Performance Assessment

WHAT IS IT? Performance assessment, also known as alternative or authentic

assessment, is a form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather
than select an answer from a ready-made list. For example, a student may be
asked to explain historical events, generate scientific hypotheses, solve math
problems, converse in a foreign language, or conduct research on an assigned
topic. Experienced raters--either teachers or other trained staff--then judge
the quality of the student's work based on an agreed-upon set of criteria. This
new form of assessment is most widely used to directly assess writing ability
based on text produced by students under test instructions.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Following are some methods that have been used successfully
to assess performance:

 Open-ended or extended response exercises are questions or other prompts

that require students to explore a topic orally or in writing. Students might be
asked to describe their observations from a science experiment, or present
arguments an historic character would make concerning a particular
proposition. For example, what would Abraham Lincoln argue about the causes
of the Civil War?
 Extended tasks are assignments that require sustained attention in a single
work area and are carried out over several hours or longer. Such tasks could
include drafting, reviewing, and revising a poem; conducting and explaining the
results of a science experiment on photosynthesis; or even painting a car in auto
shop.
 Portfolios are selected collections of a variety of performance-based work. A
portfolio might include a student's "best pieces" and the student's evaluation of
the strengths and weaknesses of several pieces. The portfolio may also contain
some "works in progress" that illustrate the improvements the student has made
over time.

These methods, like all types of performance assessments, require that students
actively develop their approaches to the task under defined conditions, knowing that
their work will be evaluated according to agreed-upon standards. This requirement
distinguishes performance assessment from other forms of testing.

WHY TRY IT? Because they require students to actively demonstrate what they know,
performance assessments may be a more valid indicator of students' knowledge and
abilities. There is a big difference between answering multiple choice questions on how
to make an oral presentation and actually making an oral presentation.

More important, performance assessment can provide impetus for improving

instruction, and increase students' understanding of what they need to know and be
able to do. In preparing their students to work on a performance task, teachers describe
what the task entails and the standards that will be used to evaluate performance. This

1
requires a careful description of the elements of good performance, and allows students
to judge their own work as they proceed.

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? Active learning. Research suggests that learning
how and where information can be applied should be a central part of all curricular
areas. Also, students exhibit greater interest and levels of learning when they are
required to organize facts around major concepts and actively construct their own
understanding of the concepts in a rich variety of contexts. Performance assessment
requires students to structure and apply information, and thereby helps to engage
students in this type of learning.

Curriculum-based testing. Performance assessments should be based on the curriculum

rather than constructed by someone unfamiliar with the particular state, district or
school curriculum. This allows the curriculum to "drive" the test, rather than be
encumbered by testing requirements that disrupt instruction, as is often the case.
Research shows that most teachers shape their teaching in a variety of ways to meet the
requirements of tests. Primarily because of this impact of testing on instruction, many
practitioners favor test reform and the new performance assessments.

Worthwhile tasks. Performance tasks should be "worth teaching to"; that is, the tasks
need to present interesting possibilities for applying an array of curriculum-related
knowledge and skills. The best performance tasks are inherently instructional, actively
engaging students in worthwhile learning activities. Students may be encouraged by
them to search out additional information or try different approaches, and in some
situations, to work in teams.

WHAT DOES IT COST? These positive features of performance assessment come at a

price. Performance assessment requires a greater expense of time, planning and
thought from students and teachers. One teacher reports, "We can't just march through
the curriculum anymore. It's hard. I spend more time planning and more time coaching.
At first, my students just wanted to be told what to do. I had to help them to start
thinking."

Users also need to pay close attention to technical and equity issues to ensure that the
assessments are fair to all students. This is all the more important as there has been
very little research and development on performance assessment in the environment of
a high stakes accountability system, where administrative and resource decisions are
affected by measures of student performance.

What are examples of successful strategies and programs?

