Assessment

Chapter 2 – Performance Assessment

in
Learning 2 Lesson 5: Process-oriented performance-based assessment
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
 identify errors and indicate the right statement/s in sample learning
competencies of process-oriented performance based assessment; and
Objectives  develop rubrics (analytic and holistic) on a given task.

Too often, we tend to assess students learning through their outputs or

products or through Some Kind or traditional testing. However, it is important to
assess not only these competencies but also the processes which the students
underwent in order to arrive at these products or outputs. It is p0ssible to explain
Introduction why the students' outputs are as they are through an assessment of the processes
which they did in order to arrive at the final product. This Chapter is concerned with
process-oriented, performance-based assessment. Assessment 1s not an end in itself
but a vehicle for educational improvement. Its effective practice, then, begins with
and enacts a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and strive to
help them achieve.
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 understandings 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.

1. Process-Oriented Learning Competencies

Information about outcomes is of high importance, students end up matters
greatly. But to improve outcomes we need to know about student experience along
Discussion
the way about the curricula, teaching, and kind of student effort that lead to
particular outcomes. Assessment can help us understand which students learn best
under what conditions, with such knowledge comes the capacity to improve the
whole of their learning. Process-oriented performance-based assessment is
concerned with the actual task performance rather than the output or product of the
activity.

1.1 Learning Competencies

The learning objectives in process-oriented performance based assessment

are stated in directly observable behaviors of the students. Competencies are defined
as groups or clusters of skills abilities needed for a particular task. The objectives
generally focus on those behaviors which exemplify "best practice for” the particular
task. Such behaviors range from a "beginner” or novice level up to the level of an
expert. An example of learning competencies tor a process-oriented performance-
based assessment is given below:
Task: Recite a Poem by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven".
Objectives: The activity aims to enable the students to recite a poem
entitled "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, specifically to:
1. recite the poem from memory without referring to notes;
2. use appropriate hand and body gestures in delivering the piece
3. maintain eye contact with the audience while reciting the poem;
4. create the ambiance of the poem through appropriate rising and
falling intonation
5. pronounce the words clearly and with proper diction.

Notice that the objective starts with a general statement of what is expected
of the student from the task (recite a poem by Edgar Allan Poe) and then breaks
down the general objective into easily observable behaviors when reciting a poem.
The specific objectives identified constitute the learning competencies for this
particular task. As in the statement of objectives using Bloom's taxonomy, the
specific objectives also range from simple observable processes to more complex
observable processes, e.g. creating an ambiance of the poem through appropriate
rising and falling intonation. A competency is said to be more complex when it
consists of two or more skills.
The following competencies are simple competencies:
 Speak with a well-modulated voice;
 Draw a straight line from one point to another point;
 Color a leaf with a green crayon.
The following competencies are more complex competencies:
 Recite a poem with feeling using appropriate voice quality, facial
expressions and hand gestures;
 Construct an equilateral triangle given three non-collinear points
 Draw and color a leaf with green crayon.

2. Task Designing
Learning tasks need to be carefully planned. In particular, the teacher must
ensure that the particular learning process to be observed contributes to the overall
understanding of the subject or course. Some generally accepted standards for
designing a task include:
 Identifying an activity that would highlight the competencies to be
evaluated, e.g. reciting poem, witing an essay, manipulating the microscope
etc.
 Identifying an activity that would entail more or less the same sets of
competencies. If an activity would result in too many possible competencies,
then the teacher would have difficulty assessing the student's competency on
the task.
 Finding a task that would be interesting and enjoyable for the students.
Tasks such as writing an essay are often boring and cumbersome for the
students.
 Example: The topic is on understanding biological diversity.
Possible task Design; Bring the students to a pond or creek. Ask them to
find all living organisms they can find living near the pond or creek. Also,
bring them to the school playground to find as many living organisms they
can. Observe how the students will develop a system for finding such
organisms, classifying the organisms and concluding the differences in
biological diversity or the two sites.
Science laboratory classes are particularly suitable for a process-oriented
performance-based assessment technique.

