Unit 2 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

“On assessment, measure what you value instead of valuing only what you
can measure” - Andy Hargreaves

Introduction
Learning is a complex process. It entails not only what students know but what they can do
with what they know

Characteristics of 21st Century Assessment

1. Responsive – Visible performance-based work generates data that inform curriculum and
instruction

2. Flexible – Assessment needs to be adaptable to students’ settings. Rather than the

identical approach that works in traditional assessment, 21st century approaches are more
versatile.

2. Integrated – Assessments are to be incorporated into the dayto-day practice rather than
as add-ons at the end of instruction or during the specified week of the school calendar.

3. Informative – The assessment results give information on whether or not the desired and
targeted 21st century skills which are clearly stated and explicitly taught are realized.

5. Multiple Methods – An assessment continuum that includes a spectrum of assessment

strategies is the norm.

6. Communicated – Communication of assessment data is clear and transparent for all

stakeholders.

7. Technically Sound – For fairness, adjustments and accommodations are made in the
assessment process to meet students’ needs.

8. Systematic – 21st century assessment is part of comprehensive and well-aligned system

that is balanced and inclusive of all students, constituents, and stakeholders and designed to
support improvement at all levels.

7 Current Trends in Assessment by Santrock (2009)

1. Using at least some performance-based assessment – This means that the use of
objective tests such as alternate response, multiple choice and matching type is no longer
adequate. Objective test (traditional assessment) complements performance-based
assessment.

2. Examining higher-level cognitive skills and emphasizing integrated rather than

isolated skills – These higher-level cognitive skills include problem-solving, critical thinking,
decision-making, drawing of inferences, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

4. Using multiple assessment methods – To assess students, a current trend is to use

multiple methods (from multiple choice test to essay, an interview, a project, a portfolio to

5. Involving students in all aspects of assessment – It works if the students are involved
from the setting of expected targets to be demonstrated after instruction to checking on their
progress in the course of the teaching-learning process and to finally determine the extent to
which they realize expected targets.
.
6. Making standards and criteria public rather than private and secretive – Mc Tighe
(2013) says, ”the evaluative criteria (such as rubrics) are presented and explained at the
beginning. Models of excellence, aligned to the criteria, are shown to provide a clear ‘picture’
of desired performance. This may eliminate students’ fear or unwelcoming attitude towards
assessment.

7. Using computers as part of assessment –With computerized marking, immediate

feedback may be given to students. Recording of assessment results and their statistical
analysis are likewise facilitated with computers.

What and Why of Performance Assessment

In the act of learning, people obtain content knowledge, acquire skills, and develop work
habits—and practice the application of all three to “real world” situations.

Performance-based learning and assessment represent a set of strategies for the acquisition
and application of knowledge, skills, and work habits through the performance of tasks that
are meaningful and engaging to students.

Performance-based learning and assessment are not a curriculum design. Whereas you
decide what to teach, performance-based learning and assessment constitute a better way to
deliver your curriculum.

Features of Authentic/Performance Assessment by Hambleton

(1996)

1. An emphasis on doing ’open-ended activities for which there is no correct,

objective answer and that may assess higher thinking – In many performance
assessments, there is no objective answer unlike in a true-false test or a multiple choice
test. Students have choice to construct their own responses which may pose greater
challenge for teachers as compared to traditional but may give opportunity for students to
develop higher-level thinking skills.

2. Direct methods of evaluation – Authentic/Performance assessments use direct method

such as judging demonstration of a dance step, oral presentations to assess speaking rather
than asking asking students to enumerate the dance steps in paperand-pencil test.

3. Self-assessment – In authentic/performance assessment, students may be given the

opportunity to assess their performance with the use of scoring rubrics.

4. Assessment of group performance as well as individual performance – Some

performance/authentic assessment, students may be given the opportunity to assess their
performance with the use of scoring rubrics.

5. Extended period of time – In contrast to traditional assessment, performance/authentic

assessment usually requires an extended period time. In traditional assessment, a written
test may require an hour or less but the completion of a research paper may require months
and may be evaluated monthly to check on students’ progress.

Types of Performance Assessment

Too often, we tend to assess student’s learning through their outputs or products or through
some kind of traditional testing. However, it is important to assess not
only these competencies but also the processes which the
students underwent in order to arrive at these products or outputs.

