ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses performance assessments that are sometimes known as performance appraisals and used when teachers watch a student perform some task and rate the student's performance. It looks at when performance assessment is more appropriate than traditional paper and pencil tests. The chapter also discusses the advantages and the limitations of performance assessment, and how to go about developing and using effective performance assessments. Some performance assessments are completed in a natural setting, whereas others are more effective when teachers use a structured setting. Although oral tests are simply versions of performance assessment, performance assessments are more appropriate when they are measuring higher-level skills and other skills that can't be easily measured with written tests. Checklists are most appropriate when the assessment involves observing behaviors and finished products that include a variety of steps or characteristics.