 Charlotte Haguchi is a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Farmdale Elementary

School in Los Angeles. Regarding assessment and instruction as inseparable
aspects of teaching, Ms. Haguchi uses a wide array of assessment strategies to
determine how well her students are doing and to make instructional decisions.
She uses systematic rating procedures, keeps records of student performances
on tasks, and actively involves students in keeping journals and evaluating their
own work. Ms. Haguchi can be seen in action along with other experts and

2
 practitioners in the videotape Alternatives for Measuring Performance by NCREL
and CRESST. (See Jeri Nowakowski and Ron Dietel, below.)
 William Symons is the superintendent of Alcoa City Schools in Alcoa, Tennessee.
Seeking higher, more meaningful student standards through curriculum reform,
Dr. Symons works with school staff and the community to create a new
curriculum focused on standards and an assessment linked to the curriculum.
Comments and advice from Dr. Symons and other practitioners and experts are
available on the audiotape Conversations About Authentic Assessment by
Appalachia Educational Laboratory. (See Helen Saunders, below.)
 Richard P. Mills is the comissioner of education in the Vermont Department of
Education. Vermont is assessing fourth- and eighth-grade students in writing and
mathematics using three methods: a portfolio, a "best piece" from the portfolio,
and a set of performance tasks. Other states that have been very active in
developing and implementing performance assessments include: California,
Arizona, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, and Kentucky. (See Ed Roeber and
state officers, below.)

Research Report / How Performance Assessments

Affect Teaching and Learning
Nidhi Khattri, Michael B. Kane and Alison L. Reeve
Research is beginning to show that performance assessments can be an effective
instructional tool, but only if teachers receive sufficient training and support.
Evaluating student achievement through performance assessments is not a new strategy. Good
teachers have always judged and monitored their students' progress through observations,
experiments, written assignments, and research projects. What is new in the current reform effort is
the systematic shift toward schoolwide performance assessments and away from multiple-choice
tests for measuring instruction and accountability.
Proponents of performance assessments argue that assessment and instruction must form a
seamless web that promotes teacher/student collaboration, active learning, critical thinking skills, and
multidisciplinary understanding. Performance assessments, they reason, have a positive influence in
the classroom. Performance assessments:
 provide pedagogical templates that help teachers to develop effective instructional techniques; and
 provide comprehensive information about student progress, including students' strengths and
weaknesses.

Evidence is beginning to accrue that performance assessments indeed provide the means for
improving teaching and learning. (see, for example, Borko et al. 1993, Falk and Darling-Hammond
1993, Gearhart et al. 1993, Kentucky Institute for Education Research 1995, Koretz et al. 1993, and
Smith et al. 1994). For example, research indicates that teachers in Vermont and Kentucky are asking
their students to write more and to do more work together in groups. Such research is providing the
empirical information needed to examine the tenets underlying assessment reform efforts.

3
Following is a summary of what we learned from Studies of Education Reform: Assessment of
Student Performance, a three-year national study about the impact of performance assessments on
teaching and learning (Khattri et al., In press).
For this study, we visited 16 schools across the United States. These schools were developing and
implementing performance assessments as a result of national-, state-, district-, or school-level
assessment initiatives. At each school, we interviewed school personnel, students, parents, and
school board members. We also collected and reviewed student work and conducted observations of
classrooms and professional development sessions. In general, our findings show that the effect of
assessments on the curriculum teachers use in their classrooms has been marginal, although the
impact on instruction and on teacher roles in some cases has been substantial.
Few Changes in Curriculum
We found that even when teachers adopt the format of performance assessments (for example,
portfolios, projects, exhibitions), the content and sequencing of the subject matter remain largely
unchanged. This is because existing state and district frameworks dominate the curricular choices
teachers make. Only two of the elementary schools we visited had made a conscious change in the
curriculum. At a school in New York City, teachers use the Primary Learning Record as an instrument
to support the child-centered philosophy of teaching espoused at the school. At a school in California,
teachers have undertaken simultaneous curriculum and assessment reform.
In a few cases, teachers said the use of performance-based portfolios and projects (extended tasks
that typically require students to research a topic and to demonstrate their understanding through
essays, exhibitions, experiments, oral presentations, and so on) has had the effect of curtailing
content coverage. For example, at a school in New Mexico, teachers discovered that the integrated
instruction and assessment program they had developed led them, unintentionally, to devote less time
to teaching mathematics. They realized that they did not yet know enough about integrating
mathematics into project-based instruction. Consequently, they have, at least for the time being,
returned to teaching mathematics as a discrete subject.
An Array of Instructional Strategies
In general, performance assessments have had a significant impact on instruction. Teachers are
using a wide array of instructional strategies modeled on the performance assessments that their
states, districts, and schools have developed. The success of their efforts, however, depends in large
part upon the opportunities they have to experiment with the assessments.
Performance-based assignments. The extensive use of performance-based projects that integrate
writing, content knowledge, and social or scientific problem solving marks a noticeable change in
instruction in many of the schools we visited. In an Oregon high school, for example, one social
science teacher required his students to weave economics terminology into a story about being
stranded on a desert island after a plane crash. The teacher designed the project to help students
acquire an understanding of economics while developing their problem-solving and writing skills.
The nature of the assessments themselves drives the project-based instructional mode. Teachers are
using portfolios or other performance-based techniques that require students to create different types
of reports and products. Hence, teachers must develop and assign tasks that elicit the dimensions to

