Chapter 2
PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
TOPICS
1. Meaning and Characteristics of Performance-based Assessment
2. Types of Performance Tasks in Performance-based Assessment
3. Strengths and Limitations of Performance-based Assessment
4. Designing Meaningful Performance-Based Assessment
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Analyze the nature and the essential characteristics of performancebased assessment.
2. Develop a portfolio of performance-based assessment tools that
measures learners’ competencies of a given subject.
Traditional testing cannot measure a number of skills directly. Skills requiring
the demonstration of students’ understanding by creating an answer, carrying out
performance, or producing a product which involves independent judgment, critical
thinking and decision-making are best assessed with performance test. This type of
authentic assessment provides evidence of what the students know and can do in the
context of real life. This chapter gives an introduction to performance assessment. It
discusses the nature, principles, types, advantages, and limitations of performancebased assessment.
TOPIC 1:
MEANING AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PERFORMANCE-BASED
ASSESSMENT
Performance-based assessment is one in which the teacher observes and makes a
judgment about the student’s demonstration of a skill or competency in creating a
product, constructing a response, or making a presentation (McMillan, 2007). In this
assessment, the emphasis is on the students’ ability to perform tasks by producing their
own authentic work with their knowledge and skills.
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Performance-based assessment (PBA) is an alternative form of assessment that moves
away from traditional paper-and-pencil tests (Ferman, 2005). It involves students
producing a project, whether it is an oral, written, individual or group performance.
The students are engaged in creating a final project that exhibits understanding of
concepts they have learned.
Performance-based assessments process the creative aspect of the students in
bringing out what they now and what they can do through different performance tasks
such as exhibits, projects and work samples. Hands-on experiences allow them to be
more critical, motivated and involved when they are allowed to perform on their own.
Students can acquire and apply knowledge, skills and work habits through the different
performance tasks which are meaningful and engaging to the students.
Types of activities that best exemplified performance-based assessments include
writing a research report, solving and conducting experiments and investigations,
return demonstration, speech, skit, role playing, constructing and implementing
seminar plan or creating video presentation.
It is stipulated in the DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2012 that the highest level of assessment
focuses on the performances (product) which the students are expected to produce
through authentic performance tasks. The assessment at this level should answer the
question, “What product(s) or performance(s) do we want students to produce as
evidence of their learning or understanding?” or “How wo we want them to provide
evidence that they can transfer their learning to real life situations?”
Moreover, Linn (1995) stated that performance assessments provide a basis of
teachers to evaluate both the effectiveness of the process or procedure used (e.g.
approach to data collection, manipulation of instruments) and the product resulting
from performance of a task (e.g. completed report of results, completed art work).
Unlike simple tests of factual knowledge, there is unlikely to be a single right or best
answer. Rather, there may be multiple performances and problem solutions that may
be judged to be excellent. Problem formulation, the organization of ideas, the
integration of multiple types of evidence, and originality are all important aspects of
performance that may not adequately assessed by paper-and-pencil tests.
Performance products are outputs produced by the students that provide concrete
examples of their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. These
performances allow them to demonstrate the application of what they have learned
with their schemata as well. Students may also engage in some tasks which are useful
not only within the four walls of the school such as doing field work, demonstrating
rules and guidelines, and engaging into extension services. Process-oriented
assessments provide insights on the students’ critical thinking, logic and reasoning
skills. These will lead them to independent learning and set goals for future use.
2
Some performance assessment proponents content that genuine performance
assessments must possess at least three features (Popham, 2011):
•
•
•
Multiple evaluation criteria. The student’s performance must be judged using
more than one evaluation criterion.
Pre-specified quality standards. Each of the evaluative criteria on which a
student’s performance is to be judged is clearly explicated in advance of judging
the quality of the student’s performance.
Judgmental appraisal. Unlike the scoring of selected-response tests in which
electronic computers and scanning machines can, once programmed, carry on
without the need of humankind, genuine performance assessments depend on
human judgments to determine how acceptable a student’s performance really
is.
All educational institution expect students to demonstrate different skills in various
learning areas and most often subjected to classroom performance assessment. Some
characteristics of this assessment which can be observed in the actual classroom
setting may include student performance, creation, construction and production of
product which can assess deep understanding and reasoning skills. The performance
involves engaging ideas of importance and substance which students can explain,
justify, and defend. Lastly, the performance should be grounded in real-world contexts
which calls for authenticity of the performance.