Authentic Assessment is performance assessment. The performance can either be:

A. Process-Oriented
B. Product-Oriented

The learner is made either to demonstrate the skill or the process learned (process-
oriented) or show the product of the application of learned knowledge and skills (product-
oriented).

Examples:
A. Process-Oriented
- Demonstrating the skill of note reading
- Demonstrating the skill of conducting the singing of Philippine National Anthem in Music
class

B. Product-Oriented
- Power point presentation
- Position paper
- Poem composed

Authentic assessment demands genuine proof of transfer of learning in real life situation
which equates it to the term DIRECT ASSESSMENT. The term direct assessment implies
that the learner has to demonstrate concretely the knowledge and skill learned.

PROCESS VS PRODUCT

A. PROCESS-ORIENTED AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

Learning outcomes in the form of procedural knowledge require demonstration of the

process or procedure. Processoriented performance-based assessment is concerned with
the actual task performance rather than the output or product of the activity.

A. Learning Competencies
- The Learning objectives in the process performance-based assessment are stated in
directly observable behaviors of the students. The objectives generally focus on the
behaviors which exemplify a “best practice” for the particular task. Such behaviors range
from a “beginner” or “novice level” up to the level of an “expert”.

B. Task Designing
- Learning tasks need to be carefully planned. In particular, the teacher must ensure that the
particular learning process to be observed contributes to the overall understanding of the
subject or course.
A. Task Designing
- Some generally accepted standards for designing a task include:
- Identifying an activity that would highlight the competencies to be
evaluated.
- Identifying an activity that would entail more or less the same sets of
competencies.
- Finding a task that would be interesting and enjoyable for the
students.

B. Scoring Rubrics
- Rubric is scoring scale used to assess student performance along a task-specific set of
criteria. Authentic assessments typically are criterion-referenced measures, that is, a
student’s aptitude on a task is determined by matching the
student’s performance against a set of criteria to determine the degree to which the student’s
performance meets the criteria for the task.

Student performance can be defined as targeted tasks that lead to a product or overall
learning outcome. These students’ products are the concern of product-oriented authentic
assessment.

A. Learning Competencies
- The learning competencies associated with products or outputs are linked with an
assessment of the level of “expertise” manifested by the product. Thus, productoriented
learning competencies target at least three (3) levels: novice or beginner’s level, skilled level,
and expert level.
There are other ways to state product-oriented learning competencies. For instance, we can
define learning competencies for products or outputs in the following way:

• Level 1: Does the finished product or project illustrate the minimum expected parts or
functions? (Beginner)

Level 2: Does the finished product or project contain the additional parts and functions on
top of the minimum requirements which tend to enhance the final output? (Skilled)

• Level 3: Does the finished product contain the basic minimum parts and functions, have
additional features on top of the minimum, and is aesthetically pleasing? (Expert)

B. Task Designing
- How should a teacher design a task for productoriented performance-based assessment? -
The design of the task in this context depends on what the teacher desires to observe as
outputs of the students.

- The concepts that may be associated with task designing include:

Complexity. The level of complexity of the project needs to be within the range of ability of
the students. Projects that are too simple tend to be uninteresting for the students while
projects that are too complicated will most likely frustrate them.

Appeal. The project or activity must be appealing to the students. It should be interesting
enough so that students are encouraged to pursue the task to completion. It should lead to
selfdiscovery of information by the students.

Creativity. The project needs to encourage students to exercise creativity and divergent
thinking. Given the same set of materials and project inputs, how does one best present the
project? It should lead the students into exploring the various possible ways or presenting the
final output.

Goal-Based. Finally, the teacher must bear in mind that the project is produced in order to
attain a learning objective. Thus, projects are assigned to students not just for the sake of
producing something but for the purpose of reinforcing learning

C. Scoring Rubrics
- Using rubrics is one way that teachers can evaluate or assess student performance or
proficiency in any given task as it relates to a final product or learning outcome.
- The criteria for scoring rubrics are statements which identify “what really counts” in the final
output. The
following are the most often used major criteria for product assessment:
• Quality
•Comprehensiveness
• Creativity
•Aesthetics
• Accuracy

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT Important Considerations:

•Learning Competencies
•Task Designing
•Scoring Rubrics

LEARNING COMPETENCIES

•Competencies are defined as groups or cluster of skills and abilities needed for a particular
task.

