Assessments are an important part of the educational process for teachers, students and parents. Assessments should steer and inform teachers on instructional decisions within their classrooms but should also direct and improve student learning. Assessments can help students set goals, understand what is considered to be complete and accurate responses, and help them become more independent learners. For parents, assessments can serve as a type of communication that can provide information regarding a student’s academic performance.
Performance Based Assessments (PBAs), also known as alternative or authentic assessments, are an innovative form of evaluation for both long and short-term assignments. They represent a set of strategies for the attainment and application of knowledge, skills, and work habits that can be both valuable and engaging. PBAs allow students to perform tasks rather than select an answer from a ready-made, “traditional” test. Students are required to explain their reasoning, generate hypotheses, solve problems, or conduct research on a specific topic. Students are judged and rated on the quality of their work based on a previously established set of criteria.
There are many benefits to this type of assessment. One benefit for teachers is that PBAs are a way to understand how students think and/or can help identify where they are having difficulties in learning. Through the use of PBAs, students are able to give a written explanation of their answers which provides an opportunity to articulate their thinking.
Another benefit for teachers is that PBAs can provide opportunities for professional dialogue between colleagues. If teachers are working together designing these assessments, they must jointly decide upon the task, how to evaluate students, the criteria for problem solving, etc. This allows for important and valuable discourse between teachers.
A third benefit for teachers is that PBAs are easily adaptable for all levels of students. Since every PBA has an assessment list, differing values can be assigned to the steps to fit the needs of a specific student or group of students. This helps individualize and differentiate instruction.
There are benefits for students as well. PBAs integrate a variety of skills for students, which are useful both inside and outside the classroom. These skills, such as communication, critical thinking and problems solving, (which are necessary for everyday life) help show that there is an interconnectedness between school subjects and the real world making the activity more meaningful for students and therefore more engaging. Once middle school students are actively engaged in an activity, there is no question about its effectiveness.
Another benefit for students is that PBAs are extremely specific in that steps for the project are listed in order. This provides the much-needed structure and organization that are necessary for middle school students.
A third benefit for students is that PBAs make them think about their own work through self-evaluation. This helps students become active participants in their own learning, that is, students are learning even when they are being assessed. Students become more conscious of their personal strengths and weakness. This self-evaluation is not easy for some students to do accurately at first but over time, students become more proficient at it.
PBAs also are a benefit for parents. Many parents are able to help their student with this type of project because the task, procedure, and assessment list explain each step that needs to be completed. The project also clearly states which portion carries more weight and therefore should have more time spent on it. By using the assessment list, parents and students are not surprised at what needs to be accomplished for the project and what each portion is worth.
Another benefit for parents is that PBAs serve as a form of communication from teachers regarding student progress and capability. Parents are able to have evidence of their student’s level of performance. Some parents are unsure of the validity and meaning of standardized tests due to the way the score is presented; the meaning of “percentile” and “scalene” scores, which are given for standardized tests, can be confusing to many parents. By using PBAs as an evaluation tool, parents can see the level of their student and if there are any needs that should to be met. This type of work is a perfect way for the parents and teacher to recommend more advance placement or more support for a student.
Traditional testing evaluates students on a limited range of knowledge and skills. These types of tests help answer the question: “Do you know it?” The skills needed for that type of testing are recalling, identifying, listing, and matching. These skills, according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, are not considered to be the higher-level thinking skills. But PBAs help answer the question: “How well can you use what you know?” and it incorporates not only the previous skills but also higher-level skills such as classifying, comparing, analyzing, and evaluating which are needed for the real world. This is not to say that middle school students should never be exposed to traditional, standardized tests but that PBAs should be used in conjunction with them. The goal is to use multiple forms of assessment and to find a balance between PBAs and traditional testing.
Mathematical assessments should be more than just tests at the end of every chapter. Assessments should inform and guide teachers and enhance student learning. They should give students the opportunity to communicate mathematically and apply their knowledge. PBAs do this by providing an open-ended curriculum and can more accurately assess the skills of a diverse group of students. PBAs are a way for students to use their expertise and knowledge to “tie everything together” because the goal of acquiring knowledge should be its application.