I honestly find alternative assessment quite enjoyable to plan than the traditional one. Although it is not easy, I like the part that challenges me to try to think outside of the box. Even so, I still understand and value the importance of traditional assessment. When I become an in-service teacher someday, I need to ponder upon the best assessment tools I ought to administer, whether it is traditional or alternative, for my learners to achieve the intended learning objectives. Various alternative assessments differ from each other but essentially all of them assess the abilities of the learner and for the teacher to value these abilities and address what the learners still need. 

Performance-based assessment includes both skills and product which is a common tool used in classrooms alongside traditional paper-and-pencil assessments. This necessitates the learners to show what they can do with their knowledge, whether through performance or a tangible output. I figure it is indeed important to incorporate this type of assessment in classrooms because it gives learners the opportunity to own their learning as long as the teacher still guides them through the process. 

Affective assessment, on the other hand, looks into the affective variables of learning. Affective assessment tools include self-report questionnaires, rating scales, Likert scale, checklist, interviews, and many others. These tools are indirect assessment of affective learning outcomes to provide information on higher levels of affective domain. I understand that these tools are best utilized in the teaching and learning process for the teacher to better understand their learners. 

Portfolio is another type of alternative assessment. It is actually a part of performance-based assessment but I like to emphasize this one because it is said to be one of the most authentic assessment tools. It is a purposeful, ongoing, dynamic, and collaborative process of gathering multiple indicators of the learners’ growth and development. One of the most important features of portfolio assessment is reflection which allows learners to dwell on their learning and make them be responsible for their own development. Students showcase their learning styles and multiple intelligences that allows teachers to gain insights on the effectiveness of the instruction and the achievement of the learners. 

In making this, my own portfolio, I have experienced how to plan performance-based assessments and actually make a sample of an affective assessment. The knowledge of the topics in this course helps me produce the outputs that are needed from me. These outputs I have included here demonstrates how well I have understood the topics all throughout this course. Having knowledge alone is not sufficient to make a proper output, you need to be more creative. It was a challenge for me because I am not the most creative person. The activities are kind of easier to come up with but it is the details that I had difficult time elaborating. Then, I realize that there are a lot of references I can use to plan my own alternative assessment. I just need to work on those ideas and innovate from it to establish a more contextualized assessment. That is why to overcome my shortcomings, I seek help from these resources and adapt them to fit my needs. 

This semester, we have Field Study 1 course where I am able to observe actual teaching and learning processes. In connection with this course, I am able to monitor how effectively alternative assessments are administered in the classroom. I learned that it is important to keep your learners and their circumstances in mind when I plan the assessments. I also utilize these observations to plan and produce my outputs in this portfolio. It is reflected in my output that I keep the capabilities of intended learners in mind as I plan. 

The outputs presented in this portfolio display my ability in planning and producing alternative assessments. This ability is important because it is exactly what I need in the working field. I need to be able to plan, produce, and facilitate efficient assessments to my learners to help them achieve the intended outcomes, acquire knowledge, and develop their skills. I also made use of this ability in the teaching demonstration I had in another course, Teaching and Assessment of Literature. This continued practice encourages a better mindset in me and I was able to approach the task more carefully and effectively. I believe the assessment plans I have produced reflect that I take account of my intended learners abilities. I am only a beginner in terms of these but these opportunities let me further develop my ability in order for it to fully become my strength. This strength lets me become a more competent teacher in the future. 

Reflected on my outputs are how I exemplify creativity and critical thinking that are relevant to your future goals. As time passes, I will gain more information that as I look back on these outputs I am able to discern details that can be improved so I can use these outputs as reference to help me plan and produce assessments in the future. I aim to acquire more knowledge on how to ensure the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process, as well as further hone my skills to deliver efficient instruction towards my learners.