TOPIC 2: TYPES OF PERFORMANCE TASKS
The main objective of the performance task is to capture all the learning targets which
shall be aligned to the teaching and learning objectives, activities and assessment.
Thus, the focus of performance-based assessment is the final output that must be
developed or completed. These could be in form of problem-solving, demonstration,
tasks, and other authentic experiences that would influence the thinking processes,
skills and products required from performance tasks. Below are some performancebased assessment tasks (Musial, 2009):
Solving a problem. Critical thinking and problem solving are important skills that need
to be sharpened and developed by the learners. Teachers may include activities and
make sense of complex authentic problems or issues to be solved by the students. This
helps the students become independent thinkers and learners for life, and help them
meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Completing an inquiry. An inquiry tasks is one in which the students are asked to collect
data in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue. Examples of
inquiries include science investigation, research based activities, survey and interviews
or independent studies. Students determine what data are needed and under what
conditions that data should be collected, present data and develop conclusions.
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Determining a position. This task requires students to make decision or clarify a
position. Case analysis and issue related activities or debate are some examples of this
task.
Demonstration task. This task shows how the students use knowledge and skills to
complete well-defined complex tasks. Students explain or describe how something
works or how to do something when they perform these tasks. Examples are:
demonstrating steps or procedures of cooking, explaining the earthquake safety
procedures and demonstrating how to set up microscope for viewing slides. The focus
of demonstration tasks is accuracy in clarifying the steps of process as well as careful
reasoning concerning the rationale for each step of the process.
Developing Exhibits. Exhibits are visual presentations or displays that need little or no
explanation from the creators. An exhibit is offered to explain, demonstrate or show
something. Classroom applications include exhibit of best works, pictures or paintings,
projects or even portfolios.
Presentation task. This is a work or task performed in front of an audience. Storytelling,
singing, and dancing, musical play or theatrical acting are some presentations which
demonstrate presentation tasks.
Capstone performances. These tasks that occur at the end of a program of study and
enable students to show knowledge and skills in the context that matches the world
of practicing professionals. These tasks include research paper, practice teaching,
internship or on-the-job training.
With the different types of performance tasks, the teacher may decide what and when
materials should be used, specifies the instructions for performance, describes the
kinds of outcomes toward which students should work, tells the students they are
being assessed, and gives students opportunities to prepare themselves for the
assessment. Performance tasks on the other hand can be performed also in a typical
and natural setting, which give students opportunity to perform particular activity
which the teacher would like to assess.
TOPIC 3:
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF PERFORMANCE-BASED
ASSESSMENT
As we explored the nature of performance assessment and examined the different
types of assessment tasks, several authorities discussed the advantages of
performance assessments over other assessments.
•
Performance assessment clearly identifies and clarifies learning targets.
Authentic performance tasks such as real world challenges and situations can
closely match with the various complex learning targets. This offers a direct
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way to assess what the students know and can do within the variety of realistic
contexts.
•
Performance assessment allows students to exhibit their own skills, talents,
and expertise. Tasks show integration of the student’s skills, knowledge and
abilities, provide challenge and opportunities to exhibit their best creation. This
also assesses the ability “to do” of the students.
•
Performance assessment advocates constructivist principle of learning.
Students are more engaged in active learning and give more opportunities to
demonstrate their learning in different ways in complex tasks. Students use
their previous knowledge to build a new knowledge structures and be actively
involved in exploration and inquiry through different tasks.
•
Performance assessment uses a variety of approaches to student evaluation.
This offers students a variety of way of expressing their learning and increases
the validity of student’s evaluation. Teachers may share criteria of assessment
before the actual evaluation so that students can use this criteria as well.
•
Performance assessment allows the teachers to explore the main goal and
processes of teaching and learning process. Teachers may reflect and revisit
learning targets, curriculum and instructional practices, and standards as they
utilize performance-based assessment. They may use a variety of teaching
strategies and techniques, and explore how students will use the instructional
material and resources given to them.
Though performance assessments offer several advantages over traditional objective
assessment procedures, they have some distinct limitations as well.
•
Development of high quality performance assessment is a tedious process.
Performance assessment needs careful planning and implementation. It is very
time consuming to construct good tasks. Teachers have to make sure that the
performance tasks expected from the students are authentic and match the
outcome to be assessed and not with other qualities that are not part of the
outcomes to be assessed. Quality scoring rubrics are difficult to create as well.
