Towards an Improved Use of Interdisciplinary Approach in Performance-based Assessment in the New Normal

This descriptive research study aimed to assess the management of the existing policies, guidelines, and procedures on the implementation of the interdisciplinary approach in performance-based assessment (IAPA) before and during the COVID-19 as basis in proposing improvements in its implementation in the “new normal”. Thirty senior high school science teachers and school leaders from five private and five public schools in Metro Manila participated in the study. The participants were asked to assess the management of existing policies, guidelines, and procedures on the implementation of the IAPA using a survey questionnaire and to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the IAPA using an interview guide developed by the researcher. Survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were conducted to validate and gain a good scope of responses to propose inputs on the improvement of the IAPA’s implementation. Findings indicated that the management of existing policies, guidelines, and procedures on IAPA’s implementation is effective as perceived by the teachers and school leaders, and that IAPA benefits students and teachers in many ways. However, weaknesses associated to its implementation greatly concentrate on the role of school leaders and on the presence of procedures, guidelines, and/or policies especially during the new normal education setting. Hence, suggestions in improving the implementation of the IAPA in the new normal covering both the face-to-face and the online learning modalities could be used together with the statements under the survey questionnaire to improve more its implementation and to make it more relevant under the new normal.