3. Scoring Rubrics
Rubric is scoring scale used to assess student performance along a task-
specific set of criteria. Authentic assessments typically are criterion-referenced
measures, that is, a student's aptitude on a task is determined by matching the
student's performance against a set of criteria to determine the degree to which the
student's performance meets the criteria for the task. To measure student
performance against a pre-determined set of criteria, a rubric, or scoring scale, is
typically created which contains the essential criteria for the task and appropriate
levels of performance for each criterion. For example, the following rubric (scoring
scale) covers the recitation portion of a task in English.

Recitation Rubric
Criteria 1 2 3
Number of X1 1-4 5-9 10-12
Appropriate
Hand
Gestures
Appropriate X1 Lots of Few No apparent
Facial inappropriate inappropriate inappropriate
Expression facial facial facial
 expression expression expression
Voice X2 Monotone Can vary Can easily
Inflection voice used voice vary voice
inflection inflection
with difficulty
Incorporate X3 Recitation Recitation has Recitation
proper contains very some feelings fully captures
ambiance little feelings ambiance
through through
feelings in feelings in the
voice voice

As in the given example, a rubric is comprised of two components: criteria

and levels of performance. Each rubric has at least two criteria and at least two
levels of performance. The criteria, characteristics of good performance on a task,
are listed in the left- hand column in the illustrated rubric number of hand gestures,
appropriate facial features, voice inflection and ambiance). Actually, as is common
in rubrics, a snort hands is used for each criterion to make it fit easily into the table.
The full criteria are statements of performance such as "include a sufficient number
of hand gestures" and "recitation captures the ambiance through appropriate feelings
and tone in the voice”.
For each criterion, the evaluator applying the rubric can determine to what
degree the student has met the criterion, i.e., the level of performance. In the given
rubric, there are three levels of performance for each criterion. For example, the
recitation can contain lots of inappropriate, few inappropriate or no inappropriate
hand gestures.
Finally, the illustrated rubric contains a mechanism tor assigning a
score to each project. (Assessments and their accompanying rubrics can be
used for purposes other than evaluation and, thus, do not have to have points
or grades attached to them.) In the second- to-left column a weight is
assigned each criterion. Students can receive 1, 2 or 3 points for "number of
sources”. But appropriate ambiance, more important in this teacher's mind, is
weighted three times (x3) as heavily. So, students can receive 3, 6 or 9 points
(i.e., 1, 2 or 3 times 3) for the level of appropriateness in this task.

Descriptors
The rubric includes another common, but not a necessary, component of
rubrics descriptors. Descriptors spell out what is expected of students at each level of
performance for each criterion. In the given example, "lots of inappropriate facial
expressions,” "monotone voice used" are descriptors. A descriptor tells students
more precisely what performance looks like at each level and how their work may be
distinguished from the work of others for each criterion. Similarly, the descriptors
help the teacher more precisely and consistently distinguish between student work.

Why Include Levels of Performance?

1. Clearer expectations
It is very useful for the students and the teacher if the criteria
are identified and communicated prior to completion of the task.
Students know what is expected of them and teachers know what to
look for in student performance. Similarly, students better understand
what good (or bad) performance on a task looks like if levels of
performance are identified, particularly if descriptors for each level
are included.

2. More consistent and objective assessment

In addition to better communicating teacher expectations, levels of
performance permit the teacher to more consistently and objectively
distinguish between good and bad performance, or between superior,
mediocre and poor performance, when evaluating student work.
 3. Better feedback
Furthermore, identifying specific levels of student performance
allows the teacher to provide more detailed feedback to students. The
teacher and the students can more clearly recognize areas that need
improvement.

Analytic Versus Holistic Rubrics

For a particular task you assign students, do you want to be able to assess
how well the students perform on each criterion, or do you want to get a more global
picture of the students' performance on the entire task? The answer to that question
is likely to determine the type of rubric you choose to create or use: Analytic or
holistic.

Analytic rubric
Most rubrics, like the Recitation rubric mentioned, are analytic
rubrics. An analytic rubric articulates levels of performance for each
criterion so the teacher can assess student performance on each criterion.
Using the Recitation rubric, a teacher could assess whether a student has
done a poor, good or excellent Job or “creating ambiance” and distinguish
that from how well the student did on "voice inflection.