•
Performance assessment requires considerable amount of time to administer.
Paper-and-pencil takes 15 to 20 minutes per tasks to complete depending on
the number of items. Most authentic tasks take a number of days to complete.
Most of the time, performance assessment is administered to small groups of
students unlike traditional testing which is simultaneously administered to an
entire class.
•
Performance assessment takes a great deal of time to score. The more
complex the process and performance, the more time you can expect to spend
on scoring. To reduce the scoring time, crafting a high quality rubrics is
recommended.
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•
Performance task score may have lower reliability. This resulted to
inconsistency of scoring by teachers who interpret observation quite
differently. With complex tasks, multiple correct answers, and fast-paced
performances, scoring depends on teachers’ own scoring competence.
•
Performance task completion may be discouraging to less able students. Some
tasks that require students to sustain their interest for a longer time may
discourage disadvantaged students. They may have partial knowledge of the
learning target but may fail to complete the task because it does not allow them
to utilize this partial knowledge effectively and efficiently.
A summary of strengths and weaknesses of performance assessment is presented
below:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strengths
Integrate assessment with instruction
Learning occurs during assessment.
Provide opportunities for formative
assessment.
Tends to be more authentic than other
types of assessments.
More engaging; active involvement of
students.
Provides additional way for students to
show what they know and can do.
Emphasis on reasoning skills.
Forces teachers to establish specific
criteria
to
identify
successful
performance.
Encourages student self-assessment.
Emphasis on application of knowledge.
Encourages
re-examination
of
instructional goals and the purpose of
schooling.
TOPIC 4:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Weaknesses
Reliability may be difficult to establish.
Measurement error due to subject of
nature of scoring may be significant.
Inconsistent student performance
across time may result in inaccurate
conclusions.
Few samples of student achievement.
Requires considerable teacher time to
prepare and student time to complete.
Difficult to plan for amount of time
needed.
Limited ability to generalize to a larger
domain of knowledge.
DESIGNING MEANINGFUL PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT
Designing performance assessment entails critical processes which start from the tasks
that the teacher wants to assess. A well-designed performance assessment helps the
student to see the connections between the knowledge, skills, and abilities they have
learned from the classroom, including the experiences which help them to construct
their own meaning of knowledge.
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The following steps will guide you in developing a meaningful performance assessment
– both process and product what will match to the desired learning outcomes.
1: 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 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
Examples
What important cognitive skills or • Communicate effectively in writing,
attributes do I want my students to
employ algebra to solve real-life
develop?
problems
What social and affective skills or • Work independently, appreciate
attributes do I want my students to
individual differences
develop?
What metacognitive skills do I want my • Reflect on the writing process, selfstudents to develop?
monitor progress while working on an
independent project
What types of problems do I want my • Perform
research,
predict
students to be able to solve?
consequences
What concepts and principles do I want • Understand
cause-and-effect
my students to be able to apply?
relationships, use principles of
ecology and conservation
Basically, the teacher should select those learning targets which can be assessed by
performance which fits to the plan along with the assessment techniques to be utilized
for measuring other complex skills and performances.
Four Types of Learning Targets Used in Performance Assessment
In defining the purpose of assessment, learning targets must be carefully identified
and taken in consideration. Performance assessments primarily use four types of
learning targets which are deep understanding, reasoning, skills, 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
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extended periods of time so that their understanding is rich and more extensive than
what can be attained by more conventional instruction and traditional paper-andpencil 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 to 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 tasks: fine motor skills (holding a pen, focusing a microscope, and using
scissors), gross motor actions (jumping and lifting), more complex athletic 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 proficiency in reasoning,
communication, and psychomotor tasks.
Products
Are completed works, such as term papers, projects, and other assignments in which
students use their knowledge and skills.
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.
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Example of process oriented performance-based assessment in which the main domain
is Oral Language and Fluency (Enclosure No. 4, DepEd Order No. 73, S. 2012):
Example 1: English Grade 7
Content Standard: The students demonstrate oral language proficiency and
fluency in various social contexts.
Performance Standard: The learner proficiently renders rhetorical pieces.
Task: Oral – Aural Production ( The teacher may use dialogs or passages form other
written or similar texts.)
Specific Competencies:
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 patterns affect understanding of the message.
Example 2: Filipino Grade 7
Kakayahan (domain): Pag-unawa sa Napakinggan
Pamantayang Pangnilalaman (Content standard): Naipamamalas ng mga magaaral ang pag-unawa sa paksa ng akdang napakinggan.
