Performance Assessment Test - Essay Example

Performance Assessment Test 1) Goals, Objectives, and Standards At the beginning of the academic period, the main goal is to ensure that the students understand and master the subject. Students must first understand the basics of the course and what is required of them. Students are also encouraged to set personal goals which they should ensure to achieve at the end of the teaching period. The teaching period should be divided into at least three sections, with each section ending with a test. The standard of work at the beginning of the period should be different from at the end of the period. Students should be able to capture concepts of the subject and ensure that mistakes are not repeated. The quality of grammar, spelling, and fluency should not go down but instead, should continue to improve each day. Teachers should also ensure that all the students have all the required materials for studying and understanding the unit. Other goals which must be set before the commencement of the learning period include ensuring that both writing and listening skills of the students are perfect. Students should be able to communicate well with individuals when in different environments. The speed of the students in writing should also improve by the end of the learning period. From the Math side, the students should be able to tackle different sums without help and they should also be fully conversant with the four calculation signs which include multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. 2) Performance Assessment Description Different teachers will use different ways to carry out the performance assessments but all the procedures should ensure that the students demonstrate the knowledge and skill that they have acquired from their teachers (Shapiro & Kratochwill, 2000). Students should be able to apply all the skills taught and demonstrate their mastery of the subject in the assessment. Failure to which, the teacher would conclude that the students have not yet understood the subject. The steps that could be applied in a performance assessment include: a) Identification of the primary standards and objectives The teacher should first identify the primary objectives that are to be accomplished by the end of the assessment (Reeves, 2004). This will normally depend on the goals set at the beginning of the learning period. The teacher should use the objectives to determine the standards of the assessment. The standards will mainly be based on how challenging the exam is. b) Setting of the test and determination of the date The teacher should then go ahead and set the questions of the assessment depending on the content taught. To avoid leakage or copying of the test or any other such irregularities, it is preferred that the teacher does not inform the students of the test. This also assists in ensuring that the teacher does not obtain inaccurate results. The teacher should also set the date on which to administer the test in advance. This is mainly to avoid any delays or interferences with the normal program. c) Administration of the test Once all arrangements are made, the test is then given to the students on the set date. Generally, study shows that it is better when the test is short and clear with no long instructions. Students should be able to finish all the questions within the stipulated time; holding all other factors constant. d) Marking of the scripts and determination of the score Since it is a performance assessment and not a summative one, the score of the test is to be determined immediately after the test. The method mostly used is the exchange of scripts, where the students mark each other’s scripts whilst the teacher gives the answers. Having determined the score of each student, using the rubrics the teacher is then able to evaluate the students’ performances and determine whether they have understood and mastered the basics of the unit. 3) Rubric Rubrics are an important part of the assessment since they provide teachers with the criteria to use in evaluating the student's performance. Through rubrics, students are also able to benefit since they know what is expected of them (Lund & Kirk, 2010). They are also able to see how instructions fit with the set goals. Criteria 1: Beginning 2: Developing 3: Accomplished 4: Mastered Spelling Students should be able to spell simple and direct words without referring to any material Students should be able to spell longer words without help from the teachers Students should be able to write sentences without spelling mistakes Students should by now be able to know how to construct sentences on their own Calculation Students should be able to find answers to simple sums without help Students should be able to tackle sums that are not direct Students should familiarize themselves with all the all the basics of calculation Students should be able to form their own problems and find the answers Organization and content At this point, the students should be equipped with the basic content of both Math and English subjects Students should be able to incorporate and apply ideas from both subjects in different situations Student should be able to tackle questions from different angles without fail and should be conversant with all the basics Students should have quality and organized content on both subjects. By this time also, the set goals should all be accomplished 4) Description of the reliability and validity of the assessment Reliability and validity can evaluate from two different points of view. The teacher's content given to the students must be excellent both quantitatively and qualitatively (Riggs, Verdi & Arlin, 2009). This is mainly because, when the features are present, then it can be concluded as being both reliable and valid. Validity is usually evidenced when the students are able to apply the ideas taught by the teacher without difficulty. Students should be able to come up with ideas close to or exactly like those of their teachers after their own private research. Validity can also be demonstrated by the achievement of the set goals. Where there is a very big difference between the students' performance and the previously set goals. Reliability, on the other hand, is mainly evaluated on the basis of the usefulness of the teacher's content in the assessments. The content should also be in line with the current education curriculum of the students. When the teacher gives details that are out of context then he or she is deemed to be unreliable. The details, on the other hand, will be judged as invalid. References Lund, J. L., & Kirk, M. F. (2010). Performance-Based Assessment for Middle and High School Physical Education. (2nd ed.). United States: Human Kinetics. Reeves, D. B. (2004). 101 More Questions & Answers About Standards, Assessment, and Accountability. united States: Lead + Learn Press. Riggs, M. L., Verdi, M. P., & Arlin, P. K. (2009). A Local Evaluation of the Reliability, Validity, and Procedural Adequacy of the Teacher Performance Assessment Exam for Teaching Credential Candidates. Issues in Teacher Education, 1(18), 13-38. Shapiro, E. S., & Kratochwill, T. R. (2000). Behavioral Assessment in Schools, Second Edition: Theory, Research, and Clinical Foundations. (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Read More