Holistic rubric
In contrast, a holistic rubric does not list separate levels of
performance for each criterion. Instead, a holistic rubric assigns a level of
performance by assessing performance across multiple criteria as a whole.
For example, the analytic research rubric above can be turned into a holistic
rubric:
3 – Excellent Speaker
 Included 10-12 changes in hand gestures
 No apparent inappropriate facial expressions
  Utilized proper voice inflection
 Can create proper ambiance for the poem
2 – Good Speaker
 Included 5-9 changes in hand gestures
 Few inappropriate facial expressions
 Had some inappropriate voice inflection changes
 Almost creating proper ambiance
1 – Poor Speaker
 Included 1-4 changes in hand gestures
 Lots of inappropriate facial expressions
 Used monotone voice
 Did not create proper ambiance

When to choose an analytic rubric?

Analytic rubrics are more common because teachers typically want to assess
each criterion separately, particularly for assignments that involve a larger number
of criteria It becomes more and more difficult to assign a level of performance in a
holistic rubric as the number of criteria increases. As student performance
increasingly varies across criteria it becomes more difficult to assign an appropriate
holistic category to the performance. Additionally, an analytic rubric better handles
weighting of criteria.

When to choose a holistic rubric?

So, when may you use a holistic rubric? Holistic rubric tends to be used
when a quick or gross judgment needs to be made. If the assessment is a minor one,
such as brief homework assignment, it may be sufficient to apply a holistic judgment
(e.g., check, check-plus, or no-check) to quickly review student work. But holistic
rubrics can also be employed for more substantial assignments. On some tasks it is
not easy to evaluate performance on one criterion independently of performance on a
different criterion. For example, many writing rubrics are holistic because it is not
always easy to disentangle clarity from organization or content rom presentation. So,
some educators believe a holistic or global assessment of student performance better
captures student ability on certain tasks. (Alternatively, if two criteria are nearly
inseparable, the combination of the two can be treated as a single criterion in an
analytic rubric.)

How Many Levels of Performance Should I Include in my Rubric?

There is no specific number of levels a rubric should or should not possess.

It will vary depending on the task and your needs. A rubric can have as few as two
levels of performance (e.g., a checklist) or as many as you decide is appropriate.
Also, it is not true that there must be an even number or an odd number of levels.
Again, that will depend on the situation.
Generally, it is better to start with a smaller number of levels of performance
tor a criterion and then expand if necessary. Making distinctions in student
performance across two or three broad categories is difficult enough. As the number
of levels increases and those Judgments become finer and finer, the likelihood of
error increases.
Thus, start small. For example, in an oral presentation rubric, amount
t eye contact might be an important criterion. Performance on that criterion
could be judged along three levels of performance:

Makes eye Never Sometimes Always

contact with
audience

Although these three levels may not capture all the variations in
student performance on the criterion, it may be sufficient discrimination 1or
your purposes. Or, at the least, it is a place to start. Upon applying the three
levels of performance, you might discover that you can effectively group
your students’ performance in these three categories. Furthermore, you might
discover that the labels of "never" "sometimes" and always sufficiently
communicate to your students the degree to which they can improve on
making eye contact.
On the other hand, after applying the rubric you might discover that
you cannot effectively discriminate among student performances with just
three levels of performance. Perhaps, in your view, many students fall in
between never and sometimes, or between sometimes and always, and neither
label accurately captures their performance. So, at this point, you may decide
to expand the number of levels of performance to include never, rarely,
sometimes, usually and always.

Makes eye Never Rarely Sometimes Usually Always

contact

There is no right" answer as to how many levels of performance there

should be tor a criterion in an analytic rubric; that will depend on the nature of the
task assigned, the criteria being evaluated, the students involved and your purposes
and preferences. For example, another teacher might decide to leave off the
"*always" level in the above rubric because "usually" is as much as normally can be
expected or even wanted in some instances. Thus, the "makes eye contact” portion
of the rubric for that teacher might be:

Makes eye Never Rarely Sometimes Usually

contact

We recommend that fewer levels of performance be included initially

because such is:
 easier and quicker to administer
  easier to explain to students (and others) easier to expand than
larger rubrics to shrink


GROUP ACTIVITY NO. 1: Designing Scoring Rubrics

Directions: Design a scoring Rubric of the following tasks:

Exercise/s Task No. 1: Collage making on Digital Literacy (Develop a Holistic Rubric)
Task No. 2: Mathematics Jingle (Develop a Scoring Rubric)

B. True or False with correction

Directions: Identify whether the following competencies of the given task is correct
or incorrect. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if otherwise. If the
statement is FALSE, rewrite or change the statement to make it right.