Pamantayan sa Pagganap para sa aralin (Performance Standard): Ang mga magaaral 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 specific competencies which are observable on
the target behavior or competencies. This can be observed also in defending the
purpose of 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 if 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.
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Assessment of products must be done if the students will produce a variety of better
ways to produce high quality products, sometimes, method or sequence does not make
much difference as long as the product is the focus of the assessment.
Examples of learning targets which require students to 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, productoriented performance-based assessment can be stated as:
•
Use the correct prosodic patterns (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 Tasks
Having a 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 structured; 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?
Does each task require students to perform all the important elements
implied by the learning targets?
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•
•
•
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?
(Nitko, 2011)
Performance needs to be identified so that students know what tasks and criteria to be
performed. In this case, a task description must be prepared to provide the listing of
specification of the tasks and will elicit the desired 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
(McMillan, 2007)
Tasks on the other hand should be meaningfully 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 minutes. But it also depends on the learning targets which
necessitate a longer time. Examples 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 results can make valid generalization of how the students 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, the fewer targets can be assessed in a given performance.
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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 performances 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 student time, they should be used primarily to assess
learning outcomes that are not adequately measured by less time-consuming
approaches.
2. Select or develop tasks 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 uses in performing task. In any event, the
specification of assumed content understandings is 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 a particular assessment.
4. Provide the necessary scaffolding for students to be able to understand the
task and what is expected. Challenging tasks 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 a vacuum. Students need to have a prior knowledge and skills
required to address the problem. These prerequisites can be a natural outcome
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 the novel
solution.
6. Clearly communicate performance expectations in terms of the criteria by
which the performances will be judged. Specifying the criteria to be used in
rating performance helps clarify task expectations 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.
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Crafting tasks for both process and product-oriented performance-based assessments
need 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 musts know that 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?
(McMillan, 2007)
Regardless of whether these are process or product-oriented performance tasks,
clearly stated performance criteria are critical to the success of both instruction and
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.
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 define rubrics, viz:
•
•
Set of rules specifying the criteria used to find out what the students know and
are able to do so. (Musial, 2009)
Scoring tool that lays out specific expectations for assignment (Levy, 2005).
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•
•
•
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 student’s 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 be 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.
(Popham, 2011)
Rubrics are used also to communicate how teachers evaluate the essence of what is
being assessed. Rubrics not only improve scoring consistency, they also improve
validity by clarifying the standards of achievement the teacher will use in evaluating. In
the development and scoring of rubrics, Nitko (2011) suggested some questions which
the teacher should address:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What important criteria and learning targets do I need to assess?
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?
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Types of Rubrics
The Structure of the rubrics change when measuring different learning targets.
Generally, rubrics can be classified into two major types: analytic and holistic rubrics.
Analytic Rubric. It requires the teacher to list and identify major knowledge and skills
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, skills 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 the students as a form of formative assessment.
Analytic Rubric for Oral Presentation: An Interpretative Reading
Category
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Characterization Voice, facial
expressions and
body language
clearly
contribute to
the selected
character.
Preparedness Student is
completely
prepared and
has obviously
rehearsed.
3
2
Voice, facial
Voice, facial
expressions and expressions and
body language body language
often
sometimes
contribute to
contribute to
the selected
the selected
character
character.
Student seems The student is
pretty prepared somewhat
but might have prepared, but it
needed a
is clear that
couple more
rehearsal was
rehearsal.
lacking.
Speaks Clearly Speaks clearly Speaks clearly Speaks clearly
and distinctly all and distinctly all and distinctly
(95-100%) the (95-100%) the most (85-94%)
time, and
time, but
of the time and
mispronounces mispronounces mispronounces
no words.
one word.
no more than
word.
Volume
Volume is loud Volume is loud Volume is loud
enough to be enough to be enough to be
heard by all
heard by all
heard by all
audience
audience
audience
members at
members at
members at
least 90% of the least 90% of the least 80% of the
time.
time.
time.
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1
Voice, facial
expressions and
body language
rarely
contribute to
the selected
character.
Student does
not seem at all
prepared to
present.
Often mumbles
or cannot be
understood or
mispronounces
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 results and providing little
specific information about the performance of the students and what needs for further
improvement.
