Performance Assessment

Performance assessment is the formal and informal judgments of how well people complete observable tasks. The two most common uses of the term performance assessment in education relate to student achievement and employees, such as teachers, completing the functions of their jobs.

The first use the assessment serves is what has been called the American meritocracy, which is a way of determining who gets America's material rewards. Intelligence tests, and also education itself, can't be counted on to find every form of merit. They don't find wisdom, originality, humor, toughness, empathy, common sense, independence, or determination—let alone moral value. Student performance assessment is not presently able to provide opportunity on the basis of the various forms of merit that a true meritocracy should have, but it can measure some preestablished academic criteria. One important caution that has been noted by some is that we need to be aware of the impact and limitations of what criteria are used. In this regard, no amount of subsequent manipulation can eliminate all the initial biases that are imposed upon policy and program decisions in the selection of a specific model as a guide to analyze performance.

There have been some improvements in measuring certain identified academic standards, which some argue have a relationship with future potential to succeed within the present university system and at some jobs. This is criterion—rather than norm-referenced—assessment, which measures how well individuals perform in relation to a group of individuals. It should be noted that there is a difference between norms and standards. That is, norms change, standards do not—standards are fixed. Standards promote mixed ability grouping. Norms tend to promote segregation of students by ability.

It is believed that good classroom assessment can improve student achievement. Alan Glatthorn indicated that assessment-driven instruction entirely focused upon performance assessment, from planning to execution. However, he cautioned that performance assessments can have problems. It is important to identify the tasks to be assessed—namely, the standards that are established before teaching begins.

The second use of the term performance assessment deals with employee evaluation, most often teachers. Teacher evaluation takes many forms.

The system used to assess teaching performance is important. One confusing aspect of employee performance appraisal is the distinction that is made between formative evaluation and summative evaluation. Formative evaluation occurs when the main purpose is to help an individual improve performance—put another way, it forms a better employee. Summative evaluation, on the other hand, results in a summation or final report as its main purpose and is used to make a personnel decision (such as the nonrenewal of an employee's contract or a promotion).

The distinction is blurred at least in part by the requirement in most states that in order to nonrenew a teacher's contract, the summative evaluation must include at least documentation of formative evaluation. Employees enjoy certain types of legislative protection within the performance appraisal process. These legal issues are one of several reasons that can [Page 741]be offered for paying more attention to the psychometric properties of performance assessments (such as reliability and validity).

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