4
be assessed and enable students to demonstrate their abilities. In many such assignments, the
student's role as an active learner is evident—the student seeks information from several sources and
applies it to his or her assignments.
Writing. Portfolios and other performance assessments that require students to produce reports also
emphasize writing skills. In Vermont and Kentucky, for example, where language arts portfolios are an
assessment requirement at certain grade levels, the teachers we spoke with said portfolios are
prompting their students to engage in the writing process (writing, editing, and rewriting). These
teachers noted, however, that they have not yet achieved an appropriate balance in teaching both the
mechanics of writing and the stylistic, expressive aspects of composition.
Performance expectations. In some respects, the use of scoring instruments has had the most
significant impact on performance-driven pedagogy. Many teachers we spoke with said that they use
scoring rubrics as “scaffolding” for setting performance expectations for their students. That is, they
share them with their students to communicate the important aspects of the performance or product to
be assessed. Students, in turn, can use them to determine the focus and boundaries of their work.
Some teachers also require students to judge their own and their peers' work in order to help them
understand the assessment process.
The role of teachers. Education reformers see the teacher's role as changing from disseminator of
information to facilitator of learning. They see teachers as professionals who need the feedback and
support of fellow professionals. Our findings indicate that the use of performance assessment also
has facilitated changes in teacher roles.
The need to establish common frames of reference and to coordinate ongoing assessment efforts has
resulted in increased teacher collaboration in several schools. For example, in the Vermont middle
school we visited, where some of the language arts portfolio pieces involve other subject areas, the
language arts teacher has helped other teachers devise scoring criteria and performance-based
assignments. At three of our elementary schools, melding performance assessments with the
philosophy of a child-centered approach to education has encouraged teachers to collaborate on
broad issues of instruction and curriculum.
The Effect on Learning
Performance assessments affect learning as well as teaching. Students are more motivated to learn
and are more engaged with project-based tasks than with other types of assignments. Teachers at
the schools in our study that employ writing portfolios and literacy-based assessments also say
students are developing better writing skills and habits.
We found that a simple change in the format of assignments and assessments is not enough to
increase student motivation, however; the content must be challenging as well. In one school, for
example, some students reported that performance assessments were better suited to low-performing
students (meaning that the assessments did not require much intellectual effort).
Only a few teachers said performance-based teaching and assessment helped students learn more
and develop a fuller multidisciplinary understanding. They indicated a need for more help in devising
meaningful and effective performance tasks and assessments. The teachers who did see

5
 improvements in student learning were already comfortable with and adept at performance-based
teaching.
Barriers to Effective Classroom Use
The effects of performance assessments on teaching and learning were not uniform in the schools we
visited. We found that a lack of time and poorly defined content and performance standards hindered
teachers' efforts to adopt performance assessments. Teachers who did not have access to adequate
professional development and support had even greater difficulty. All the teachers expressed concern
about the lack of time for planning and developing performance-based tasks, and for scoring and
interpreting the information gained from the assessments.
The lack of clearly defined content and performance standards, especially for the state- and district-
initiated assessments, was a second major concern. For example, in the Oregon school, teachers
were enthusiastic about the use of the state scoring rubrics, but were unsure what constituted
acceptable performance on outcome dimensions such as conceptual understanding and effective
communication in mathematics and science.
We also found that if performance assessments are marginal to the school because of the way they
are implemented (for example, they are one-shot accountability mechanisms), they will not provide
the foundation for instructional reform. In three of our schools, for example, teachers administer
performance assessments only once a year. These assessments have not affected teaching and
learning in any fundamental way.
On the other hand, teachers who are using portfolios and other types of ongoing assessments have
adapted and integrated the assessments into their classrooms. Portfolios—and other assessments
that involve teachers and students in some form of record keeping—provide the structure for
documenting student work and progress on an ongoing basis. Such methods also provide teachers
and students some measure of control over assessment tasks.
We found that a supportive environment—where time, professional development, and informal
assistance were available to teachers—was an important factor in helping teachers work with the
assessment. At such schools, teachers met on a regular basis—during or after school or at
professional development sessions—to discuss assessments and instruction. In those schools where
teachers did not receive support or were not encouraged to participate in the reform efforts, little
collaborative activity occurred.
Defining a Sound Approach
Two strong conclusions can be drawn from this study.
 Portfolios and other ongoing performance assessments encourage students to write and to complete
project-based assignments.
 Project-based assignments motivate students to learn.

