REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

DURING PANDEMIC

The teaching profession is inherently a social one, involving interacting with pupils and
their families. However, the pandemic has caused communication barriers, especially with some
pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who may have limited access to technology and
broadband. Teachers told us that this lack of access to some pupils, especially those known to be
vulnerable in some way, caused them significant concern for their pupils’ learning and wellbeing.
As a teachers have shown ourselves to be resilient and adaptive. To ensure pupils’ immediate
learning and nutrition needs are addressed, some us teachers reported delivering work packs,
and food packs, where financially and logistically possible. We also called our pupils and their
families regularly, and created new communication channels through which they were most
likely to engage with families, such as Facebook. As teachers we want to connect and we want to
be there for the kids that we teach. And we want to keep those relationships going even when
that's really tricky.

The importance of working together with families has been particularly highlighted in this
pandemic. It’s got to be a partnership where you're in communication with parents on a regular
basis. The parents know what you're trying to do, they know their kids better than you do, and
they can support you in trying to get the best for the children”. In the early months of the
pandemic, we saw evidence of increased effort and success in establishing and strengthening
school–parent relationships, and a feeling among teachers that parents appreciated them, even
when they felt that the wider society didn’t. Schools and parents can benefit from sustaining this
relationship to achieve the common goal of healthy development and wellbeing for their pupils
and children.

Teachers are also knowledgeable about and skillful in using informal assessments, such
as those used to evaluate students' academic, behavioral, and functional strengths and needs.
These assessments are used to develop students' IEPs, design and evaluate instruction, and
monitor student progress. Well-designed assessment methods provide valuable information
about student learning. They tell us what students learned, how well they learned it, and where
they struggled. The prospect of preparing learners for them seems like a mammoth task. But
assessment can also be a way of encouraging motivation.

During this pandemic time the most common problem of an educator is the authenticity
in the result of the assessment test. How can we say that the one who answered the test is our
students? However, we have a unique opportunity here to make a commitment to being there
for the pupils.Me as a teacher did many ways just to make sure if my pupils learned something. I
conducted Online-Kumustahan; home visitation; conduct community teaching; intervention
classes; and conducted parent-teacher conference Talk to my students asked questions related
to our lessons/ topics and if they can answer it and share something you can assess or measure
the level of understanding of your students and if the result of assessment test is true or not. I
like to think they know that I’m there for them. I already miss seeing every single pupil from the
beginning of the day to the end, but it’s not about me.

And base on the result of the assessment the teacher can give appropriate intervention
that his/her students need. As an educator, I think there are the advantages of conducting
performance-based assessments. Using this assessment the students use higher-order thinking
skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The more opportunities students are given to
practice these skills, the more proficient they become at using them. In general, a performance-
based assessment measures students' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a
unit or units of study. Typically, the task challenges students to use their higher-order thinking
skills to create a product or complete a process. Prepare your students for life outside school.
Students in my class room would benefit from the Performance Assessment because the rubric
expectations represent best practice teaching.

Though I wasn’t physically present with them all the time, I never felt like I was missing
out on anything because I was there in the only way I could and we worked together to make it
count. The point everything I did for my pupils is to focus on what matters. It’s not about the
teaching and curriculum that’s being missed. These skills are important and it’s literally our job
to provide them with the required knowledge. But what truly matters is growing strong
connections and creating safe spaces for our pupils.

Ten or fifteen years from now, they’re not going to remember how they did on their end
of year tests or what they learned in class, the important thing they will remember is that you as
their grade one adviser did everything to give her best during pandemic time and they will
treasure it forever. They will remember how she rallied around them to make them feel loved
and supported even when we couldn’t physically be there.

To end up my journal, there’s really no right answer and not everyone will be pleased with
whatever choice is made. But we must – and I repeat, must – do everything in our power to make
sure that our pupils know just because school will look drastically different than in any previous
year, our love, support, and care for them will never change.

MA. CHERIE G. RESURRECCION

DIVISION OF LUCENA CITY