Performance and Portfolio

Assessment

Performance Assessment

• An assessment in which the teacher observes and makes a judgement about a student’s demonstration of a skill or competency in creating a product.

• Similar terms include:• authentic assessment.• alternative assessment.• portfolio assessment

Performance Assessment Techniques

• Individual Projects.• Group Projects.• Interviews and Oral Presentations.• Constructed Response Questions.• Essays.• Experiments.• Demonstrations.

Performance Assessment Techniques

Individual Projects• Comprehensive demonstrations of

skills or knowledge.• Usually require student initiative

and creativity.• Trained judges (often teachers)

score projects against predetermined standards of quality.

• Science fair projects are examples.

Performance Assessment Techniques Group Projects

• Similar to individual projects.• A number of students work

cooperatively on a complex problem.• Trained judges (often teachers) score

projects against predetermined standards of quality.

Performance Assessment Techniques

Interviews/Oral Presentations

• Allow verbalization of knowledge.• Interviews are particularly effective

with younger children.• Examples of usage include foreign

language assessment, and• Solutions to math or science

problems.

Performance Assessment Techniques Experiments

• Primarily used for assessing learning in science.

• Several national organizations (e.g., AAAS, NSTA, NSF) advocate the use of experiments in classroom assessment of science concepts.

• Again, trained judges (often teachers) score projects against predetermined standards of quality

Performance Assessment Techniques

Demonstrations

• Give students the opportunity to show their mastery of subject-area content and procedures.

• In physics, for example, use pulleys, gears, and inclined planes to move objects.

Performance Assessment Techniques

Portfolios

• Collections of student work provide a portrait of individual performance over time.

• Typically, students are asked to evaluate the work they select for inclusion.

Performance Assessment:Advantages and

LimitationsAdvantages• Assessment of

complex, higher-order learning targets.

• Students actively engaged in learning while being assessed.

• Forces teachers to use multiple criteria.

Limitations• Weaker reliability.• Limited sampling

of learning targets.

• Time-consuming.• Not good for

assessing knowledge learning targets.

Performance Assessment:Most Serious Limitation

Limited Generalizability• Students respond to fewer tasks.• Makes it difficult to draw inferences

about general abilities.– If the performance is successful can we infer

that the student would do well on other tasks?

– If performance is unsuccessful can we infer that the student would do poorly on other tasks?

Performance Assessments:Three essential components

• Popham contends, and most experts agree, that a performance assessment should contain the following three components:– Multiple criteria.– Pre-specified quality standards.– Judgmental appraisal.

• In addition, performance assessments can be either simulated or authentic.

Performance Assessment:Components (Popham)

• Identify the purpose for the assessment.• Identify the learning target.• Identify activities that illustrate

acquisition of the targeted capability.• Identify the types of evidence needed to

infer skill acquisition.• Identify the standards to be used.• Place all this in the rubric.

Performance Assessment:Evaluating the Rubric

• Does it identify critical components of the learning target?

• Does it identify “observable” behaviors or outcomes?

• Is it appropriate for the students being assessed?

• Does it apply across contexts that call for similar behaviors?

• Does it specify levels of accomplishment?

Vehicles for RecordingEvidence of Skill

Acquisition• Rating Scales

– Assess the degree or adequacy of attainment of the learning target.

• Checklists– Assess presence or absence of skill

acquisition.

• Anecdotal Records– Assess atypical or unusual behaviors on

selected children for future reference.

Portfolios:Advantages and

LimitationsAdvantages• Authenticity.• Show growth.• Empower students.

• Foster

communication.• Great instruc-

tional tool.

Limitations• Many uses of

classroom assessment are not served well with portfolios.

• Time consuming.• Psychometric

problems:– with validity.– with reliability.

Portfolio Assessment

Assessment or instruction aid?Types of portfolios:

Purposeful portfolios.Document progress.Showcase accomplishments.Evaluate student status.

Work-sample portfolios ( Document typical performance).

Appraising portfolios (Scored w/ a rubric).

End