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Performance-based assessments share the key characteristic of accurately measuring one or more
specific course standards. They are also complex, authentic, process/product-oriented, open-
ended, and time-bound.
December 7, 2015
Although performance-based assessments vary, the majority of them share key characteristics.
First and foremost, the assessment accurately measures one or more specific course standards.
Additionally, it is:
Complex
Authentic
Process/product-oriented
Open-ended
Time-bound
Normally, students are presented with an open-ended question that may produce several
different correct answers (Chun, 2010; McTighe, 2015). In the higher-level tasks, there is a sense of
urgency for the product to be developed or the process to be determined, as in most real-world
situations.
Most recently, I worked with a high school math teacher to create a performance-based
assessment for a unit on probability. Below is a simplified version of our planning, loosely based on
the backward design process:
In this instance, the teacher wanted to challenge her students to use critical thinking and problem-
solving skills. She also wanted them to exhibit less codependence and more individuality while
completing this assessment. The teacher did not want students to rely on her direction about how
to complete each step of the assessment.
This was a very important step. We looked at the current worksheets that students were
completing for the unit. Two-way frequency tables were a large part of the assignments. Next, we
looked at what was missing and noted that there was very little relevant real-world application. As
a result, we decided to create a performance-based assessment that was also reality-based.
Moreover, this task would require students to analyze two-way frequency tables along with other
charts and graphs.
After brainstorming a few different scenarios, we settled on a situation where the students would
decide if an inmate should be granted parole or remain in prison. This scenario included five key
components:
Setting
Role
Audience
Time frame
Product
Depending on the scenario, this step may or may not be needed. For this particular assessment,
we wanted students to calculate the probability of the inmate returning to prison. For their
review, I created seven different documents that included pie charts, bar graphs, and two-way
frequency tables. All of the information was based on statistics from government agencies, such as
the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Bureau of Justice Statistics.
We wanted to be careful not to "teach to the test" in preparing students for the performance-
based assessment. We needed to strike a balance between teaching the content (e.g., probability
given two independent events) and preparing students for the task (e.g., interpreting the validity
of a media resource). We brainstormed six different formative assessments that would need to be
in place before students completed the performance task. However, we also acknowledged that
this part of our plan would need to be constantly reviewed and revised depending on student
learning needs.
Scenario
Ashley, an inmate at Texahoma State Women's Correctional Institution, is serving three to five
years for embezzlement and assault. After three years, this inmate is up for parole. Once a month,
the Inmate Review Board offers Public Comment Sessions. The sessions are open to all interested
parties who want to voice their support or opposition to an inmate's release from prison.
Task
You are Ashley's former probation officer, and the warden requested that you attend the Public
Comment Session. You have been asked to review the following documents and present your
opinion: Should Ashley be released from prison early or stay for the remainder of her sentence?
You have been granted three to five minutes to speak to the review board. Your speech must be
short, but detailed with strong evidence to support your decision.
Documents
Letter to the parole board from the inmate's mother and son
I welcome your thoughts about performance-based assessments in the comments section below.
Notes
Chun, M. (2010, March). "Taking teaching to (performance) task: Linking pedagogical and
assessment practices." Change: The Magazine of Higher Education.
Darling-Hammond, L. & Adamson, F. (2013). Developing assessments of deeper learning: The costs
and benefits of using tests that help students learn.
Palm, T. (2008). "Performance assessment and authentic assessment: A conceptual analysis of the
literature." Practical Assessment Research and Evaluation, 13(4).
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/196021/chapters/What_is_Performance-
Based_Learning_and_Assessment,_and_Why_is_it_Important%C2%A2.aspx
Performance-Based Assessment
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/performance-based-assessment-reviewing-basics-patricia-hilliard
Authentic Assessment
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm