What action should instructors take before assigning a score during a performance test?

Coming to a consensus among instructors before assigning a score during a performance test is essential for ensuring fairness and objectivity in evaluation. This collective agreement helps to minimize personal biases that any single instructor might have regarding a student's performance. By discussing observations and evaluations together, instructors can establish a common understanding of the criteria for performance, thereby reinforcing consistency in scoring across students. A collaborative approach encourages teamwork among instructors, facilitates thorough discussions about each student's demonstration of skills, and promotes the credibility of the assessment process by ensuring that all perspectives are considered. This process ultimately leads to a more accurate and reliable evaluation of the student's abilities.

In contrast, while weighing answers may provide a structured grading system, it does not necessarily account for the diversity of perspectives that a consensus would. Performing the skill with the student focuses on the instructor's demonstration rather than the student's performance evaluation. Asking the student clarifying questions might help in understanding their thought process but does not address the assessment and scoring as effectively as reaching a consensus does.