design principles such as clarity, balance, relevance, contrast, alignment, repetition and proximity.

Product-oriented competencies require students to demonstrate multiple levels of metacognitive skills which require the use of complex procedural skills for creating authentic product. The discussion on the steps of designing performance-based assessment shall be focused on the process and product assessments. 2: Identifying Performance Task Having clear understanding of the purpose of assessment, the next step is to identify performance tasks which measure the learning target you are about to assess. Some targets imply that the tasks should be structure; other require unstructured tasks. Below are some questions that should be answered in designing tasks:  

What ranges of tasks do the learning targets imply? Which parts of the tasks should be structured, and to what degree?

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Does each task require students to perform all the important elements implied by the learning targets? Do the tasks allow me to assess the achievement dimensions I need to assess? What must I tell students about the task and its scoring to communicate to them what they need to perform? Will students with different ethnic and social backgrounds interpret my task appropriately?

Performance needs to be identified so that students may know what task and criteria to be performed. In this case, a task description must be prepared to provide the listing of specification of the task and will elicit the desire performance of the students. Task description should include the following: 1.Content and skill targets to be assessed 2.Description of the student activities 3.Group or individual 4.Help allowed 5.Resource needed 6. Teacher role 7.Administrative process 8.Scoring procedures

Tasks on the other hand should be meaningful and must let the student be personally involved in doing and creating the tasks. This could be done by selecting a task which has personal meaning for most of the students. Choose a task in which students have the ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills from classroom activities or other similar ways. These tasks should be of high value, worth teaching to, and worth learning as well. In creating performance tasks, one should specify the learning targets, the criteria by which you will evaluate performance, and the instructions for completing the task. Include also the time needed to complete the tasks. Be sure students understand how long a response you are expecting. Some learning targets can be assessed in a relatively short period of 20 to 30 minute. But it also depends on the learning targets which necessitate a longer time. Example are conducting opinion survey and gathering of data for research which need more than two weeks and done outside of the class with these activities, the result can make a valid generalization of how the student achieved the learning target. Participation of groups must be considered also in crafting performance tasks. Some tasks require cooperative or collaborative learning or in group tasks. With this, the number of tasks must be given an attention as well, as a rule, the fewer the number of tasks, fewer targets can be assessed in a given performance. 2.1 Suggestions for Constructing Performance Tasks The development of high-quality performance assessments that effectively measure complex learning outcomes requires attention to task development and to the ways in which performance are rated. Linn (1995) suggested ways to improve the development of tasks:

1. Focus on learning outcomes that require complex cognitive skills and student performances. Tasks need to be developed or selected in light of important learning outcomes. Since performance-based tasks generally require a substantial investment of stunt time, they should be used primarily to assess learning outcomes that are not adequately measured by less time-consuming approaches. 2. Select or develop task that represent both the content and the skills that are central to important learning outcomes. It is important to specify the range of content and resources students can use in performing task. In any event, the specification of assumed content understandings in critical in ensuring that a task functions as intended. 3. Minimize the difference of task performance on skills that are irrelevant to the intended purpose of the assessment task. The key here is to focus on the attention of the assessment. Example is the ability to read complicated texts and the ability to communicate clearly are both important learning outcomes, but they are not necessarily the intent of particular assessment. 4. Provide the necessary scaffolding for students to be able to understand the task and what is expected. Challenging task often involve ambiguities and require students to experiment, gather information, formulate hypothesis, and evaluate their own progress in solving a problem. However, problems cannot be solved in vacuum. Students need to have a prior knowledge and skill required to address the problem. These prerequisites can be natural outcomes of prior instruction or may be built into the task. 5. Construct task directions so that the student’s task is clearly indicated. Vague directions can lead to such a diverse array of performances that it becomes impossible to rate them in a fair or reliable fashion. By design, many performance-based tasks give students a substantial degree of freedom to explore, approach problems in different ways, and come up with novel solution. 6. Clearly communicate performance expectations in terms of the criteria by which the performance will be judge. Specifying the criteria to be used in rating performance helps clarify task expectation for a student. Explaining the criteria that will be used in rating performances not only provides students with guidance on how to focus their efforts, but helps to convey priorities for learning outcomes.

