What Performance Objectives Are

A teacher writing a lesson plan needs more than a vague intention. They need a precise statement of what the students will be able to do at the end of the lesson, under what conditions, and to what minimum standard. This precision is what turns an ordinary objective into a performance objective.

Performance objectives versus ordinary objectives

The standard format was:

A performance objective sharpens this. It states exactly what the student will do, with no room for interpretation.

Compare:

• Ordinary objective: “Students will understand the parts of a plant.”
• Performance objective: “By the end of the lesson, students will be able to label the leaf, stem, and root in a plant diagram independently, with at least three correct labels out of three.”

Both share the same intent. The performance objective is precise where the ordinary one is general.

Three required elements

A performance objective must contain three elements. Skip any one and the objective is incomplete.

1. Performance

The performance is what the student will do. It must be stated with an action word, a verb that names an observable behavior.

Strong action words:

1. List, name, label
2. Identify, classify
3. Solve, calculate
4. Draw, sketch, diagram
5. Demonstrate, perform
6. Compare, contrast
7. Construct, design

Weak words to avoid (cannot be observed):

1. Know, understand
2. Appreciate, realize
3. Be aware of, grasp

Example: “students will be able to understand the differences between opaque and translucent objects” is weak. “Understand” cannot be observed. Compare with “students will be able to classify transparent, translucent, and opaque objects in their relevant categories”. The verb “classify” names an observable action.

2. Condition

The condition describes when, where, and how the student will perform. It places the action in context.

Examples of conditions:

1. When: “By the end of the lesson”. This phrase is the standard time condition. The objective will be reached during or by the end of the class period.
2. Where: “In the laboratory”, “On the school playground”, “In a 100-word essay”.
3. How: “Using a protractor”, “With the help of a textbook”, “Independently”, “In a group of four”, “Working with a peer”.

The condition shapes what the teacher can expect. A student writing a letter “in pairs” produces a different result from a student writing “independently”. Both can be valid objectives, but the teacher must choose.

1. “By the end of the lesson, students will be able to clean their lab equipment and put them back on the relevant racks in the laboratory.” The location is specified.
2. “By the end of the lesson, students will be able to write a letter independently to a friend.” The mode is specified.

A teacher who skips the condition leaves the objective vague. The student does not know whether to work alone or in groups. The teacher does not know exactly what to assess.

3. Criteria

The criteria specify the minimum acceptable level of performance. A student who meets this level has met the objective. A student who falls below has not.

Examples of criteria:

1. “At least five differences between..”
2. “Meeting ratio 3:4:5”
3. “Between 200 and 250 words”
4. “Accurately label five parts”
5. “Using the appropriate format”

Without criteria, the objective is open to interpretation. One student lists three differences and another lists eight. Did both meet the objective? Without explicit criteria, the teacher cannot say.

Example: “Students will be able to draw and label accurately at least five parts in the human digestive system independently.” The criterion “at least five parts” sets the floor. A student who labels four has not met the objective. A student who labels six has exceeded it.

Putting the three together

A complete performance objective has all three elements together.

Examples:

1. “By the end of the lesson, the learners will draw a right-angle triangle with a protractor meeting ratio 3:4:5.”

• Performance: draw a right-angle triangle.
• Condition: by the end of the lesson, with a protractor.
• Criteria: meeting ratio 3:4:5.

2. “By the end of the lesson, the learners will write a 200-to-250-word letter independently to a friend in an appropriate format.”

• Performance: write a letter.
• Condition: by the end of the lesson, independently, to a friend.
• Criteria: 200-250 words, in an appropriate format.

3. “By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify at least five differences between the 1973 and 1956 Constitutions of Pakistan by using the textbook.”

• Performance: identify differences.
• Condition: by the end of the lesson, using the textbook.
• Criteria: at least five differences.

Each objective is precise. A teacher reading it knows exactly what to teach. A student reading it knows exactly what to produce. An assessor reading it knows exactly what to check.

Flashcard

What are the three required elements of a performance objective?

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Answer

Performance, condition, and criteria

Performance: an action word naming what the student does.

Condition: when, where, and how the student does it.

Criteria: the minimum acceptable level of performance.

All three together make an objective precise.

A note on conditions about memory

There is a useful detail. Sometimes a teacher actually wants the student to use their memorized knowledge, not the textbook. The condition tells them.

If you want the student to recall: “The learners will be able to recall their knowledge about..” or “By the end of the lesson, students will list five rivers of Pakistan from memory”.

If you want the student to use the textbook: “Students will list five rivers of Pakistan by referring to the textbook”.

The condition makes the difference visible. The same content can be tested at different cognitive levels depending on the condition. Without the condition, the level is ambiguous.

Why performance objectives matter for the teacher

A teacher who writes performance objectives gains three things.

1. Clarity for planning. The objective tells the teacher exactly what to teach. The lesson activities follow from the performance, condition, and criteria. The teacher knows what to include and what to skip.

2. Clarity for the student. When the teacher communicates the objective at the start of the lesson, the student knows what to aim for. They can self-check during the lesson. They can ask better questions about what is expected.

3. Clarity for assessment. The objective tells the teacher exactly what to assess at the end of the lesson. The student who meets the criteria has met the objective. The student who does not has clear feedback on what to work on.

Flashcard

Why is the condition part of a performance objective important?

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Answer

It places the action in a specific context

A student drawing a triangle “with a protractor” is doing different work from a student drawing it “by hand”.

A student writing an essay “independently” is doing different work from a student writing “in groups”.

The condition makes the action specific enough to teach and to assess.