Holistic Rubric for Oral Report
5
4
3
2
1
0
Excellent: The students clearly describes the question studied and provides
strong reasons for its importance. Specific information is given to support the
conclusions that are drawn and described. The delivery is engaging and
sentence 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 reasons
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 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
audience are answered.
Limited: The student states 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 only the most basic
responses.
Poor: The student make presentation without stating the question or its
importance. The topic is unclear and no adequate conclusions 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.
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Rubric Development
Stevens and Levi’s Introduction to Rubrics (2005) enumerated the steps in developing
rubric. Basically, rubrics are composed of task description, scale, dimensions, and
description of dimensions.
Title
Task Description:
Scale level 1
Scale level 2
Scale level 3
Dimension 1
Dimension 2
Dimension 3
Dimension 4
Task Description
Task description involves the performance of the students. Tasks can be taken from
assignments, presentations, and other classroom activities. Usually, task description
are being set in defining performance tasks.
Community Development
Task Description: Each student will make a 10-minute presentation on his/her
observations, experiences, analysis and interpretation of developing community.
Student may use his/her own community as a sample and look into its changes over
the past 10 years. He/she may use any form or any focus of presentation, but it’s a
must to have a thesis statement, not just an exposition. The presentation should
include table, graphs, photographs, maps, landmarks, and conclusions for the
audience.
Scale level 1
Scale level 2
Scale level 3
Dimension 1
Dimension 2
Dimension 3
Dimension 4
Scale
The scale describes how well or poorly any given task has been performed and
determine to what degree the student has met a certain criterion. Generally, it is used
to describe the level of performance. Below are some commonly used labels compiled
by Huba and Freed (2000):
•
•
Sophisticated, competent, partly competent, not yet competent
Exemplary, proficient, marginal, unacceptable
17
•
•
•
Advanced, intermediate high, intermediate, novice
Distinguished, proficient, intermediate, novice
Accomplished, average, developing, beginning
Community Development
Task Description: Each student will make a 10-minute presentation on his/her
observations, experiences, analysis and interpretation of developing community.
Student may use his/her own community as a sample and look into its changes over
the past 10 years. He/she may use any form or any focus of presentation, but it’s a
must to have a thesis statement, not just an exposition. The presentation should
include table, graphs, photographs, maps, landmarks, and conclusions for the
audience.
Excellent
Competent
Needs Work
Dimension 1
Dimension 2
Dimension 3
Dimension 4
Dimensions
This is set of criteria which serves as basis for evaluating student output or
performance. The dimensions of rubric lay out the parts and how tasks are divided into
its important components as basis also for scoring the students.
Community Development
Task Description: Each student will make a 10-minute presentation on his/her
observations, experiences, analysis and interpretation of developing community.
Student may use his/her own community as a sample and look into its changes over
the past 10 years. He/she may use any form or any focus of presentation, but it’s a
must to have a thesis statement, not just an exposition. The presentation should
include table, graphs, photographs, maps, landmarks, and conclusions for the
audience.
Excellent
Knowledge/Understanding
20%/20 points
Thinking/Inquiry
30%/30 points
Communication
20%/20 points
Use of Visual Aids
20%/20 points
Presentation Skills
10%/10 points
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Competent
Needs Work
Description of Dimensions
Dimensions should contain description of the level of performance as standard of
excellence accompanied with examples. This allows both the teachers and the students
identify the level of expectation and what dimensions must be given an emphasis.
Community Development
Task Description: Each student will make a 10-minute presentation on his/her
observations, experiences, analysis and interpretation of developing community.
Student may use his/her own community as a sample and look into its changes over
the past 10 years. He/she may use any form or any focus of presentation, but it’s a
must to have a thesis statement, not just an exposition. The presentation should
include table, graphs, photographs, maps, landmarks, and conclusions for the
audience.
Knowledge/
Understanding
20%/20 points
Thinking/Inquiry
30%/30 points
Excellent
The presentation
demonstrates a
depth of historical
understanding by
using relevant and
accurate details to
support the
student’s thesis.
Research is
through and goes
beyond what was
presented in class
or in the assigned
texts.
Competent
The presentation
uses knowledge
that is generally
accurate with only
minor inaccuracies
and that is
generally relevant
to the student’s
thesis. Research is
adequate but does
not go much
beyond what was
presented in class
or in the assigned
text.
Needs Work
The presentation
uses little relevant
or accurate
information, not
even that which
was presented in
class or in the
assigned texts.
Little or no
research is
apparent.