Example of Process-Oriented performance task on Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Example 4 Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Performance Task Key Competencies: 1. Uses reading skills and strategies to comprehend and interpret what is read. 2. Demonstrate competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. 3. Construct complex sentences. Your friend is going through a difficult time. You have tried talking about the issue but to no avail. After much thought you recall a book you had read where the character went through a similar experience as your friend. How might the book help your friend deal with the problem? What other sources of information or resources could you find to help your friend? What might be some strategies your friend could use? Use your writing skills to compose a letter to your friend as to why he should read the book or resources you have collected. Be sure your letter contains examples from the readings, your feelings and encouragement. As a problem solver, devise a plan to meet with your friend to identify possible solutions to the problem after he has read the materials. Be sure you are considerate of feelings and outline steps you’ll take to make sure your discussion is one of collaboration. You will be assessed on your ability to make informed decisions, your ability to create a letter with complex sentences, your ability to solve problem and your ability to work collaboratively with a peer.

The example below shows performance task for product-oriented performance-based assessment: Competency: Prepare Useful Solution Performance Task Barangay Luntian is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the theme “Kalikasan KO, Mahal Ko”. The barangay captain called for a council meeting to discuss the preparations for the program. As a councilor, you are asked to take charge of the preparation of “Natural Beverage” for the guests. This healthful drink should promote your locally produced fruits or vegetables as well as health and wellness. On your next council meeting, you will present your plan for the preparation of the drink and let the council member do the taste testing. The council members will rate your drink based on the following criteria: Practicality, Preparation, Availability of materials, and Composition of solution (drink)

Crafting tasks for both process and product-oriented performance-based assessments needs careful planning. Engagement, elaboration, and experience are some factors to consider in making authentic tasks which make it different to traditional assessment. Tasks should also center on the concepts, principles, and issues that are important to the context of the subject matter: Moreover, teachers must know what they want to observe before performance criteria can be identified. Below is the checklist for writing good performance tasks:          

Checklist for Writing Performance Tasks Are essential content and skills targets integrated? Are multiple targets included? Is the task authentic? Is the task teachable? Is the task feasible? Are multiple solutions and paths possible? Is the nature of the task clear? Is the task challenging and stimulating? Are criteria for scoring included? Are constraints for completing the task included?

Regardless of whether these are process of product-oriented performance tasks, clearly stated performance criteria are critical to the success of both instruction assessment, Criteria in the real essence of performance-based assessment define the target process and product, guide and help the students on what should be taught and done, and provide a target in assessing the performance of the students.

3. Developing Scoring Schemes There are different useful ways to record the assessment of students’ performance. Variety of tools can be used for assessment depending on the nature of the performance it calls for. As teacher, you need to critically examine the task to be performed matched with the assessment tools to be utilized. Some ways of assessing the students’ performance could be the utilization of anecdotal records, interviews, direct observations using checklist or likert scale, and the use of rubrics especially for the performance-based assessment. 3.1 Rubrics as an Assessment Tool

Rubrics nowadays have been widely used as assessment tool in various disciplines, most especially in the field of education. Different authorities defined rubrics, viz:

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Set of rules specifying the criteria used to find out what the students know and are able to do so.(Musical, 2009) Scoring tool that lays out specific expectations for assignment (Levy, 2005) A scoring guide that uses criteria to differentiate between levels of student proficiency. (McMillan, 2007) Descriptive scoring schemes that are developed by teachers or evaluators to guide the analysis of products or processes of students’ effort (Brookhart, 1999). The scoring procedures for judging students’ responses to performance tests (Popham, 2011)

A rubric that’s used to score students’ responses to a performance assessment has, at minimum, three important features:   

Evaluative criteria. These are the factors to be used in determining the quality of a students’ response. Descriptions of qualitative differences for evaluating criteria. For each evaluative criterion, a description must be supplied so qualitative distinctions in students’ responses can be made using the criterion. An indication of whether a holistic or analytic scoring approach is to used. The rubric must indicate whether the evaluative criteria are to be applied collectively in a form of holistic scoring or on a criterion-by criterion basis in the form of analytic scoring.