Problems do remain, however, and educators must consider them in conjunction with the original
assumptions undergirding the performance assessment reform movement. We found that the
relationships among domains to be assessed and the tasks, performance processes, and evaluation
criteria are not necessarily clear. Teachers still struggle to define knowledge domains, develop good
pedagogical strategies, and set the parameters of acceptable student performance. They do not yet

6
fully understand what constitutes an instructionally and developmentally sound approach to student
assessment.
These problems have arisen because the proponents and designers of performance assessments
made several assumptions about the ease of adopting them. They assumed that educators: (1)
possess a clear understanding of the domains of knowledge to be assessed by the new assessments;
(2) are knowledgeable about the most effective approaches of teaching to these assessments; (3)
have expertise in a variety of teaching modalities; and (4) know what constitutes evidence of critical
thinking skills and multidisciplinary understanding. Our most startling finding is that there is no
evidence that assessment and instructional changes are driven by a clear understanding of these
issues.
Our study has demonstrated the need for professional support and development at the local level.
Teachers need training in how to use these different instructional strategies. They need to learn how
to develop projects and performance assessments that effectively address multidisciplinary
understanding and critical thinking skills.
The impact of performance assessments on teaching and learning has, on the surface, been
substantial. Students are now writing and engaging in projects that cut across traditional subject
areas—and they are engaged in and excited about learning. However, reforms in curriculum,
performance standards, and professional support and development for teachers also are essential if
we are to attain the ultimate goals of assessment reform.

FALL 2013
Measuring Student Success
MEASURING SUCCESS

The Promise of Performance Assessment … and the Challenges

By Peter D. Hofman, M.B.A. and Stuart R. Kahl, Ph.D.

In all ages, whether digital or pre-digital, the measurement of student success
must be driven by the education outcomes we value and the type of evidence
that best demonstrates success. More than ever before, the time is ripe for
performance assessment ... if we can overcome the challenges.

In all ages, whether digital or pre-digital, the measurement of student success

must be driven by the education outcomes we value and the type of evidence
that best demonstrates success. More than ever before, the time is ripe for
performance assessment ... if we can overcome the challenges.

During AdvancED’s International Summit in June, we captured instructive

insights on this topic from experienced educators and policymakers through
answers to two open-response questions and a 10-item assessment
perceptions survey. One conclusion stands out: despite overwhelming

7
appreciation for the benefits of performance assessment and support for its
use in measuring student success, significant obstacles exist, even among
proponents.

DEFINING PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

To establish common ground, we explain below what is meant by

“performance assessment.” Very broadly, rather than requiring students to
select a response from two or more options, performance assessment asks
students to apply their knowledge and skills through some form of product,
presentation or demonstration focused on key aspects of academic learning.
In the context of 21st century skills the term “performance assessment”
commonly refers to substantive activities — either short-term, on-demand
tasks or curriculum-embedded, project-based tasks that yield reliable and
valid scores. Products can be extended writing, research reports,
presentations, works of art, performances and more. Expert opinion and
anecdotal evidence attribute to performance assessment the promotion of
deeper learning, higher-order and non-cognitive skills, and student
engagement.

Performance assessment can measure proficiency/mastery in accountability

testing, competency-based instructional programs and badging. It can
promote/gauge learning when curriculum-embedded — as part of discrete
lessons or whole project-based programs. It can be implemented for selected
standards, as in Ohio’s Performance Assessment Pilot Project (OPAPP), or on
an immersive basis school-wide throughout the year, as in the model
developed by the Boston-based Center for Collaborative Education. The
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are more performance-based, as are the
consortia-developed assessments. Digital technologies can be used but are not
required.

Performance Assessment
By Samuel J. Meisels, Ed.D.

Most standardized tests are not designed to evaluate the individualized growth and development
taking place in your classroom. But there are assessment tools that do!

