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·  //Performance assessment// is an approach to measuring a student’s status based on the way the student completes a **specific** task. (ex. a two month plant experiement) ·  //Performance tests// are assessments in which the student is required to construct original responses allowing the teacher to make //inferences// and //educational decisions.// ·  Different educators will use the term performance assessment differently. (Short answer/essay vs. strict requirements) ·  Supporters of performance assessment advocate different approaches on how to measure students on the basis of how they perform. (ex. Real-word problems vs. school-world problems) ·  Other phrases used to describe performance assessment are //authentic assessment, alternative assessment, and portfolio assessment.// ·  Twin issues of Performance Assessment: //selecting appropriate tasks for students// and //judging the adequacy of students’ responses.// ·  Factors to keep in mind when Evaluating Performance Test Tasks: 1) //generalizability// //2) authenticity// //3) multiple foci// //4) teachability// //5) fairness// //6) feasibility// //7) scorability.// ·   Performance tests are time consuming and assess a **specific** skill.
 * Chapter 8: Performance Assessment**


 * *Make sure every performance test you use is linked to a significant, demanding skill you want your students to acquire.* **

Identifying scoring criteria

Scoring rubrics for performance assessment:

1) evaluative criteria: determine the quality 2) descriptions of qualitative differences for evaluative criteria 3) an indication of whether a holistic or analytic scoring approach is used

three or four criteria is a good amount

holistic scoring: quick but doesn't give students feedback analytic scoring: longer, pinpointed areas of work needed

Types of rubrics

1) task-specific: linked only to the task, tells students exactly what to do a. easier to score but don't tell teacher what to instruct on

2)hypergeneral rubrics: too general, again don't give teachers anything to help plan instruction

3) skill-focused rubric conceptualized around the skill being measured by the assessement and being pursued instructionally by the teacher

five rubric rules

1) make the skill being assessed significant 2) make sure all of the rubrics evaluative criteria can be addressed instructionally 3) employ as few criteria as possible 4) provide a succinct label for each criterion 5) match the length of the rubric to your own tolerance for detail

Ratings and Observations - µ evaluative criteria must be applied reliably to the judgment of student responses - µ rate the product’s quality in relation to the criteria identified as important - for some observations, it is sensible top make on the spot judgments. for others, observations might incorporate delayed evaluative approach (grading presentations where video technology is available) - µ systematic observations may be set up so you can make immediate or delayed allocations of points for the evaluative criteria you’ve chosen

- Must all performance-based assessment be a big deal? – No. o simple checklists, observation forms, and rating scales are useful o teachers sometimes devise checklists or observation forms that focus on the task that a student is performing rather than the skill that the student’s behavior reflects o µ make sure that if checklists, observation forms, and rating scales are used, they are structured around skill mastery rather than task mastery

Sources of Error in Scoring Student Performances - µ 3 common sources of error: scoring scale, scorers, and scoring procedure - Scoring-Instrument Flaws o fuzzy, unclear scoring rubric can lead to all sorts of uncertainty in scores - Procedural Flaws o inconsistency in the process by which the scorers use the scoring scale - Teachers’ Personal-Bias Errors (4) o generosity error – giving a higher score than the work deserves o severity error – tendency to underrate the quality of student’s work (giving a 5 a 4) o central tendency error – viewing everything as middle of the scale, high and low ratings are avoided (all scores lie near the average or median) o halo effect – favorable/unfavorable attitude toward the student influences the grade that the student receives § minimize by reversing the scale (high = 1, low = 5 ó high = 5, low = 1)

µ What Do Classroom Teachers Really Need to Know about Performance Assessment? - performance assessment represents an alternative to traditional paper-and-pencil tests and is often more authentic (reflective) of tasks that people perform in the real world - more accurate inferences can often be derived about students (purpose of assessment!) - positive impact on instructional activities ð rubric indicates clear areas where instruction needs to be improved and where it excels

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