An example of learning competencies for process-oriented is given below:

OBJECTIVES: The activity aims to enable the students to recite a poem entitled “O Captain!
My Captain!” by Walt Whitman.
Specifically:
1. Recite the poem from memory without referring to notes;
2. Use appropriate hand and body gestures in delivering the piece;
3. Maintain eye contact with the audience while reciting the poem;
4. Create the ambience of the poem through appropriate rising and falling intonation;
5. Pronounce the words clearly and with proper diction.

The following competencies are simple competencies:

• speak with a well-modulated voice;
• Draw a straight line from one point to another point;
• Color a leaf with a green crayon.

The following competencies are more complex competencies:

• Recite a poem with feeling using appropriate voice quality, facial expressions and hand
gestures;
• Construct an equilateral triangle given three noncollinear points
• Draw and color a leaf with green crayon.

TASK DESIGNING
Learning tasks need to be carefully planned. In particular, the teacher must
ensure that the particular learning process to be observed contributes to the overall
understanding of the subject or course.
Some generally accepted standards for designing a task include:
- HIGHLIGHT the competencies
- ENTAIL MORE or LESS the same sets of competencies.
- INTERESTING

Rubric
- is a scoring scale used to assess student performance along a task.
- is a generic scoring tool used to evaluate a student’s performance in a given outcome
area. (McTighe & Ferrara)
- is a rating system by which teachers can determine at what level of proficiency a student is
able to perform a task or display knowledge of a concept.
Descriptors
- It spells out what is expected of student’s at each level of performance.
- It helps the teachers more precisely and consistently distinguish student work.

2 Types of Rubric
1. Analytic Rubric
-articulates level of performance for each criterion so the teacher can assess student
performance on each criterion.
-a scoring procedure in which products or performance are evaluated for selected
dimensions, with each dimension receiving a separate score. (McTighe & Ferrara)

2.Holistic Rubric
-does not list separate levels of performance for each criterion. It assigns a level of
performance by assessing performance across multiple criteria as a whole.
- a scoring procedure yielding a single score based upon an overall impression of a product
or performance. (McTighe & Ferrara)

Guidelines in Developing Observable Performance Criteria Russell and Airasian (2012)

1. Select the performance or product to be assessed and either perform it yourself or imagine
yourself performing it.
2. List the important aspects of the performance or product.
3. Try to limit the number of performance criteria, so they all can be observed during a
student’s performance (3-5).
4. If possible, have groups of teachers think through the important criteria included in a task.
5. Express the performance in terms of observable student behaviors or product
characteristics.
6. Do not use ambiguous words that cloud the meaning of the performance criteria.
7. Arrange the performance criteria in order in which they are likely to be observed.
8. Check existing performance criteria before defining your own.

TOOLS IN ASSESSING PERFORMANCE-BASED

ASSESSMENT
1. Anecdotal/Narrative records
- These are notes based on the teacher’s observations about the students as they perform
an assessment task.

2. Observational Checklist
- A checklist consists of a list of behaviors, characteristics, or activities and a place for
marking whether each is present or absent.

3. Rating Scale
- A rating scale assesses the degree to which a student has attained the learning outcomes
linked to a performance task.
- The three most common types are numeric, graphic, and descriptive scales

4. Scoring rubric
- A scoring rubric is a type of rating scale on which each level has a complete description of
performance and quality. It lays out criteria for different levels of performance, which are
usually descriptive rather than numerical (Russell & Airasia, 2010) .
General steps in preparing a rubric

1. Select a process or product to be taught.

2. State performance criteria for the process or product.
3. Decide on the number of scoring levels for the rubric, usually three to five.
4. State the description of performance at the highest level of student performance.
5. State the descriptions of performance at the remaining scoring levels (e.g., “good” and
“poor” levels)
6. Compare each student’s performance with each scoring level.
7. Select the scoring level closest to a student’s actual performance or product.
8. Grade the student.

Advantages of Using a Scoring Rubric For Teachers:

• It helps in specifying criteria t o focus instruction on what i s important;
• It helps in increasing the consistency of assessments ;
• It helps in limiting arguments over grading because clear criteria and scoring levels reduce
subjectivity ; and
• It helps b y providing descriptions of student performance that are informative t o both the
parents and the students.
• It helps by clarifying the teacher’s expectations about performance ;
• It helps by pointing out what i s important i n a process or product;
• It helps by letting them monitor and critique their own work ; and
• It helps by providing clearer performance information than traditional letter grades provide.

DEVELOPING PERFORMANCE TASK

-To develop meaningful performance assessment tasks that will reveal the learning that
teachers hope to see, educators need to take an assessment perspective from the
beginning, Wiggins believes.
- Per Wiggins & McTighe (2006), the root of a performance task is a problem which is not to
be confused with an exercise.

An exercise “involves a straightforward execution of a ‘move’ out of context”. In other words,

exercises are discrete. Problems, on the other hand, involve integration of knowledge and
skills as applied to a problem designed to simulate “real-world” scenarios.

To achieve this kind of understanding, Edmund J. Hansen (2011) provides some

additional guidelines for designing performance task assessments:
• “Be realistically contextualized,
• Require judgement and innovation,
• Ask the student to ‘do’ the subject,
• Replicate key challenging situations in which professionals are truly ‘tested’ in their field,
• Assess the student’s ability to use a repertoire of knowledge and skill, and
• Allow appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice, and get feedback.”

GRASP MODEL
Goal, Role, Audience, Situation, Products, Standards (GRASPS)
model:

A guide to developing authentic performance tasks

GRAPS is a model advocated for by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe to guide teachers in designing
authentic performance-based assessment.

Constructing an assignment based on these guidelines can be tricky, but Wiggins

and McTighe’s GRASPS model is an excellent starting point. GRASPS is an
acronym for:
• Goal – established the challenge, issue or problem to solve.
• Role – give students a role that they might be taking in a familiar real-life situation.
• Audience – identify the target audience whom students are solving the problem for or
creating the product for.
• Situation – create the scenario or explain the context of the situation.
• Product, Performance, and Purpose – paint a clear picture of the WHAT and WHY of the
product creation or the performance.
• Standards and Criteria for Success – informed students how their work will be assesses
by the assumed audience.

Through the use of the GRASPS assessment model, teachers can create opportunity for
students to develop the metacognition.

During the process of the product creation, teachers provide both explicit and implicit
feedback and guide students to monitor their progress. Frequent check-ins are essential.

Differentiating Performance Tasks for Diverse Learners

Differentiation is an instructional strategy used at all levels of K-12 education to meet the
needs of students with diverse abilities.

Incorporating Project Based Learning (PBL) through performance tasks is an effective

strategy that teachers can use that creates opportunities to differentiate the learning
experience.

Performance tasks help teachers easily differentiate the way students demonstrate and
apply their learning because they provide a variety of product options. Though all students
must show evidence of learning, differentiation in this area means that it does not have to be
delivered in the same medium.

From a list of Zach Burrus, Dave Messer and Judith Dodge, here are some ways of
differentiating assessments:
•Designing tiered activities
•Scaffolding struggling learners
•Challenging advanced learners with more mid-stimulating activities
•Adjusting questions
•Compacting
•Flexible grouping
•Flexible assignments and tasks based on students’ learning styles
•Learning contracts
Unit 1 AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT IN THE CLASSROOM

“I enjoy teaching, but assessing and correcting papers reduce my love for
Introduction

Both assessment and evaluation are based on the judgment of an experienced, thoughtful
human being – an expert. Machines don’t assess, tests don’t assess. Humans assess. And
what better person is there to assess the progress and development of his/her students than
the classroom teacher. - Larry Malone

"The central purpose of Classroom Assessment is to empower both teachers and their
students to improve the quality of learning in the classroom" through an approach that is
"learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, and
firmly rooted in good practice" (Angelo & Cross, 1993, p. 4).

Assessment in the Context of TeachingLearning Process

• Diagnostic assessment - Before
• Formative assessment - During
• Summative assessment - After

The terms assessment, evaluation, testing and marks are often used in determining the
degree of attainment of student learning outcomes (SLO). At times they are used
interchangeably, it will be useful to clarify their meanings to distinguish them form one
another.

1. Assessment – refers to the process of gathering data and information about

what students know and can do. Through assessment, the teacher can find out what
students are learning. Assessment is feedback from the student to the instructor about the
student’s learning.

2. Evaluation – involves the task of interpreting, forming conclusions and making judgments
about the information which was gathered in the process of assessment. Evaluation is
feedback from the instructor to the student about the student’s learning.

3. Testing – an instrument of assessment. A test is an assessment tool that reflects the

records of the students’ learning

4. Marks – are reports of the results of evaluating information obtained in the assessment
process. Marks have certain components related to the learning activities undertaken by the
students.
Examples of such components are:
20 % for class participation
10 % for assignments
40 % for quizzes, etc.

Assessment involves review of evidence of learning such as journal entries, written

work, portfolios, skill demonstrations, performance in learning activities, test results and
rubrics ratings which cover a period time and should reveal the progress of students in
competencies.

Evaluation on the other hand occurs when a mark or grade is assigned after a quiz, a
presentation or a completed task.
HIGH-QUALITY ASSESSMENT IN RETROSPECT

Assessment literacy involves understanding how assessments are made, what type of
assessments answer what questions, and how the data from assessments can be used to
help teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders make decisions about teaching and
learning.

No single assessment or piece of work can provide educators, students, parents, and the
public with information about what you know and can do. High-quality, comprehensive,
and timely information on student progress is critical to ensuring that schools can prepare
you for success in school, college, careers, and life.

Why Establish High Quality Assessments?

1. Quality assessments are in accordance with contemporary view of active learning
and motivation.
- This means that learners discover and construct
meaning; think critically and creatively, apply
what they learn to real-world situations.
- Making learners intrinsically motivated to learn

2. Assessment of high quality is valid.

- Assessment is valid if it measures what is supposed to measure, i.e., how well the learning
outcomes are attained.
- Focuses on the alignment of the intended learning outcomes, teaching-learning activities
and assessment

3. Assessment of high quality is reliable.

- Assessment is reliable when the test produces consistent results.
- Pre-test and post-test results have to be reliable and consistent

4. Assessment of high quality is fair.

- Assessment is fair when it assesses what is supposed to be assessed as stated in the
learning outcome which is expected to have been TAUGHT.
- Assessing learners on something they have not
been taught is UNFAIR.

Characteristics of High Quality Assessment

1. Learner-Centered: Classroom Assessment focuses the primary attention of teachers and
students on observing and improving learning, rather than on observing and improving
teaching.

2. Teacher-Directed: The individual teacher decides what to assess, how to assess, and
how to respond to the information gained through the assessment.

3. Mutually Beneficial: Classroom Assessment requires the active participation of students

and faculty. When students participate more actively, and feel more confident that they can
succeed, they are likely to do better in their course work. As teachers work closely with
students to assess learning, they improve their teaching skills and gain new insights.

4. Formative: Classroom Assessment is formative rather than summative. Summative

assessments include tests and other graded evaluations. Classroom Assessments, on the
other hand, are almost never graded and are almost always anonymous. Their aim is to
provide faculty with information on what, how much, and how well students are learning.
5. Context-Specific: Classroom Assessments need to respond to the particular needs and
characteristics of the teachers, students, and disciplines to which they are applied. Being
Context-Specific means: what works in one class will not necessarily work in

6. Ongoing: Classroom Assessment is an ongoing process, perhaps best thought of as the

creation and maintenance of a classroom "feedback loop." Changes are made based on the
classroom research results and student feedback.

7. Builds on Good Teaching Practices: Most college teachers already collect some
feedback on their student’ learning and use that feedback to inform their teaching. Classroom
Assessment is an attempt to build on existing good practice by making it more systematic,
more flexible, and more effective.

PURPOSES OF HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Assessments serve a variety of purposes, and many do not just measure learning outcomes
and growth but are also vital to the process of teaching and learning— especially formative
assessments.

1. To Teachers and leaders, assessment allows them to understand the knowledge, skill
levels and understanding of the students at the beginning of a unit or the school year, in
order to make informed decisions on instruction, learning strategies, programming and
supports in response to assessment data for each individual learners.

2. To students, when assessment are timely and the purpose and results are clear, these
can help them understand how their knowledge, skills and behavior are developing and
engage them to own and advance their learning.

3. To families, clear, timely assessment data can provide them with information they need to
understand and support their students’ progress towards attainment of their goals.

4. To policy-maker, assessment data that are valid, reliable, and comparable across local,
regional or national schools, and that are coherent across assessments, can provide them
key information on whether local or national policies and programs are having an intended
impact on student progress, where inequities exist, and where attention and resources may
be most needed.

5. To stakeholders, assessment results that are comparable, valid and reliable can help
them understand current education progress.

Assessments are the most significant part of the education system as it gives an accurate
picture to the students of where they stand. It acts as a catalyst and positive reinforcement to
learners by encouraging them to perform better. Therefore, high-quality assessment is very
important as it focuses on a targeted area with complete precision.

10 Principles for Building a High-Quality System of Assessments

1. Capture the array of knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for college and career
readiness (i.e., deeper learning).
2. Balance assessment of learning with assessment for and as learning through a
comprehensive set of tasks and measures.
3. Advance equity and be inclusive of and accessible to all students.
4. Build educator and school capacity for designing
and using assessments.
5. Align assessments to support learning and avoid duplication of testing.
6. Convey clear, coherent, and continuous data on student learning.
7. Include meaningful, ongoing input and collaboration from local communities and diverse
stakeholders in the development and continuous improvement of the system.
8. Encourage cycles of review, calibration, and continuous improvement of assessments
individually and as a collective system.
9. Employ high standards of coherence, validity, reliability, and fairness.
10. Protect data privacy.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO)

All assessment and evaluation activities should start with the identification and clarification of
the student learning outcomes (SLO) .

The SLO in the teacher education program are the skills, competencies and values that the
students are expected to demonstrate at the end of every course/subject which are in turn,
integrated into the year-end formation of students as the progress towards becoming
professional teachers.

Students who put into picture and live up the behaviors that are expected from them in a
course/subject or learning activity are therefore perceived to attain success. These behaviors
are clearly identified and spelled out in the intended student learning outcomes.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO)

Student learning outcomes serve as base line in the selection and development of
assessment activities that are essential and therefore must have the following
characteristics:

(1) Good student learning outcomes (SLO) are centered on the students, on what the
learners are capable of doing, instead of the teaching technique. The teaching strategy will
only be guided by the desired learning outcomes.

(2) Good learning outcomes are based on the program and mission statement agreed
upon by the program faculty in consultation with other stakeholders like alumni and other
professionals. ---DEPEd & CHEd

(3) Good students learning outcomes are very well understood by both students and
faculty. They should be in agreement on the importance of these competencies which they
will cooperatively develop.

(4) Good learning outcomes include a spectrum of thinking skills from simple to the
higher order of application of knowledge and skills.

(5) Good student learning outcomes are measurable. Student competencies should be
expressed as transitive verbs and/or action words which are demonstrable and observable
at various levels.

Authentic Assessment vs Traditional Assessment

Traditional Assessment - is commonly associated with pre-determined choice measures of

assessment .
- Teaching and learning are often separated from assessment, i.e a test is administered after
knowledge or skills have been acquired.
– it is required that the child recalls information that he or she has learnt to complete the
assessment. The skill that is being tested here is not so much the understanding of the
subject matter but the memory power of the child.
– traditional assessment includes the pencil-and-paper tests. Paper-and-pencil tests are
either the selected-response type or constructed-response.

Traditional Assessment
• Selected-response type

Alternate response (T-F, Yes-No, / - X)

- Constructed-response type
- Short answer
- Essay
- Problem solving

Traditional Assessment is grounded on the following principles:

- A school’s mission is to develop useful citizens.
- To be a useful citizen, one must possess a certain body of knowledge and skills.
- The school is entrusted to teach this body of knowledge and skills.
- To determine if the students have acquired these knowledge and skills, the school must test
the students on these

Authentic assessment - asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful

application of essential knowledge and skills…” – Jon Mueller (2011)
- the term authentic assessment was coined by Grant Wiggins (1993) a leading
proponent of reform in testing
- Assessment is termed authentic because students’ knowledge and skill are assessed in a
context that approximates the real world or real life as closely as possible.

Authentic assessment – other terms are:

• Performance assessment
• Alternative assessment
• Non-test assessment
• Non-traditional assessment
• Direct Assessment

Authentic assessment – authentic assessment can be in the form of students’ performance

to display skills learned, mastery of a process or procedure or in the form of a product or
concrete output.

