Chapter 8: Performance-Based Assessment (PBA)

Chapter 8: Performance-Based Assessment (PBA)

How to make a successful PBA?

Types of Performance Assessment Tasks:

Issues to Consider in Developing Performance Tasks:

What is PBA?

Tasks focused on Determining a Position:

-Requires students to make a decision or clarify a position.

-Focus on an urgent issue that is not fully understood.

-Ex. Selecting a candidate for election, determining what to do during a crisis, determine whether to purchase a hour/apartment, developing a nutrition plan, and argument for controversial issue.

Tasks focused on Solving a Problem:

AUTHENTIC TASKS!!!

Authentic tasks:

*Similar to activities that practicing professionals perform

*Naturally relate to daily living

1. Tasks focused on Solving a Problem

2. Tasks focused on Completing an Inquiry

3. Tasks Focused on Determining a Position

4. Demonstration Tasks

5. Tasks Focused on Developing Exhibits

6. Presentation Tasks

7. Capstone Performances

-Usually has highly restricted problems with focused answers until...

-Problem-Based Learning (PBL) changed this by having students make sense of complex, ill-structured problems.

--> creates problems relevant to students and has them create a thoughtful solution.

PBA= Performance Based Assessment

PBA are "tasks that permit students to show in front of an observer and/or an audience both the processes that they use and the products that they create."

-Shows not just the process and the product

Examples of PBA

Tasks Focused on Developing Exhibits:

Singly Focused Tasks- Are when students are supposed to focus on one thing.

Ex. students ability to calibrate a balance and determine the mass of several objects.

Multiply Focused Tasks- Are when students are to focus on a variety of related tasks to complete a larger action.

Ex. Solving a problem, making a decision, developing a position about a complex issue.

Difference:

-Singly focused tasks give specific directions and instructions. (Less authentic because students may not think)

-Multiply focused tasks allow students to determine product and how to get information. (More authentic)

Real Life: Driving Test

(we perform what we learned)

Classroom: developing and writing a research paper, solving a multi-step problem, conducting an experiment or investigation, preparing a demonstration, debating an issue, constructing a model, or creating a multi-media presentation. (AKA this assignment)

-Visual presentations or display that the need little or no explanation from the creators,

-Explain, demonstrate, or show something.

-Ex. Collage of words and pictures that represent authors ideas, bulletin board of someone, poster of food guide pyramid, painting/set of drawings

Unintended Consequences:

Strengths of PBA

Strengths of Formal Testing

Tasks focused on Completing an Inquiry:

History:

-Issues of Biases and fairness in assessment

-Scoring complex performance assessments reliably and validly

-Scoring training

-Educational innovations are trying to improve this

-Less stigmatizing

-More adaptable to students needs

-More focused on real world problem-solving

-More Instructionally relevant

-Useful parent/public reporting

-More reflective of quality of student understanding.

-Less biased and more fair for minorities.

-Inexpensive

-Efficient

-Highly reliable

-Sophisticated underlying mathematical and statistical machinery

-Easy and quick to grade

Science Example of Authentic PBA

History Examples of Authentic PBA

-Dates back to 50 years.

-Ex.) Military performance project for entrance examinations

-Today, formal standardized testing has dominated assessment.

Real Life Example of Authentic PBA

English Examples of Authentic PBA

Math Examples of Authentic PBA

-Students are asked to collect data in order to develop their understanding about a topic or issue.

-Ex.) Cause and effect of Civil War, relationship between sunlight and plant growth, and graphing the performance of a set of stocks overtime.

Presentation Tasks:

Demonstration Tasks:

Capstone Performances:

English-

-Writing a letter to a real person, writing an article for a newspaper.

-Creating a blog

-Writing a poem for a public reading.

-Writing an instruction manual for a product.

Science-

-Develop a question or hypothesis, select a set of observations that relate to questions, collect carefully measured or described data, interpret data, and determine a conclusion or develop another question.

(Similar steps to scientific research)

History-

-Examining and Analyzing documents from a specific historical period.

-Writing a paper that identifies cause and effect relationships or a set of reasons that account for actions and events.

-Developing and clarifying a position or argument that is presented to others for discussion.

-A work or task performed in front of an audience.

-Ex. Acting out a story, play a self-made instrument, give oral book review, perform a cartwheel, sing a theme song in front of class.

Math-

-Developing a house-hold budget.

