module 2.3 grading for performance

MMOODDUULLEE 22..33

GRADING FOR PERFORMANCE

Teacher Induction Program

Teacher Education Council, Department of Education

Lolita M. Andrada, Ph. D.

Writer

Bernadette S. Pablo, M. Ed.

In-house Editor

All rights reserved. This module may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the Teacher Education Council, Department of Education.

TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM GRADING FOR PERPORMANCE

MODULE 2.3 GRADING FOR PERFORMANCE

(Grading need not be sheer guess work!)

INTRODUCTION

Beginning teachers need to be clear about the factors that should be

considered when grading students. This is to avoid arbitrariness and bias in the

grading process.

This module is designed to explain the rationale behind the performance-

based grading system, define its principles, clarify the implementing guidelines, and

address the issues that even experienced teachers face when grading students.

The lesson contains illustrative examples to facilitate understanding of the

guidelines, and activities to provide concrete application of the principles.

You, the teacher, are encouraged to reflect on the significance of this module

in your role as monitor of learning progress and evaluator of student performance.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this Module, you should be able to:

• Explain the need for a performance-based grading system;

• Apply the principles of the performance-based grading system;

• Implement the guidelines of the grading system;

• Reflect on your own assessment practices; and

• Draw insights to improve your monitoring and evaluation practices.

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THE PLACE OF ASSESSMENT IN THE CURRICULUM

READ

Teachers assess students for a variety of reasons, many of which are known

only to the teacher. For instance, how many of your teachers in high school told you,

that the test you would be taking was designed to assess your ability to demonstrate

a process, or evaluate a person’s intention? Teachers often define the scope of the

assessment, say a chapter of a book, but very seldom, if ever, do they explain why

students are to be assessed or on what skills they are to be measured. Assessment,

therefore, becomes one great guessing game for the students, like a puzzle they

need to unravel or a mystery they need to solve.

The performance-based grading system takes the mystery out of assessment.

It makes clear to the students why they will be assessed, how their performance will

be measured, and how the results will be used. It also defines the role of the

students in the assessment process, a practice that is not normally done with

students.

The performance-based grading system considers assessment as integral to

the teaching-learning process. This may be best explained by the following diagram:

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Figure 1. The Place of Assessment in the Curriculum

It may be noted that as an element of the curriculum, assessment measures

whether the objectives of instruction have been achieved and the extent to which the

content, the materials and strategies employed in the lesson have been effective in

contributing to the attainment of the objectives. The results of the assessment are

then used by the teacher to make decisions about his/her teaching. Assessment,

therefore, is used to inform instruction. In this sense, assessment becomes a tool for improving teaching and learning. This is the basic principle that underpins the

performance-based grading system.

As a tool for improving teaching and learning, assessment should take place

throughout the teaching-learning process. Before the lesson begins, the teacher

should find out whether the students have the prerequisite knowledge and skills that

will enable them to deal easily with the new content. The purpose of the assessment,

in this regard, is diagnostic. It seeks to find out the background knowledge and

experiences that students are bringing to the learning situation. Learning is facilitated

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when the teacher knows where to start, what prior learning he/she can build on, or

what previous knowledge needs to be unlearned or clarified before new knowledge

can be introduced.

In the course of instruction, the teacher needs to keep track of the students’

learning or progress. How many students are successfully attaining the objectives of

instruction? Who are falling behind? Why? Assessment at this point becomes

instructive for the teacher as he/she analyzes which teaching strategies are

producing the desired results and where adjustments in the activities may be

needed. Assessment at this stage takes on a formative function as the teacher

utilizes the results to make adjustments in his/her teaching. Thus, when the majority

of the students failed to acquire the desired knowledge or develop the skills, this is a

clear indication of a teaching problem. The teacher should analyze what went wrong

and address it accordingly. Ignoring the results of assessment will lead to learning

gaps, and it will be futile for the teacher to continue teaching unless the learning

deficiencies are remedied.

When the teacher decides to take action on the results of the assessment by

modifying or changing his/her strategies, the teacher shall continue to track the

students’ progress until he/she is satisfied with the results. The outcome of

instruction is then evaluated and judgment is made on the performance of students.

This judgment is often expressed in the form of grades.

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RATIONALE AND PRINCIPLES OF PERFORMANCE-

BASED ASSESSMENT

READ The performance-based grading system looks at assessment as an

instructional tool that promotes learning; hence, the emphasis is on the formative

value of assessment (i.e., assessment for learning) rather than its summative

function (i.e., assessment of learning). Assessment for learning tracks rather than

measures student progress. Thus, the purpose of assessment is to gather

information about the student during the learning process with the view to assisting

him by providing the intervention, where needed so that learning gaps can be

bridged. In contrast, assessment of learning measures student achievement at the

end of instruction solely for the purpose of evaluating and assigning grades.

While the intention of assessment under the performance-based grading

system is to track student progress more than evaluate or pass judgment on student

performance, this is not to say , though, that summative assessment has no place in

the grading system. The difference is in the emphasis being placed on the value or

function of the assessment.

In line with the principle of assessment for learning, teachers are advised to

administer a diagnostic test prior to instruction as basis for identifying learning needs

so that they can correspondingly adjust or modify their teaching to respond to such

needs. Thus, there may be students who, based on the teacher’s diagnosis, will

require additional practice, or there may be those who can learn better through direct

teaching. The teacher can then plan with the students the appropriate strategies or

interventions either for remediation (for those with learning deficiencies) or for

enrichment or enhancement of learning.

Aside from assessment for learning, the performance-based grading system

is also founded on the principle of learner accountability. This means giving the

students responsibility for their learning, which implies, allowing them to direct their

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own learning. This happens when the results of tests are fed back immediately to the

students and, on the basis of the information, they plan and manage their learning.

They set their own goals, map out their learning strategies, seek the help they need,

and track and chart their own progress. The students are even encouraged to

assess themselves. Assessment, therefore, becomes a shared responsibility, a

process that is not done to the students, but with the students.

The last principle, but which is also the essence of the performance-based

grading system, is the tight alignment between assessment and standards.

Assessment must measure those competencies reflected in the instructional

objectives. This is a development area among many of our teachers. In many

teacher-made tests, a common problem is the lack of fit between the instructional

objective and the assessment tool. For example, a lesson may have for its objective

the development of the student’s ability to sequence events, but if the test is on

identification of events, then the measure becomes incongruent to the skill being

assessed. The performance-based grading system uses assessment that measures

what students know, can do, demonstrate, or perform as indicated in the instructional

objectives. The emphasis is on the assessment of process more than content, which

is what makes the performance-based grading system different.

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SCQ 1.1 1. What principles underpin the performance-based grading system? Explain

your own understanding of each principle.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you agree with the rationale behind each principle? Why? Why not?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Which principle can you easily apply? Why? Is there any principle that you

find problematic? Why?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES

READ

DepED Order No.33, s. 2004 defines the implementing guidelines of the

performance-based grading system. First, it maintains that the lowest passing grade

is 75%, and the lowest grade that may appear in the report card is 65%. If the

student’s actual grade is lower than 65%, it shall be reflected in the teacher’s record

book, but what shall appear in the report card is the ceiling grade of 65%. Any grade

below 75% is considered a failure.

Second, it prescribes the test design as consisting of 60% basic items, 30%

more advanced, and 10% items for distinguishing honor students. In terms of

difficulty, the basic items are generally the easy ones. Easy questions, however, do

not imply that they must be at the level of knowledge or recall. There are questions

that demand critical thinking, yet are easy. Consider this question as an example:

The skull sign on a bottle indicates that its content is

a) for external use only. c) highly flammable.

b) highly poisonous d) for adults.

How does one determine if a question is easy or difficult? Teachers usually

are guided by their experience with their students. Thus, a question may be easy

or difficult based on the students’ capability to answer the question. This practice,

however, is rather arbitrary. A more scientific approach is to do an item analysis

that test developers follow in determining item difficulty.

Questions in each category should have different weights. This implies that

the weights shall be based on the level of difficulty of the questions.

The questions should cover only those content and skills actually taken up

in class. This is to ensure the instructional or curriculum validity of the items.

Third, the grading system indicates the test and non-test factors that are

considered in the computation of the student’s grade. A heavier weight is given to

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non-test factors to effect the move from a test-driven to a performance-based

grading system. The components of the student’s grade are explained as follows:

Periodic test summative assessment of student’s learning at the

end of the quarter

Quiz summative assessment of student’s learning at the

end of the lesson; Quizzes given for formative

purposes are not considered in the computation of

the student’s grade but as basis for making a

decision whether to proceed to the next lesson or

to reteach.

Unit test summative assessment of student’s learning at the

end of the unit

Participation/ Performance

student’s involvement in the learning process

individually and/or in group; student’s

demonstration of a skill or process (e.g., role play,

theatrical performance, music, dance, choral

reading, speech delivery, experiment, etc.). For

Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga, 5% of the total

weight shall be given to attendance.

Project/Output product of a skill or process (e.g., book report,

book/movie review, journal, research, etc.)

Assignment work usually done outside the classroom in

preparation for the next lesson and may involve an

application or extension of student learning

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Behavior observable manifestation of student’s feelings,

thoughts, or attitude; the grade is reflected in

Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga although every

subject teacher is expected to contribute to the

assessment of the student’s behavior.

The weights for each of these components may vary from subject to

subject as may be noted in the following distribution per DepED Order No. 33, s.

2004:

100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%TotalTotal

--------BehaviorBehavior

--10%10%----AssignmentAssignment

25%25%20%20%25%25%25%25%Output/projectOutput/project30%30%35%35%50%50%50%50%

Participation/Participation/performanceperformance

15%15%------Unit testUnit test

15%15%10%10%----QuizzesQuizzes

15%15%25%25%25%25%25%25%Periodic testPeriodic testMathMathScienceScienceEnglishEnglishFilipinoFilipinoComponentComponent

Percentage Distribution of the Components of the Student’s Grade

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100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%TotalTotal

10%10%------BehaviorBehavior

------10%10%AssignmentAssignment

15%15%25%25%20%20%20%20%Output/projectOutput/project40%40%40%40%45%45%30%30%

Participation/Participation/performanceperformance

--------Unit testUnit test

10%10%10%10%10%10%20%20%QuizzesQuizzes

25%25%25%25%25%25%20%20%Periodic testPeriodic testEPEPMAPEHMAPEHTLETLEAPAPComponentComponent

Percentage Distribution of the Components of the Student’s Grade

MODULE 2.3 11


MODULE 2.3 12

Components of the Grade in Components of the Grade in CATCAT

2525Output/ProjectOutput/Project

4040ParticipationParticipation

1010QuizzesQuizzes

2525Periodical testPeriodical test

% weight% weightComponentComponent

Total 100%

Final grades are computed using the averaging method (i.e., the final grade

is determined by averaging the marks for each subject for the four quarters).

There is no cap on the maximum or highest grade that can be given for any

grading period.

For MAPEH, the composite grade is computed by getting the average of all the

components (Music, Arts, P.E. and Health). The grade in MAPEH becomes

incomplete if the student incurs a failure or deficiency in any component. For CAT,

student rating is on a “Pass-Fail” basis.

Transmutation tables shall not be used in the computation of grades. This is to

avoid grade inflation that occurs when scores are transmuted. Test scores shall

be recorded as raw scores, totaled at the end of each grading period and then

computed as percentage (i.e., [student’s score ÷ highest possible score] x 100).


THE USE OF RUBRICS

READ

For the assessment of the non-test factors, the use of rubrics is

recommended. Rubrics are scoring guides and may be best used for rating

performance, participation, products or outputs, assignments, and student

responses to open-ended questions. The student’s score or rating may be

expressed in points based on the different descriptions of his/her actual

performance or characteristics of his/her outputs. Thus, a good rubric describes

the desired qualities or characteristics of student performance or product. It also

distinguishes in explicit terms one performance level from another. Here are some

sample rubrics:

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Sample rubric for assessing a presentation:

Assessment of organizationAssessment of organization44-- Ideas are internally consistent; presentation Ideas are internally consistent; presentation

is very clearis very clear33-- One or two ideas appear inconsistent/ One or two ideas appear inconsistent/

irrelevant to the discussion; presentation has irrelevant to the discussion; presentation has a few gapsa few gaps

22-- Major ideas do not hang together; many Major ideas do not hang together; many gaps in the presentationgaps in the presentation

11-- Ideas are totally inconsistent; no clear Ideas are totally inconsistent; no clear linkagelinkage

You will note that in the first example, two criteria are used: aesthetic

appeal and creativity. These criteria are best applied to the rating of student

products such as those in Technology and Livelihood Education. In the second

example, the criterion of organization is adopted as a factor for assessing a

presentation such as a report. Other factors or criteria may be adopted depending

on what the teacher considers as important. It would be good to assess the

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student’s output or performance based on a number of factors in order to get a

holistic view of what the student knows and can do.

Aside from specifying the evaluative criteria, a good rubric contains quality

definitions which indicate the standard or level of performance. In the first

example, there are three levels of performance: expert, accomplished, and novice.

Each level is defined so the rater will know the appropriate score to give. The

advantage of specifying the levels of performance is that it becomes easier for the

teacher to develop, based on the quality definitions, a learning profile of the

students. The rubric thus becomes a meaningful guide as it describes in specific

terms the student’s performance or output which is not what other measures, such

as a rating scale, do. A rating scale, for example, will only describe in general

terms (e.g., very good, good, or needs improvement) a student’s performance or

output, but what exactly do such terms mean? Not only will they be interpreted

differently by different people, but they are not, due to lack of specificity, of much

use to the teacher.

There are two types of rubric: generic and specific. A generic rubric may be

based on information or based on process or skill. Below is a portion of a generic

rubric. Can you provide the quality definitions for the other levels to complete the

rubric?