Many early childhood educators are uncomfortable with the idea of testing the young children they
work with. This is because the assessment tools they know were designed primarily for older
elementary-school students. Children taking these tests are assessed on isolated skills in ways that
are unfamiliar to them, and the test results often do not reflect children's personal experiences or
knowledge.

In recent years, however, a new approach to assessment has been gaining acceptance among early
childhood and primary grade teachers. Known as "performance" or "authentic" assessment, these
new tools have many benefits that standardized tests do not. For example:

8
  They systematically document what children know and can do based on activities they
engage in on a daily basis in their classrooms. Standardized test items, in contrast, barely
approximate actual classroom tasks. In addition, performance assessment evaluates thinking
skills such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and interpretation of facts and ideas — skills
which standardized tests generally avoid.
 They are flexible enough to allow teachers to evaluate each child's progress using information
obtained from ongoing classroom interactions with materials and peers. In other words, they
permit an individualized approach to assessing abilities and performance.
 They are a means for improving instruction, allowing teachers to plan a comprehensive,
developmentally oriented curriculum based on their knowledge of each child.
 They provide valuable, in-depth information for parents, administrators, and other policy
makers.
 They put responsibility for monitoring what children are learning — and what teachers are
teaching — in the hands of teachers, where it belongs.

Back to top

Components Of Performance Assessment

A comprehensive performance assessment system should contain some variation of the following
components:

 Developmental Checklists
Checklists covering domains such as language and literacy, mathematical thinking, and
physical development, are designed to reflect developmentally appropriate practices.
Teachers use checklists throughout the year to create profiles of children's individualized
progress in developing skills, acquiring knowledge, and mastering important behaviors.
 Portfolios
These purposeful collections of children's work illustrate their efforts, progress, and
achievements over time. Teachers and children can compile the collections together from
work completed in the classroom. As they talk together about the child's interests and
progress, they develop new activities for the child to focus on.
 Summary report
A summary report consists of a brief narrative summary of each child's classroom
performance. It is based on teacher observations and records that are kept as part of the
system. In completing this summary, teachers should carefully review the checklists and
portfolios and then make overall judgments in order to report to parents, administrators, and
others about each child's activities and progress.

The three basic components of performance assessment — developmental checklists, portfolios, and
summary reports — are all necessary. Without ongoing checklists, teachers could not keep track of
children's progress toward widely accepted curriculum goals. Without portfolios, differences in the
quality of one child's work over time might be hidden, and children's ability to take an active role in
evaluating their own work ignored. Without summary reports, easily understandable information for
parents, teachers, and school administrators would be unavailable. Together, the three components
constitute a dynamic, authentic performance system.

Advocating For Performance Assessment

Whenever you gather with other professionals, parents, your supervisor, principal, or members of
your school board, use the opportunity to promote the use of some kind of performance assessment
in early childhood classrooms. Copy and distribute the "Benefits of Performance Assessment" (see
below). Also, remember that whether you use an available system of performance or authentic
assessment, or develop a tool of your own, the actual examples of children's work that you have on
file, as well as ongoing observations of their individual growth and development, are the strongest
possible advocates for performance assessment. Use them to show the depth and breadth of
information they contain about each child. No other approach has so much to say about what the child
brings to the learning situation, and what the learning situation brings to the child!

9
Benefits Of Performance Assessment

A system of developmental checklists, portfolios of children's work, and summary reports, when used
together, can help you to:

 Recognize that children can express what they know and can do in many different ways.
 Evaluate progress as well as performance.
 Evaluate the "whole child."
 Involve children in the process of assessing their own growth.
 Establish a framework for observing children that is consistent with the principles of child
development.
 Contribute to meaningful curriculum planning and the design of developmentally appropriate
educational interventions.
 Give parents specific, direct, and understandable information about their child.
 Collaborate with other teachers, thus enhancing your own professional skills.

Performance Assessment

Performance assessment measures students skills based on authentic tasks such as activities,
exercises, or problems that require students to show what they can do.

In some cases performance tasks are used to have students demonstrate their understanding of a
concept or topic by applying their knowledge to a particular situation. For example, students might
be given a current political map of Africa showing the names and locations of countries and a similar
map from 1945 and be asked to identify and explain differences and similarities. To be more
authentic (more like what someone might be expected to do in the adult world), the task might be to
prepare a newspaper article explaining the changes.

Because performance assessments require students to actively demonstrate what they know, they
can be a more valid indicator of students' knowledge and abilities than other assessment methods.

10