MODULE 5

Alternative Assessment
Techniques
Basic Concepts

 Authentic assessment is intended to convey that the “assessment tasks

are real instances of expected criterion performances rather than
proxies or estimators of actual learning goals.
  Performance assessments are typically used in conjunction with written
tests.

 Performance assessments have a variety of unique characteristics:

 They can measure a process as well as products resulting from

the process.
 They can occur in natural as well as structured settings
 They can measure skills that paper-and-pencil tests cannot.
 They can assess complex cognitive skills as well as attitude and
social skills in academic areas.
 They can be embedded in lessons.

Oral Questions and Informal Observations

Classroom assessments usually involve oral questions. They may come
in structured or unstructured forms, formal or informal, depending upon the
situation that the teacher and the learners are in. Oral questions and
observations are very efficient and adaptable, often spontaneous, they are also
usually undocumented.

Raagas (2006) suggests the following guidelines:

1. Develop questions from instructional goals. This will anticipate

which capabilities need to be assessed.
2. Establish a clear problem for students to address. Questions must
be clear, and even body language can be used to communicate the
intention of the question.
3. Allow sufficient time for response. Wait time is very important to
allow the assimilation process in the learner’s mind.
4. Avoid embarrassing or intimidating the students.
5. Recognize the importance of reactions to answers.
Categories of Performance Assessments:

1. Process vs Product Measures

A process is the procedure that a student uses to complete a task. A
product is a tangible outcome that may be the result of completing the
process.
 (ex. Use of woodworking tools to build a furniture)

2. Simulated vs Real Settings

Many performance assessments represent simulations because the
real situations are too expensive.
(ex. Sophisticated flight simulators)

3. Natural vs Structured Stimuli

Natural stimuli facilitate observation of typical performance, whereas
structured stimuli tend to elicit maximum performance.
(ex. Asking a student to prepare and deliver a speech)

Structuring a stimulus also helps to determine whether the lack of a

particular performance results from the appropriate condition for eliciting
that behavior has yet to occur.

Advantages of Performance Assessments

1. They allow the evaluation of complex skills which are difficult to assess by
written tests.
2. It has significant effect on instruction and learning.
3. It can be used to evaluate the process as well as the product.

Limitations of Performance Assessments:

1. It requires considerable amount of time to administer.

2. The student responses often cannot be scored later.
3. The scoring of performance assessments is susceptible to rater error.
4. Performance often does not generalize across alternative skills of a domain.

Scoring Performance Assessments

One very important component of a performance-based assessment is the
scoring scheme. Most scores are numerical in nature, but with performance-based
assessment, qualitative descriptions are usually employed to express the student’s
performance.
 In the scoring plan, the teacher should clearly identify whether the
performance to be assessed is process-based or product based. The criteria to be
used should be clearly understood by the rater and the students themselves.

In making the scoring plan, the following must be taken into consideration:

1. Is each quality to be measured directly observable?

2. Does the scoring plan delineate essential qualities of a satisfactory

performance?

3. Will the scoring plan result in different observers’ assigning similar

scores to a student’s performance?

1. Checklists

A checklist is a list of behavior, traits or characteristics that can be

scored as either present or absent. The rater checks off the items as the
given behavior or outcome is observed. It can be used in a variety of
settings to indicate the presence or absence of a particular behavior.

Example 1. Checklist for Performance with Word-processing Program

(Process-based)

YES NO NOT
OBSERVED

______ ______ _________ 1. Uses enter key only at the end of the paragraph.

______ ______ _________ 2. Inserts new words with existing text.

______ ______ ________ 3. Uses highlight/drag to move existing word.

2. Rating Scales

Rating scales provide a scale or range of scores each of which is

equivalent to a particular item in the behavior LIST which are also the
criteria for the marks to be given upon performance by the student.
 Example 2. Rating Scale for Delivering a Speech (Process-based)

5 = Exceptional
4 = Very Good
3 = Good
2 = Acceptable, meets standards
1 = Below class standards

Rating
1 2 3 4 5 1. Established initial interest
1 2 3 4 5 2. Grammar
1 2 3 4 5 3. Posture
1 2 3 4 5 4. Gestures
1 2 3 4 5 5. Sustains interests

3. Rubrics

A rubric is a scoring guide, consisting of specific pre-established

performance criteria used in evaluating student work on a performance
assessments (Merter, 2001).

There are two kinds of rubrics:

1. Holistic rubric. This kind of rubric is used when rater is more

interested in estimating the overall quality of performance and
assigning a numerical value to that quality assigning points for the
addition or omission of a specific aspect of the performance. This
is typically used in evaluating extended essays, term papers, or
some artistic performances such as dance or musical creations.
2. Analytic rubric. This type is usually preferred when a fairly
focused type of response is required, that is, for performance
tasks in which there may be one or two acceptable responses and
creativity is not essential feature of the student’s responses.

