How to Use Performance Assessments in the Classroom

Cover image for Poll Everywhere's blog about performance assessment tools.

Performance assessments allow instructors to take classroom learning beyond rote memorization and standardized tests. By using this unique approach to evaluate student comprehension, educators get a more holistic view of a student’s abilities, learning gaps, and potential.

In this guide, we’ll break down the components and benefits of performance assessments, and how you can implement this type of assessment in your higher-ed classroom.

What is a performance assessment?

A performance assessment uses active demonstration to evaluate a student’s understanding of course materials as well as their skills-based knowledge.

While traditional exams rely on memorization and recall, performance assessments require students to apply their knowledge in a real-world context. Performance assessments check whether a student understands “how” and not just “what.”

Performance assessments are typically graded, but because this type of exam looks for practical application skills, grades aren’t solely based on right or wrong answers. Instead, instructors should look at the following when grading performance assessments:

  • How the student approached solving the problem
  • How well they used critical thinking skills to apply their knowledge
  • How well they executed the solution or method they chose

Types of performance assessments

There are typically two forms of assessment: product-focused and performance-focused.

  • Performance-based assessment: Focusing on the performance aspect of the assessment requires students to interact with an audience in some way to demonstrate their knowledge. For example, they might participate in a classroom debate or lead the class for a day.
  • Product-based assessment: A product-focused performance assessment asks students to create a tangible solution to demonstrate their understanding. For example, you might ask a student to build a model or create a SWOT analysis for a fictional company.

When designing a performance assessment for your class, be sure to consider the following qualities that make up an effective assessment process:

  • Authentic: Performance assessments are an excellent way to build up students’ real-world skills, so keeping them as realistic as possible is key.
  • Complex: Because most real-world scenarios are anything but simple, you should aim to make your performance assessment complex to encourage learners to use a variety of skills and knowledge sets.
  • Open-ended: There should be no single right answer to the performance assessment. Instead, encourage creativity and critical thinking while students explore the scenario in front of them.

Learn more: Find out how formative assessments and summative assessments can also help educators develop tailored student learning experiences.

5 benefits of performance assessments

1. Critical thinking development

By design, a performance assessment encourages students to think deeply and critically about course knowledge. It encourages them to engage with course lectures, materials, and activities in order to gain a fuller understanding of the subject matter and complete performance tasks.

By requiring deeper learning and higher-order thinking, performance assessments can be ideal for professional development and skills assessments.

2. Career readiness

Once students leave college, they quickly find that success isn’t just about what they know but also how well they can apply their knowledge. By developing practical application skills, performance assessments prepare students for future careers. Some performance assessment-inspired student work may even contribute to portfolios and help them prepare for their first job out of college.

However, many students aren’t satisfied with the real-world application and career-readiness skills they learn in college. A 2023 study by brightspot found that only 58% of students are satisfied with their personal growth in the area of solving real-world problems and only 54% are satisfied with their opportunities to explore and prepare for careers.

3. Communication skills

A performance assessment often requires a different level of communication, sometimes in group settings. Students learn how to express their ideas, collaborate, problem-solve, and be team players.

4. Depth of understanding

Performance assessments give educators another way to check for gaps in comprehension. These tests can reveal areas where students struggle and allow instructors to provide personalized support or even further curriculum development.

If students lack the required level of understanding for practical application, instructors can follow up with a quiz to gauge lower-level knowledge and determine whether a refresher or a different approach is required.

5. Improved engagement

By requiring active participation, performance assessments make learning more engaging. Students may be more motivated to invest their time and effort in activities that reflect real-world challenges because they see that the value extends beyond the classroom. Your chosen assessment method may also resonate with students whose learning styles don’t fit the traditional standardized educational mold.

How to implement performance assessments in the classroom

1. Identify learning goals

Take a look at your course plan and choose which learning objectives you want to assess. You can use Bloom’s Taxonomy or a similar approach to determine what level of knowledge students should exhibit when completing the performance assessment and how that corresponds with your lesson plan.

2. Identify knowledge application gaps

Take a look at current and previous classroom activities to see if any are missing real-world application requirements. These activities are prime candidates for a supplemental performance assessment that asks students to apply their knowledge in a different way.

Looking at your Poll Everywhere gradebook report can also highlight areas where student knowledge could use reinforcement. Because the report also includes response time, you can get an indication of students who may feel less confident about (or might be less engaged in) course material.

Alternatively, you can use Poll Everywhere to poll students and find out which areas of the course material they’d like to spend additional time on. This keeps students engaged and empowers them to focus the classroom on areas they feel are most important.

3. Choose a hands-on activity

Select an activity to assess that aligns with your goals and fills a knowledge application gap. Common hands-on activities used for performance assessments include presentations, demonstrations, physical projects, or mock versions of real-world situations like job interviews or trials.

Whatever activity you choose, be sure it allows you to authentically assess the desired skills and knowledge you’d like students to have in this particular segment of the class.

Quick tip: If you choose to ask students to lead a presentation or lecture, encourage them to incorporate engagement strategies to hold their peers’ attention. For example, a professor at Lehigh University asks guest lecturers to present a 10- to 20-minute TED-style talk, then sends out a multiple choice test to evaluate student understanding after each presenter.

4. Develop a grading rubric

Outline the criteria for the assessment, but remember, a performance assessment should not have one single correct solution. Be sure to consider multiple ways students could apply their knowledge to earn full credit.

Once you’ve developed your grading rubric, share it with students so they understand your expectations.

Performance assessments and Poll Everywhere create engaging learning environments

Performance assessments enhance the learning experience and equip students with the critical skills required for success in the real world. Combined with more traditional testing methods, they can provide educators with a holistic view of student performance and understanding.

These application-based assessments are also a key way to keep students engaged—a not-so-easy feat as hybrid and online classes continue to become the norm. By assessing knowledge in a fresh, new way, performance assessments encourage students to participate and allow instructors to clearly see the “who, where, and why” of education gaps in their classroom.

Instructors who combine performance assessments with tech like Poll Everywhere can create an engaging and exciting learning environment. Find out how you can engage students with Poll Everywhere’s interactive presentations in our free guide.