-Planning the purchase and financing a car.

-Students explain or describe how something works or how to do something.

-Ex. Coming up to board and doing a math problem, demonstrating CPR, teaching others how to care for a pet, or explaining safety procedures.

REAL LIFE-

-Completion of a mortgage application.

-Preparation of a nutritious meal.

-Development of a plan to care for a new pet.

-Planning of a travel route from home to a vacation spot.

-Shows knowledge and skills in context to match real world professionals.

-Usually occurs at end of program.

-Science fair projects, participating in sports contests, interships, student teaching (us), and one-person art shows.

How to Design the right Performance Task?

Strengths & Weaknesses of Performance-Based Assessment:

Developing Criteria for Performance Assessments:

How does a teacher know if PBA is working?

1. Design the proper context that permits students to show you what they have learned.

2. Fill context with opportunities for the students to show you what they know and can do.

3. Judge students performance fairly and consistently by detailing performance indicators and criteria.

Performance Criteria= Set of rules that provide directions for determining a students' score.

Weaknesses:

1. Time consuming (constructing, completing, scoring).

2. Scores on one task provide little info about other tasks (student who does well comparing and contrasting in a venn diagram cannot necessarily write a paragraph).

3. Difficult for lower level learners and ELL (if teacher helps validity is effected).

HOW DO WE DO THIS???

Strengths:

1. Offers clear and direct way to assess what students know.

2. Allow students to show "what they can do on their own."

3. Challenge students to use higher level thinking.

4. Prepare students to transfer skills outside of classroom.

5. Measure multiple outcomes of knowledge and skills

6. Students can be creative in constructing their responses.

Ex.) Multiple choice test- answer key (simple)

Criteria= counting correct answers for grade.

Ex.) PBA- No answer key (difficult)

Criteria= carefully review indicators and carefully analyze the criteria that you will use to determine if indicator behavior is adequate.

Identifying Performance Indicators:

-Indicator=An observable behavior that is a sign that the student understands or knows something.

~Review your own understanding of skills and concepts you are targeting.

~Read professional publications and other texts that describe the concepts and skills.

~Revisit state and national standards concepts and skills.

~Determine where student can master the skills and concepts.

~Student input for indicators

Include Different Types of Questions to Demonstrate Thinking:

Identifying a Proper Context for Performance Tasks:

Stuffing the Performance with Multiple Opportunities to Show Learning:

(ASSESS & DOCUMENT STUDENT PERFORMANCE)

1.) Analysis Questions (key/essential parts and why?

2.) Comparison Questions (alike/similar/different why?)

3.)Classification Questions (organize/rules/define characteristics?)

4.) Connections Clarification Questions (Remind you of/connected?)

5.) Constructing Support Questions (data to support conclusions/Argument to support claim?)

6.)Deduction Questions (based on rule, infer?/conditions to make inevitable?)

7.) Inferring and Concluding Questions (what do you conclude based on data/likely to occur?)

8.)Abstracting Questions (Pattern/essential char.?)

9.) Error Analysis (Misleading conclusion? Match?)

1.) Is the task practical? (classroom space/time needed for task)

2.) Does task appeal to needs of boys and girls? Elements of cultural bias?

3.) Does task take into account parental involvement/financial requirements? (Students from lower income background with single-parent different from higher-income family with stay at home parent. Different resource availability).

1.) Anecdotal records:

2.) Selected-Response:

3.) Student-Constructed Response:

4.) Graphic Organizers:

5.) Interviews:

6.)Learning Logs:

7.)Direct observation using checklist:

8.)Audio- and videotapes:

9.) Students products or projects:

Valid & Reliable Performance Criteria Guidelines:

THE END

Creating Scoring Tools Based on Performance Criteria:

THANK YOU!!

1.Performance Indicators and Criteria are Educationally important (focus on most important parts of teaching)

2. Performance Indicators and Criteria are valid (learning outcomes match standards)

3. Performance Indicators and Criteria are Reliable (can be personally observed)

4.Performance Indicators are clearly defined (scale to indicate the degree)

5. All Students are assessed on one task before going onto another task.

6.Judge without knowing names

-Evaluates performance in a way that allows those varying degrees to be taken into consideration.

Ex.) Letter to the editor is an individual assignment and the checklist provides students with teachers feedback in order to "scaffold" the students learning.

See Hand Out