There are four types of performance assessment in the classroom

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-01-29

Performance assessment is to ask students to use their knowledge and skills to complete a complex and comprehensive task, and then evaluate students based on their various performances.

The original table of Stanford University's scale is clearly presentedThere are four types of performance assessment in the classroomIf teachers are exposed to expressive evaluation for the first time, I hope this new material will make you feel enlightened!

The first type: short-answer performance assessment

The purpose of short-answer performance assessments is to allow students to demonstrate proficiency in one or two expected Xi outcomes under limited guidance from the teacher;The format only allows students to make convergent choices, and it usually takes only a few minutes to complete.

For example, a third-grader might be given a set of simulated data for a long jump competition and prompted to answer a series of questions that require the student to use number sense, addition and subtraction skills, and mathematical reasoning. In this example, the student's response is in the form of a numerical answer and a short written explanation of their reasoning process.

Although students calculate and write their numerical answers and decide how to express their reasoning in short written responses, the extent to which students actually choose how to respond is quite limited. Moreover, there are obviously standard answers for numerical answers, and only the teacher needs to judge whether they are right or wrong. Even if it's a written answer, there's a narrow range of possible correct answers.

Because of its focus and structure, it can be used to quickly measure discrete expected Xi outcomes while stimulating higher-order thinking. And because of the limited number of assessment objectives, it is often an effective means of formative assessment of students' learning Xi in a lesson.

Short-answer performance assessments are of limited utility when used as part of formal assessments. Typically, when assessing students' learning Xi, teachers also use a series of short-answer questions, which can be used together to demonstrate a complex set of student Xi outcomes.

In fact, most teachers are more familiar with using short-answer questions in combination with multiple-choice questions, such as multiple-choice questions and connected questions, to gain a comprehensive understanding of students' learning Xi.

Short-answer expressive assessments are used in a wide range of ways, from performance tasks used to assess students' Xi in the classroom to a structured set of open-ended short-answer questions used in final exams. What's more, its usefulness spans grade levels and subject areas, as shown in the following examples:

In history lesson, junior high school students are shown three examples of historical sources, and then prompted to identify each source as primary or secondary and explain their conclusions in a paragraph based on the specific characteristics of each source (e.g., date, author, format of the material).

In biology class, high school students are given a scenario involving hereditary traits and their genetic lines. Students analyze the scenario independently, draw accurate and complete Punat squares to illustrate the scenario, and then draw a visual tree model to describe the possible outcomes for a given set of other variables.

In the Introductory Culinary Arts class, secondary school students are introduced, reviewed and involved in a scene where mise en place (translated as "everything is in place, a basic understanding and skill" in food preparation). To assess the student's understanding of the principle of all homing, the teacher showed the student a series of private and professional kitchen cases and asked the student to identify whether the situation in the first place belongs to the principle of all homing.

In conclusion, the salient features of short-answer performance assessments are the limited number of expected Xi outcomes, the more limited choice of students, the limited involvement of teachers in providing guidance or feedback on actual tasks, and the limited time required to complete tasks. It's also worth noting that short-answer questions are often used in conjunction with other short-answer or multiple-choice questions to reflect a student's Xi more broadly.

Second: stand-alone performance assessment

Stand-alone performance assessments, as the name suggests, are designed to be conducted independently as a means of assessing complex expected Xi outcomes, often involving multiple objectives.

The teacher has a limited role in the student's completion of the independent performance assessment, although the complexity of the prompts may require teacher guidance and may require some degree of facilitation. Because stand-alone performance assessments are usually completed in one or two lessons (most commonly in one lesson), students' choice is often limited to the content of their responses, rather than the form or process of their responses.

One of the most common stand-alone expressive assessments is time-limited writing. It may have a separate writing prompt designed to tap into the depth of content knowledge, requires higher-order thinking, and requires proficiency in the patterns of written communication.

Of course, the meaning of the essay will vary depending on the grade, subject, and purpose. For example, a separate, well-structured paragraph may be a suitable form for a third grader to develop their thinking;Junior high school students, on the other hand, may need to use the traditional syllogism essay formatThe essays of high school students are not required by paragraphs, but by pages.

The difference between this independent expressive assessment of writing is also the purpose of the writing and, therefore, the form of writing that may be taken is also different. For example, the purpose of an academic ** may be to describe, inform, explain, argue, or persuade, each of which involves a different format, tone, and technique.

Note, however, that not all tips given to students have to be academic. Because a distinguishing feature of expressive evaluation is that it may involve real scenarios, essays can be in the form of descriptive memoirs, explanatory newspaper articles, fictional narratives, entries in technical manuals, argumentative cases, or persuasive letters.

Regardless of whether such prompts are academic or scenario-based, stand-alone expressive assessments are often used to elicit modes of communication (such as the various forms of writing just mentioned) that are themselves expected outcomes of learning Xi.

However, there is not only writing for independent expressive assessment. In the scientific field, a common stand-alone performance assessment is experimental manipulation. While lab operations may take many different forms, they typically represent a complex set of knowledge and skills that are completed within a defined instructional lesson time and require students to rotate between different stations for different tasks and respond to a variety of prompts.

