What is performance assessment?
Performance assessment is an assessment activity or set of activities that require students to generate
products or performances that provide direct or indirect evidence of their knowledge, skills, and abilities
in an academic Content domain. It provides teachers with information about how well a student
understands and applies knowledge and goes beyond the ability to recal information. Product-based
assessment is used for assessing learning outComes that involve designing or creating projects or
products such as research papers, art exhibits, reflective essays, and portfolios. On the other hand,
performance- based tasks include actual performances of making those products, such as carrying out
laboratory experiments, exhibiting creative and artistic talents, such as dancing, painting, and playing a
musical instrument, and demonstrating writing skills through extemporaneous essay writing, article
review, and reflective papers. Both product-based and performance-based assessments provide
information about how a student understands and applies knowledge and involve hands-on tasks or
activities that students must complete individually or in smal groups. Below are examples of product-
based and performance-based assessments:
Types A. Product-Based Assessment
Visual Products - Examples charts, illustrations, graphs, collages, murals, maps, timeline flows, diagrams,
posters, advertisements, video- presentations, art exhibits
Kinesthetic Products – diorama, puzzles, games, sculpture, exhibits, dance recital
Written Products – journals, diaries, logs, reports, abstracts, letters, thought or position papers, poems,
story, movie/TV Scripts, portfolio, essay, article report, research paper, thesis
Verbal Products – audiotapes, debates, lectures, voice recording, scripts
B. Performance-Based Assessment
1. Oral Presentations/Demonstrations – paper presentation, poster presentation, individual or
group report on assigned topic, skills denonstration such as baking, teaching, problem solving
2. Dramatic/Creative Performances – dance, recital, dramatic enactment, prose or poetry
interpretation, role playing, playing musical instrument.
3. Public Speaking – debates, mock trial, simulations, interviews, panel discussion, story telling,
poem reading
4. Athletic Skills Demonstration/ Competition – playing basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, and
other sports
Similar to performance assessment is the concept of authentic assessment. Authentic assessment
requires students to actually demonstrate their skills in applying skills and knowledge they hve learned
from class. It involves tasks that resemble what people do in the real setting or context, such as doing an
actual research, makinga case study, giving a speech, or performing on a stage.