3.1 Holistic Rubric

 Mastery, Fluency, Voice, Inflection, Complete Content, Logical
5 sequence, E-sources, Creative materials, Very Satisfactory
answers to questions
Few memory lapses, Few grammatical errors, Lacks some
3 contents, Few voice inflection, One E-source, Less creative
materials, Answers questions satisfactorily
Many memory lapses, Many grammatical errors, Monotone,
2 Lacks many important details, Minor disorder of sequence, No
E-source, Answers few questions only, Not creative materials

3.2 Analytic Rubric

Criteria 8 - 10 5-7 1-4
Mastery Few memory lapses Many memory lapses

Fluency Few grammatical Many grammar errors

errors
Delivery
X3
(30) Eye/Body Movement Few unnecessary Many unnecessary
eye/body moves Movements

Voice Few voice inflection Monotone

Complete Few lapses Lacks many important
details

Content
X 5 Logically sequenced Few lapses Minor disorder of
(50) sequence

With E-sources One E-source No E-source

Answers all questions Answers some Answers few
satisfactorily questions questions only
Impact satisfactorily
X2
(20)
Use creative Less creative Not creative
materials materials materials

4. Portfolio Assessment

A portfolio is a meaningful collection of student work that exemplifies

interest, attitudes, range of skills, and development over a period of time. It
is a collection of student work that tells the story of achievement or growth
across a variety of content and skill areas. It includes samples of work at
regular intervals that document incremental progress, as well as samples of
student’s overall best work. The main purpose is to highlight the student’s
strength and show progress over time.

Portfolios may reveal a great deal about their creators because they
require them to collect and reflect on examples of their work. The product
becomes representative of the processes and outcomes in the student’s
educational program.

Characteristics of Portfolios

 Adaptable to Individualized Instructional Goals

 Focus on Assessment of Products

 Identify Student’s Strengths Rather than Weaknesses

 Actively Involve the Students in the Evaluation Process

 Communicate Student Achievement to Others

 Time Intensive

 Reliability

Types of Portfolios

 Showcase portfolio: represents a collection of students’ best work.

This may be used to help the student provide evidence for his abilities

 Reflective portfolio: represents insights or reflections of the

students as he/she undergoes the learning process. It may also
contain problems encountered as well as the solutions employed in
meeting these problems, etc.
 Cumulative portfolio: contains items collected for an extended period
of time and is analyzed to verify changes in the products and process
associated with student learning.

 Goal-based portfolio: has pre-established objectives. Students and

teachers will choose items to match the pre-established objectives.
  Process portfolio: contains a documentation of the steps and
processes a student has employed to complete a piece of work.

Developing Portfolio Assessments

1. Deciding on the Purpose for a Portfolio. There should be a clear

purpose in the development of a portfolio. Teachers usually have the
purpose of evaluating their teaching performance. Having students think
of their own purpose will allow them to come up with the desired outcome.
Among the purposes of portfolio are:

 Monitoring student progress

 Communicating what has been learned to parents

 Passing on information to subsequent teachers

 Evaluating how well something was taught

 Showing off what has been accomplished

 Assigning a course grade

2. Identifying Cognitive Skills and Dispositions. For portfolios to be valid

assessment, teachers should be clear at the outset about the cognitive
learning skills and dispositions that are to be assessed while requiring a
variety of products that reflect these.

3. Deciding on Who Will Plan the Portfolio. Learners want to show what
they can and do and verify the trust and confidence that the teacher and
family have placed in them. The portfolio is their recital, their
tournament, their competition. The involvement of parents in the planning
of the purpose and contents of the portfolio will surely give impressive
results.
4. Deciding on Which Products to Put in the Portfolio and How Many
Samples of Each Product. In deciding what to put in the portfolio, there
should be a balance between the student’s feeling of ownership of the
work and its link with instructional objectives. Teachers may specify
categories of products that match instructional goals and cognitive
 outcomes, and allow student and parent to choose the samples within each
category. For each sample, there is a brief statement about what it says
about his/her development of the cognitive skill.

5. Building the Portfolio Rubrics. Teachers should specify the primary

traits or characteristics that are important for each cognitive learning
outcome for each category of content in the portfolio. Rating scales will
then be constructed; each rating describes the range of student
performance that can occur for each trait.

6. Determining the Logistics. Portfolio assessment are generally time

intensive. Teachers should be able to take steps in order to review the
portfolios efficiently. Some helpful tips include:

 The students and parents should know the exact dates when the
portfolio is due.

 Teachers should agree with the students how, when and where the
products are to be turned and provisions for late assignments.

 There should also be an agreement as to where the final product

be kept: at home, in school, etc.

 Plan for a final conference to discuss about the portfolio and what
it says about the achievement of the student.

Affective Assessments

Affective assessment is important in that it helps improve instruction and

student cognitive learning. Students’ positive traits and skills are essential to their
motivation, involvement, and cognitive learning.

Affective Traits and Learning Targets

Affective traits can be any of the following: Attitudes, Values,
Interests, Opinions, Preferences, Motivation, Academic Self-concept, Self-
esteem, Locus of control, Emotional development, etc.
Methods of Assessing Affective Targets
  Teacher Observation: anecdotal records

 Student Self-Report: interviews, questionnaires

 Peer Rating: sociometric techniques

General Guidelines for Developing a Set of Items for Affective

Assessments

1. Determine clearly what is it that you want to assess.

2. Generate as many items as possible.

3. Ask experts to evaluate the initial pool of items.

4. Determine the type of attitudinal scale to be used.

5. Evaluate and refine the items of the scale.

6. Optimize scale length.