Rather than feel stressful for students, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and flexible in how students approach them. In addition to seeing students’ scientific knowledge, teachers get a better sense of students’ interests and strengths that they bring to each open-ended assignment. Three examples of performance-based assessments are provided as well as an explanation of the challenges and successes that come with this assessment approach.