Task: Perform Manobo Cultural dance in the Philippines

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to perform cultural
dance in the Philippines, specifically to:

_____ 1.) know the basic steps of the Manobo cultural dance.
_____ 2.) perform gracefully the Manobo cultural dance.

Task: Find the area of Triangular Objects

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to find the area of
triangular objects, specifically to:

_____ 1.) understand the procedures in solving the area of triangular objects
_____ 2.) measure triangular objects in terms of ml.
_____ 3.) calculate the perimeter of triangular objects.
Assessment
Chapter 2 – Performance Assessment
in
Learning 2 Lesson 6: Product-oriented performance-based assessment
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
a) explain the nature of product-oriented performance-based; and
b) develop a task design
Objectives
The role of assessment in teaching happens to be a hot issue in education
today. This has led to an increasing interest in “performance-based education”.
Performance-based education poses a challenge for teachers to design instruction
that is task-oriented. The trend is based on the premise that learning needs to be
Introduction connected to the lives of the students through relevant tasks that focus on students’
ability to, use their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. In this case,
performance-based tasks require performance-based assessments in which the actual
student performance is assessed through a product, such as a completed project or
work that demonstrates levels of task achievement. At times, performance-based
assessment has been used interchangeably with "authentic assessment and
"alternative assessment." In all cases, performance-based assessment has led to the
use of a variety of alternative ways of evaluating student progress (journals,
checklists, portfolios, projects, rubrics, etc.) as compared to more traditional
methods of measurement (paper-and-pencil testing).

1. Product-Oriented Learning Competencies

Discussion Student performances can be defined as targeted tasks that lead to a product
or overall learning outcome. Products can include a wide range of student works that
target specific skills. Some examples include communication skills such as those
demonstrated in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, or psychomotor skills
requiring physical abilities to perform a given task. Target tasks can also include
behavior expectations targeting complex tasks that students are expected to achieve.
Using rubrics is one way that teachers can evaluate or assess student performance or
proficiency in any given task as it relates to a final product or learning outcome.
Thus, rubrics can provide valuable information about the degree to which a student
has achieved a defined learning outcome based on specific criteria that defined the
framework for evaluation.
The learning competencies associated with products or outputs are linked
with an assessment of the level of "expertise" manifested by the product. Thus,
product-oriented learning competencies target at least three (3) levels: novice or
beginner's level, skilled level, and expert level. Such levels correspond to Bloom's
taxonomy in the cognitive domain in that they represent progressively higher levels
of complexity in the thinking processes.
There are other ways to state product-oriented learning competencies.
For instance, we can define learning competencies for products or outputs in
the following way:
  Level 1: Does the finished product or project illustrate the minimum
expected parts or functions? (Beginner)
 Level 2: Does the finished product or project contain additional parts and
functions on top of the minimum requirements which tend to enhance the
final output? (Skilled level)
 Level 3: Does the finished product contain the basic minimum parts and
functions, have additional features on top of the minimum, and is
aesthetically pleasing? (Expert level)

Example: The desired product is a representation of a cubic prism made out

of cardboard n an elementary geometry class
Learning Competencies: The final product submitted by the students must:
1. possess the correct dimensions (5 x 5"X 5)-(minimum
specifications)
2. be sturdy, made of durable cardboard and properly fastened
together-(skilled specifications)
3. be pleasing to the observer, preferably properly colored for
aesthetic purposes- (expert level)

Example: The product designed is a scrapbook illustrating the historical

event called EDSA T People Power
Learning Competencies: The scrapbook presented by the students must:

1. contain pictures, newspaper clippings and other illustrations for

the main characters of EDSA 1 People Power namely; Corazon
Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Juan Ponce Enrile, Ferdinand E. Marcos,
Cardinal Sin. (minimum specifications )

2.contain remarks and captions for the illustrations made the student
himself for the roles played by the characters of EDSA 1 People Power-
(skilled level)
 GROUP ACTIVITY NO. 2:
Task Designing
Directions: Choose a certain topic from your field of specialization and
Exercise/s develop a task design.