Assessment Plan

Running Head: PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS 1

PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS 2

Performance-based Assessment

Name

Institution Affiliation

Explain, as a leader, your views of how performance-based assessment should be incorporated as part of your assessment plan when working with young children.

Performance-based assessment when working with young children is a sensitive matter. This is because it forms a foundation for future learning. Performance-based assessment for young learners should, therefore, define expected outcomes from the performance tasks, task parameters, and the scoring rubrics. The assessment plan should be flexible and should include the unique learning characteristics of young children. As such, assessment should be conducted as often as required based on the evaluation of the instructors. This could aid in integrating the performance-based measures in the assessment plan and reap maximum benefits for both the young learners and the instructor (SRN Stanford, 2008).

Defend your views by examining what the research says about using performance-based assessments. Make sure to use the article, the video, your text, or an additional scholarly or credible source for support.

Performance-based assessments according to Ratcliff (2001/2002), should involve creating personal relationships with the young children. That way, a teacher can address the personal and unique characteristics of children under their care. The relationship created is the basis for every learning outcome. As such, any performance assessment strategies and collaboration with the learners is founded on the nature of a child’s accomplishment as well as the next steps in learning which vary for different learners. Performance assessments are beneficial to young learners for various reasons. They help to gauge a child’s development and achievement which parents can use to affirm growth in their children. Importantly, performance-based assessments help teachers to design appropriate assessments and interpret the results to understand every child’s progress and chart a plan for further instruction. This makes the performance-based assessment for young children highly flexible and accommodative of the needs of different learners (Ratcliff, 2001/2002).

Discuss, based on your views, your plan for how you will implement performance-based assessments in your work with young children. Make sure to include the role that learning standards will play in your plan.

My plan of implementing performance-based assessments will include a careful determination of the performance outcomes, the task parameters, as well as the scoring rubric. This will help me determine the learning targets that have been achieved. It will also help me to determine if the desired outcomes are at par with what is required for all learners (SRN Stanford, 2008). It will also help me develop scoring rubrics that are all-inclusive to be used to assess the young learners’ work. The set learning standards will also play a critical part in the assessment of the learners. Though flexibility is allowed due to the unique attributes of every learner, learning standards will guide me on what is expected from every learner their unique attributes notwithstanding.

Analyze how performance-based assessment is unique when it comes to meeting the needs of 21st-century learners.

Performance-based assessments for 21st-century learners is unique in that it involves mastering the content and information that is increasingly becoming a part of learners. Students, therefore, need to possess the skills to find, manage, and utilize information. Importantly, thinking is evaluated through skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving are tested. While working is evaluated through communication and collaboration. To meet the needs of 21st-century learners, assessments should be balanced, inclusive, and supportive of learners' improvements at different levels. This means that a critical part of the assessment should involve giving learners feedback. From the feedback, learners can reflect and improve themselves. Performance-based assessments should also be flexible to accommodate the decision, applications, and actions of different learners. Importantly, performance-based assessments should be integrated with the other learner’s needs to stimulate thinking and build prior knowledge and metacognition. Multiple methods of assessment should also be used. This entails the use of different strategies to emphasize the product and the process of learning. Performance-based assessments should also communicate the results and recognize student achievement besides test scores. Lastly, assessments should be precise and accurate in a way that it could be utilized for decision-making purposes.

References

Ratcliff, N. J. (2001/2002). Using authentic assessment to document the emerging literacy skills of young children. Childhood Education, 78, 66–69

Singh, H. (2013, October 31 Date). Assessing 21st Century Skills [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qqWsHBeRfM&t=148s

SRN Stanford. (2008). What is Performance-based Assessment? Stanford University. Retrieved from https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/events/materials/2011-06-linked-learning-performance-based-assessment.pdf