Barth and Mitchell (1992) maintained that multiple-choice, norm-referenced testing “…corrupts
teaching because it essentially makes students passive because, they do not construct an answer but select”
(p.14). According to Mitchell (1995), performance assessments imply “…. active student production of evidence
of learning – not multiple-choice, which is essentially passive selection among pre-constructed answers” (p. 2).
This type of assessment provides teachers with information about how a child understands and applies
knowledge. Performance assessments "represent a set of strategies for the...application of knowledge, skills, and
work habits through the performance of tasks that are meaningful and engaging to students" (Hibbard, 1996, p.
5). Students’ line of reasoning could help improve the instructional process.