Why Do I Love Performance-Based Assessments?
It is no secret that I love the performance-based assessment process because of the opportunity it gives me to evaluate what students have learned and what they can do. Why do I love it?
Multiple-choice tests on paper are not enough to see what students know. Students who are good test-takers can ace it without really knowing anything.
- Learning objectives often call for performance.
- Keeps students engaged.
- It allows students to demonstrate relevance in what they have learned.
- Are generally more comprehensive than traditional tests.
- Show what students can do.
- It helps guide lesson planning.
Performance-based assessments can be tasks that are assigned to students daily or at the end of the unit as a summative test. The performance tasks can come in many different forms depending on what you are working on. Ideas for assessments could be:
- Writing on a culture topic, explaining a grammar rule
- Drawing, sketching – De’VIAor signs
- Research – Learning about Deaf education, Deaf history or famous Deaf people
- Giving a presentation – Showing what they can talk about
- Conversations – Unrehearsed partner or group discussions on an assigned topic like hearing privilege or housing
- Pictures – Show images to determine classifiers, room arrangements or clothing
Skills-Based Practice
It is important to give students multiple opportunities to practice skills before the actual summative assessment. This allows the teacher to observe and give feedback to students. Observations from the teacher should be used as an opportunity to use a rubric to provide feedback to students. Feedback should focus on 1 – 2 things to improve upon. More than this is overwhelming to students and improvement from the student seldom happens. Teacher feedback should focus on specific feedback and also include 1 – 2 positive comments to let students know that they did something good. Sometimes this is hard to find, but try to find something even if it is a comment on how they have improved on a specific skill since their last task.
Get a free corrections code sheet here to help you with feedback.
Establish Clear Outcomes
Always provide students with performance outcomes before assigning the task. Use the exact verbiage that you are looking for in the outcomes. These outcomes should align with World Langauge Standards and can be written in the form of I Can Statements. If possible, show examples of what you are looking for. Show both good and bad examples so students can see what they should avoid along with what they should do. If there is time, allow students to use the rubric to score the example themselves. Discuss the rubric with students so they can have a better understanding of the expectations of them and how you score.
If you are wanting students to interact with presentations, like an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) exam, make sure your rubric reflects what you expect the active listener to be doing. Do you want them to ask questions or make comments? If so, include that in your rubric.
I hope this helps you better understand how to grade a performance-based assessment. If you want to delve further into the topic, this site* will help you define and implement performance-based assessments from start to finish.
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