Rubrics are used also to communicate how teachers evaluate the essence of what is being assessed. Rubric not only improves scoring consistency, they also improve validity by clarifying the standards of achievement the teacher will use in evaluating. In the development and scoring of rubric, Nitko (2011) suggested some questions which the teacher should address:        

What important criteria and learning targets do I need to asses? What are the levels of development (achievement) for each of these criteria and learning targets? Should I use a holistic or an analytic scoring rubric? Do I need to use a rating scale or a checklist as my scoring scheme? Should my students be involved in rating their own performance? How can I make my scoring efficient and less time-consuming? What do I need to record as the result of my assessments? What are some useful methods of recording students’ responses to performance tasks?

3.2 Types of rubrics The structure of the rubrics change when measuring different learning targets. Generally, rubric can be classified in to two major types: analytic and holistic rubrics.

Analytic Rubric. It requires the teacher to list and identify the major knowledge and skill which are critical in the development of process or product tasks. It identifies specific and detailed criteria prior to assessment. Teachers can assess easily the specific concept understanding, skill or product with a separate component. Each criterion for this kind of rubric receives a separate score, thus, providing better diagnostic information and feedback for students as a form of formative assessment. Category Characterization

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Voice, facial expressions and body language clearly contribute to the selected character.

Voice, facial expression and body language often contribute to the selected character.

Voice, facial expression and body language sometimes contribute to the selected character. The student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking. Speaks clearly and distinctly most (94-85%) of the time and mispronounce no more than word Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 80% of the time.

Voice, facial expressions and body language rarely contribute to the selected character.

Preparedness

Student is Student. Seems completely pretty prepared prepared and has but might have obviously needed a couple rehearsed. more rehearsal.

Speaks clearly

Speaks clearly and distinctly all (10095%) the time, and mispronounces no word.

Speak clearly and distinctly all (10095%) the time, but mispronounces one word.

Volume

Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 90% of the time.

Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 90% of the time.

Student does not seem at all prepared to present.

Often mumbles or cannot be understood or mispronounce more than one word. Volume often too soft to be heard by all audience members.

Holistic Rubric. It requires the teacher to make a judgment about the overall quality of each student response. Each category of the scale contains several criteria which shall be given a single score that gives an overall rating. This provides a reasonable summary of rating in which traits are efficiently combined, scored quickly and with only one score, thus, limiting the precision of assessment of the result and providing little specific information about the performance of the students and what needs for further improvement.

Holistic Rubric for Oral Report 5

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Excellent: The students clearly describe the question studied and provide strong reasons for its importance. Specific information is given to support the conclusions that are drawn and described. The delivery is engaging and sentences structure is consistently correct. Eye contact is made and sustained throughout the presentation. There is strong evidence of preparation, organization and enthusiasm for the topic. The visual aid is used to make the presentation more effective. Questions from the audience are clearly answered with specific and appropriate information. Very Good: The student described the question studied and provides reason for its importance. An adequate amount of information is given to support the conclusions that are drawn and described. The delivery and sentence structure are generally correct. There is evidence of preparation, organization and enthusiasm for the topic. The visual aid is mentioned and used. Questions from the audience are answered clearly. Good: The student describes the question studied and conclusions are stated, but supporting information is not as strong as a 4 or 5. The delivery and sentence structure are generally correct. There is some indication of preparation and organization. The visual aid is mentioned. Questions from the audience are answered. Limited: The student state the question studied, but fails to fully describe it. No conclusions are given to answer the question. The delivery and sentence structure is understandable, but with some errors. Evidence of preparation and organization is lacking. The visual aid may or may not be mentioned. Questions from the audience are answered with the most basic response. Poor: The students make presentation without stating the question or its importance. The topic is unclear and no adequate conclusions are stated. The delivery is difficult to follow. There is no indication of preparation or organization. Questions from the audience receive only the most basic, or no response. No oral presentation is attempted.