Authentic Assessment is grounded on the following principles:

-, A school’s mission to develop useful citizens.
- To be a useful citizen, one has to be capable of performing useful tasks in the real-world.
- The school’s duty is to help students develop proficiency in performing the tasks that they
will be required to perform after graduation in the work place.
- The school must then require students to perform tasks that duplicate or imitate real-world
situations.

Mueller (2008) compares traditional assessment and authentic assessment using this table.

Attributes
Traditional Assessment Authentic Assessment
1. Action/Option
T - Selecting a response
A - Performing a task
2. Setting
T- Contrived/Imagined
A- Simulation/Real-life
3. Method
T- Recall/Recognition
A- Construction/Application
4. Focus
T- Teacher-structured
A- Student-structured
5. Outcome
T- Indirect evidence
A- Direct evidence

Traditional to authentic assessment is like going from “KNOWING” to “SHOWING”.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

1. AA starts with clear and definite criteria of performance made known to students.
2. AA is criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced and so it identifies strengths and
weaknesses, but does not compare students nor rank their levels of performance.
3. AA requires students to make their own answers to questions rather than select from given
options as in multiple choice items, and requires them to use a range of higher order thinking
skills.
4. AA often emphasizes performance and therefore students are required to demonstrate
their knowledge, skills or competencies in appropriate situations. AA does not rely on ability
to recall facts or memorize details, instead students are asked to demonstrate skills and
concepts they have learned
5. AA encourage both teacher and students to determine their rate of progress in
cooperatively attaining the desired student learning outcomes.
6. AA does not encourage rote learning and passive taking of tests; instead, students are
required to demonstrate analytical skills, work in a group, skills in oral and written
communication.
7. AA changes the role of students as passive test takers into becoming active and involved
participants in assessment activities that emphasize what they are capable of doing instead
of tests to measure student’s skills or retained facts has come under scrutiny because of the
limitation encountered in determining the students’ capability to utilize their knowledge and
skills in work and professional practice.

Criterion-referenced assessment – In criterionreferenced assessment, we compare a

student’s performance against a criterion of success which is predetermined standard. The
performance (score) of each student is compared against a standard set by the teacher. It is
not compared against the performance of the other students

Norm-referenced assessment – In norm-referenced assessment, we compare a student’s

performance with the performance of other students, the norm group, against a
predetermined standard. The composition of the norm group depends on the assessment.
An example is comparing the performance of seventh graders in Reading in a particular
system to the performance of nation-wide group of seventh graders in reading.

Let us keep in mind that the question "Why use authentic assessment?" is not meant to
suggest that you have to choose between traditional assessments such as tests and
more authentic or performance assessments.

Why use authentic assessment?

Often, teachers use a mix of traditional and authentic assessments to serve different
purposes. Authentic assessment complements traditional assessment. Assessment is not a
matter of “either-or”. It is not a case of either you use traditional or authentic. It is a matter of
“both-and”.
Why is it that authentic assessments have become more popular in recent years?
Because authentic assessments:
• are direct measures;
• capture constructive nature of learning;
• integrate teaching, learning and assessment; and
• provide multiple paths to demonstration.

Developing Authentic Classroom Assessments

Authentic assessments are reverse backward planning models of instructions. Assessments
in this method are developed to meet standards and activities are used to guide students
towards the desired performance.

Authentic Assessment Development Process

1. Identify your standards for your students.

2. For a particular standard or set of standards, develop a task your students could perform
that would indicate that they have met these standards.
3. Identify the characteristics of good performance on that task, the criteria, that, if present in
your students’ work, will indicate that they have performed well on the task, i.e., they have
met the standards.
4. For each criterion, identify two or more levels of performance along which students can
perform which will sufficiently discriminate among student performance for that criterion.
The combination of the criteria and the levels of performance for each criterion will be your
rubric for that task (assessment).

In general, outcomes assessment goes through five (5) phases.

1. Identify learning outcomes

2. Determine criteria and acceptable evidence of performance
3. Implement supporting learning experiences and instructional activities
4. Implement assessment strategies
5. Evaluate results to determine attainment of outcomes and ensure continuous
improvement.

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another.

outcomes.

teaching”.