Perfomance Tests

DOE-HDBK-1205-97

5. PERFORMANCE TESTS

Performance tests measure task performance in the job environment and serve as a

mechanism for determining task qualification in the facility. A performance test consistently

and systematically evaluates the ability of the trainee to perform a task. Asking trainees to

describe proper welding techniques is not a performance test; asking trainees to make a

proper weld is. The performance test is not a training instrument; rather it is a testing tool

that ensures consistent performance evaluations. A performance test should test both the

knowledge and practical requirements that were derived during the analysis of the task.

The steps of a performance test come from the elements of a task. The Training Evaluation

Standard (TES) provides the basis for the development of objective-based training

materials, and maintains the consistency in the testing of trainee performance. The TES

identifies the elements (procedural steps), knowledge, and skills necessary to perform the

task. It also identifies the initiating cue that prompts or signals the trainee to begin the task,

identifies the terminal and enabling objectives, the conditions under which actions occur,

and establishes standards that measure satisfactory performance of the elements, thus the

task. A more detailed description on the use of a TES is available in DOE Training Program

Handbook: A Systematic Approach to Training.

5.1 Developing Performance Tests

Developing performance tests involves identifying economic and other limitations,

determining the best instructional and testing methods, and constructing a test that provides

the most effective measurement of the task. The task statement, the TES, and the

references should be used when developing a performance test. The task statement

identifies the task to be evaluated by the performance test. The TES identifies the elements

of the task and other supporting information needed for competent performance of each

element of the task. The references identified in the TES should be available to the

developer when writing performance tests. The developer may choose to make provisions

for references, tools, and equipment that are supplied at the time of the trainee test or direct

the trainee to gather these resources as part of starting the test.