Another form of stand-alone expressive assessment is oral expression, which can be used in all subject areas. The use of verbal expression is especially important when the verbal expression of reasoning is the expected Xi outcome.

Frankly, in our experience, conscious verbal instruction and assessment in basic education is often minimized, forgotten or neglected. However, if you look at the curriculum standards, there are goals related to verbal comprehension and reasoning across grade levels and subject areas.

With the call to ensure that every student in the 21st century is an effective communicator, it is certainly reasonable to use independent oral assessments on a regular and conscious basis.

The third type: unit embedded performance evaluation

Unit-embedded expressive assessment is characterized by the fact that it takes place within a teaching unit and is therefore referred to as unit-embedded.

It aims to prompt students to demonstrate a persuasive set of expected learning Xi outcomes, i.e., a complex but coherent set of knowledge and subject-specific skills, to be applied over a longer period of time, whether it be a few days or even a week or more.

Due to the complexity of expected learning Xi outcomes and the expansive nature of this task, it is often necessary to integrate teaching into performance-based assessments, where teachers can allocate and facilitate students' work and even provide corrective feedback in a limited amount of time.

Examples of possible cell-embedded performance evaluations abound. In a geometry class, for example, students take on the role of packaging engineer and must design a structurally stable box that makes optimal use of cardboard packaging materials for transporting boxed juices.

From the presentation to completion of the task, students brainstorm designs, apply their understanding of geometry, Xi learn new geometric principles, collaborate with others, and reason and communicate mathematically. The complexity, application, and authenticity of this task determine the need for teachers' guidance, facilitation, and sometimes direct teaching by teachers, which also reflects the characteristics of deep learning Xi.

Unit-embedded expressive assessment is an important part of effective pedagogy in the teaching of a foreign language in the classroom, as teachers employ integrated expressive assessments.

Teachers design a series of expressive assessments based on unit-specific content and skills, such as tourism, leisure activities, commercial premises or food preparation, to stimulate a variety of authentic modes of communication.

These may typically include listening, speaking, reading, writing, and creating and interpreting digital or visualized (e.g., posters or graphics). Obviously, each of these modes is related to proficient communication in a foreign language, but due to their complexity and diversity, it is necessary to present these modes of communication in an integrated way.

Another example of unit-embedded expressive assessment is that visual arts teachers can use classic teaching methods that allow students to learn Xi and then paint in the style of a master artist.

It is clear that the very act of painting is indicative of the broader expressive task that the unit-embedded expressive evaluation has. However, it is in the process of student painting that the teacher pays close attention to the elements of composition and technique, asks questions to the student, provides guidance, and deepens the student's understanding of the artist and the application of the master's technique.

For example, the teacher can ask, "How does this master's style expand your self-expression as an artist and how does it inhibit your self-expression?"to encourage students to think more deeply.

In conclusion, due to the complexity, authenticity, and time intensity of this task, which tests both physical and intellectual strength, it is necessary to adopt a unit-embedded approach for evaluation.

Fourth: Complex projects

Complex projects are designed to engage students in tasks that require them to utilize different knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines. It is also particularly well-suited to provide evidence of some broader educational goals, such as critical thinking, creative problem-solving, effective communication, and constructive collaboration, aka deep Xi.

Similar to unit-embedded performance assessments, complex projects rely on the teacher's integrated teaching, facilitation, mentoring, and feedback. However, due to the complexity of this task, this teaching is not based on a Xi unit, and due to the scalable nature of the product that the student is making, the facilitating role of the teacher, often has to occur at different times and milestones in the process.

A feature of complex projects is that students have a considerable degree of autonomy over the course of the project. Students can choose their own topic and even choose to pursue the purpose of the project on their own. Students have a lot of freedom to decide how and how to carry out their projects. Students can identify the most relevant and useful products or outcomes in the project. In fact, the criteria for evaluating a student's performance in a program can vary from student to student.

For example, students might study the first public school for African-American students in a segregated county, determine its location, reveal its history from its inception to its closure, learn about its students and teachers, investigate its plight, and evaluate what it means for today's society.

Drawing on research skills, historical analysis, economics, geography, communication, collaboration, and citizenship, students may make formal written and oral proposals to local** institutions to establish a historic marker on the school site. The authenticity and relevance of such a project is obvious.

What's more, the fluidity and inadmissibility of this project is also evident to any teacher who has ever tried this student-driven Xi experience, often referred to as project-based Xi learning.

But it's also worth pointing out that not all complex projects need to be so open or relevant to current issues. Think back to the classic high school semester**, for example, which might be the case in a history class: an effective teacher is able to orchestrate a complex, rigorous, and practical process, from students choosing a topic, to researching, analyzing, synthesizing, and coming up with meaningful ideas, to pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and finally formalizing**.

In other words, complex projects can be tightly integrated with a set of academic standards, giving full play to the facilitating role of teachers, so that projects can be completed effectively and rigorously.

Related Pages