The presentation is
centered around a
thesis, which
shows highly
developed
awareness of
historiographic or
social issues and a
high level of
conceptual ability.
The presentation
shows an
analytical structure
and a central
thesis, but the
analytical is not
always fully
developed or
linked to the
thesis.
The presentation
shows no
analytical structure
and no central
thesis.
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Communication
20%/20 points
The presentation is
imaginative and
effective in
conveying ideas to
the audience. The
presenter
responds
effectively to
audience reactions
and questions.
Presentation
techniques used
are effective in
conveying main
ideas, but they are
a bit
unimaginative.
Some questions
from the audience
remain
unanswered.
The presentation
fails to capture the
interest of the
audience and/or is
confusing in what
is to be
communicated.
Use of Visual Aids
20%/20 points
The presentation
includes
appropriate and
easily understood
visual aids, which
the presenter
refers to and
explains at
appropriate
moments in the
presentation.
The presentation
includes
appropriate visual
aids, but these are
too few, are in a
format that makes
them difficult to
use or understand,
or the presenter
does not refer to
or explain them in
the presentation.
The presentation
includes no visual
aids or includes
visual aids that are
inappropriate or
too small or messy
to be understood.
The presenter
makes no mention
of them in the
presentation.
Presentation Skills
10%/10 points
The presenter
speaks clearly and
loudly enough to
be heard, using
eye contact, a
lively tone,
gestures, and body
language to
engage the
audience.
The presenter
speaks clearly and
loudly enough to
be heard but tends
to drone or fails to
use eye contact,
gestures, and body
language
consistently or
effectively at
times.
The presenter
cannot be heard so
unclearly that she
or he cannot
understand. There
is no attempt to
connect with the
audience through
eye contact,
gestures, or body
language.
Usually, a rubric should contain a mechanism for assigning score for each output or
performance. A numerical value is assigned at each level of performance. A numerical
value is assigned at each level of performance. In the given performance task
measuring product-oriented output, below is the suggested rubric in assessing
students’ performance with corresponding scoring scheme.
20
Score
3
2
1
Weight
(18.75)
(12.50)
(6.25)
The
The solution The
25%
solution
can be used solution
can be
occasionally. can be
used from
used
time to
rarely.
time.
Preparation Easy to
The
Difficult to Very
25%
prepare
preparation prepare.
difficult to
is
prepare.
moderately
easy.
Availability Materials are Materials Materials
Materials
25%
of
available in are
are seasonal available
materials/ the locality available in in the
in the
Ingredients whole year the locality locality.
locality.
round.
most of the
time.
Component The solution The
The solution The
25%
of solutions is tasty and solution is is good
solution
the amounts tasty but enough but needs
of the solute the amount solvent used more
and solvent of solute is has
planning in
complement. a bit more exceeded
terms of
than what the solute the
is needed. dissolved. amount of
solute and
solvent to
be used.
Total
Score
Criteria
4
(25)
Practicality The solution
can be sued
most of the
time.
Rating
Rating the Performance
This is the final step in performance-based assessment, determining the learning
outcomes of the students. The main objective of rating the performance is to be
objective and consistent. Be sure also that the scoring system is feasible as well. In
most of the classroom situations, the teacher is both the observer and the rater. If
there are some important instructional decision to be made, additional raters must be
considered in order to make scoring more fair.
Since performance-based assessment involves professional judgment, some common
errors in rating should be avoided; personal bias and halo effect. McMillan (2007)
stated that personal bias results in three kinds of error; generosity error occurs when
the teacher tends to give higher scores; severity error results when the teachers use
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the low end of the scale and underrate student performances; and the central tendency
error in which the students are rated in the middle. On the other hand, halo effect
occurs when the teacher’s general impression of the students affects scores given on
individual traits or performance.
Students, on the other hand, can assess their own progress. Student participation need
not to be limited to the use of assessment instruments. It is also useful to have students
help develop the instrument. In some practices, students rate themselves and
compare their ratings with the teacher-in-charge. With this, the teacher can elaborate
and explain to each student the reasons for rating and discuss the gap between the
rating most especially in an individual conference.
Follow up – conference, peer and self-evaluation of output enable teachers to
understand better curriculum and instructional learning goals and the progress being
undertaken towards the achievement of the goals. These too can better diagnose the
strengths and limitations of the students and most importantly, this activity develop
self-reflection and analysis skills of both the teachers and the students.
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