Example of a Generic RubricExample of a Generic Rubric

Knowledge of procedure Knowledge of procedure

4 4 -- The student has complete knowledge ofThe student has complete knowledge ofthe procedure.the procedure.

3 3 -- The student has complete knowledge ofThe student has complete knowledge of the procedure, but lacks details. the procedure, but lacks details.

At level 2, which may also be equivalent to two points, the quality definition

may be as follows: “the student has incomplete knowledge of the procedure and is

unable to provide the major details”; and at level 1, which may be equivalent to

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one point, the quality definition may be this: “the student has no knowledge of the

procedure and is thus unable to provide the major details.”

A specific rubric, on the other hand, is based on a particular topic. A portion

of a sample specific rubric is provided below. Can you apply the same quality

definitions given above for levels 2 and 1 of the generic rubric to complete the

specific rubric? What will you include in the quality definitions?

The scores are also provided in the rubric. In the first example given, the

output is rated based on a range of scores, i.e., 8-10 points for work that is above

standard, 5-7 points for work that is on standard, and 1-4 points for work in which

meeting the standard is still a goal.

The scoring strategy may either be holistic or analytic. In holistic scoring,

the rater gives an overall evaluation of the student’s work based on all the

evaluative criteria. In the first example above, where two evaluative criteria are

used, the rater considers both criteria in scoring the student’s work. In contrast,

analytical scoring is a criterion-by-criterion judgment of the student’s work. Thus, a

score is given for every criterion, and then the scores are averaged (or weighted,

as the case may be) in order to come up with a final score.

Whatever scoring strategy is adopted, it is recommended that interim

values (e.g., 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 . . .) be used instead of just 1, 2, 3, 4 . . .in order to

increase the accuracy of scoring.

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Example of a Specific RubricExample of a Specific Rubric

Knowledge of procedure in writing a reportKnowledge of procedure in writing a report

44-- The student has complete knowledge of The student has complete knowledge of the procedure the procedure in writing a reportin writing a report

33-- The student has complete knowledge of The student has complete knowledge of the procedure the procedure in writing a reportin writing a report, but lacks , but lacks details. details.

The generic rubric, by definition, may be applied to any topic. Thus, in the

above example, knowledge of procedure, may be applied to any topic. What

distinguishes a specific rubric from a generic rubric is that the former indicates the

particular topic that is the focus of the assessment. In the above example, writing

a report is the specific topic to which the criterion “knowledge of procedure” shall

be applied.

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MODULE 2.3 18

ACTIVITY 1.1

Analyze if the following are rubrics or not. Explain your answer to each

question.

A.

B.

Is this a rubric?

Assessment of workmanship4- No visible defects in the quality of the

product; product is totally acceptable3- One or two defects in the quality of the

product; minor touch-up is recommended2- Major defects in the overall quality of the

product; major rework is necessary 1- Product is totally defective; product is

rejected

Is this a rubric?

Assessment of a project: Clothes Hamper

Workmanship 50%Cost of raw materials 25Packaging 25

Total 100%


C.

ACTIVITY 1.2

Is this a rubric?

Assessment of workmanship

10 9Superior

8 7Expert

6 5Satisfactory

4 3 2 1Poor

Complete the following rubric:

Assessment of the ability to explain a procedure clearly

4- The student can explain the procedure in own words and can illustrate and demonstrate each step.

3-

2- The student needs prompting in order to explain the procedure; cannot illustrate nor demonstrate the steps.

1- The student can explain one or two steps in the procedure; cannot illustrate nor demonstrate the steps.

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ACTIVITY 1.3

Prepare a rubric on any of the following:

a. Assessment of participation

b. Assessment of student’s essay

c. Assessment of oral report

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TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAM ANSWER KEY

ANSWER KEY

1. A is not a rubric because it does not define the evaluative criteria nor does

it indicate how the output shall be scored. Thus, the assessment of the

output will depend on how the rater of scorer interprets the criteria.

B is a rubric as it satisfies the requirements of a good scoring guide.

C is a rating scale, not a rubric. It indicates the levels or standards of

performance, but does not define or describe them.

2. Level 3 in the rubric may be defined as:

3 – The student can explain in his/her own words some of the steps in the

procedure and can demonstrate the same but understanding is limited.

3. Models of rubrics are in DepED order No. 33, s. 2004. Compare your

work with any of the samples given. You may also use the following

elements of a good rubric as your guide:

a. It should describe the desired qualities or standards of performance;

b. It should distinguish clearly the differences in the levels of

performance; and

c. It should indicate the scoring strategy.

MODULE 2.3 21

module 2.3 grading for performance

Education

grading process

assessment process

results of assessment

performance grading

place of assessment

assessment practices

assessment measures

teachinglearning process