Performance-Based Assessment

June 16, 17, 18, 2008

Workshop

Goals for the Workshop Gain knowledge and understanding of

performance based assessment (PBA) Analyze and distinguish effective PBAs from

less effective PBAs Apply workshop concepts to develop effective

performance-based assessment tasks and associated scoring rubrics

An Introduction Why?

What?

How?

3 Day Progression… Day 1: Interactive Input

Day 2: Guided Practice

Day 3: Independent, but collaborative, Practice

Why?

“Ultimately, we want students to grow to be independent. For them to do that, they have to have a sense of what the criteria (are) that make them successful. For a long time, the criteria (have) been a mystery to students…”

R.J. Tierney, M. Carter, & L. Desai

Portfolio Assessment in Reading-Writing Classroom

Student assessment should be grounded in the authentic, real-life activities that are carried out in the classroom. Because effective language learning is meaningful, enjoyable, and interactive, assessment should reflect a similar focus… Students engaged in this process become more and more actively involved in their learning.

(Armstrong, 1998, p. 233)

Table Discussion Topic

At your tables discuss the following questions:

Why Performance-Based Assessment? What are advantages? Disadvantages? Potential pitfalls &/or challenges

Summarize your discussion on an transparency sheet.

Report out

“People still think that assessment is what you do after teaching and learning are over as opposed to thinking of assessment as giving feedback to help you to achieve your goal.”

—Grant Wiggins, Educational Consultant

What is Performance-Based Assessment (PBA)? Monitors students’ progress in relationship to

learner outcomes Requires students to create answers or

products/presentations/performances demonstrating their knowledge and skills applicable for real-life based purposes

Differs widely from traditional testing (single answer or fill in the blank).

PBA - Some Key Points

It takes time to develop, implement, refine, and get to that “comfort” zone in using PBA

BUT THE PAY OFF IS TREMENDOUS!

Key Point #1

Instructional design and decisions should start with assessment

What do we want students to learn? How will we know when they have learned it? How will I use the results?

Key Point #2 Students should know the criteria

and what’s expected UP FRONT.

Performance-based task Scoring Guides (rubrics) Exemplars of “excellent” work

Key Point #3 Practice, practice, practice…

improves performance! Research supports the notion that all

students (especially low achievers) will improve when given multiple opportunities to practice

When students feel “successful & hopeful” their motivation & performance increase

Key point #4 - Knowing the targets, feedback, & reflection

Function Frameworks & LinguaFolios

“…when students are informed about the learning targets from the beginning, engage in self-assessment, keep track of and regularly reflect on their own growth, and play a role in communicating their learning-the achievement gains are profound, especially for low achievers.” (Rick Stiggins, ETS)

Key Point #5 Curriculum-embedded performance

and “on demand” performance are not equal…

Students tend to perform higher in classroom activities, then they do when assessment is “on demand”

WYSI (not) WYG

Key Point #6 Assessment is ongoing - all the time.

What are some examples of ongoing

continuous assessment? Informs instructional decisions

Key Point #7 Instruction and assessment should be

congruent.

Proficiency-oriented instruction should be matched with proficiency-based assessment

Key Point #8 Student Involvement: A sound

assessment system involves students in self-assessment, recording keeping, and/or communication.

Instruction, Outcomes, Assessment

“Meaningful involvement of students with material that is central to the teaching objectives of a given course. For this meaningful involvement to take place, the goals of the assessment tasks need to reflect the goals of the course, and these goals need to be made clear to the students.” (Cohen, 1994).

Course GoalsEssential Learnings

National Standards

State & District Standards

Function Frameworks

How…

Keys to Success (Rick Stiggens, ETS)

All assessments must center on high quality standards

All assessments must yield accurate evidence of achievement

All users must understand results and use them productively

Characteristics of Effective PBA Tasks

Students are active participants Intended outcomes are clearly identified

& guide the design of the performance task

Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of those intended outcomes when completing the task

Effective PBA Tasks (2) Students demonstrate their ability to

apply knowledge & skills to real-life based situations & scenarios

A clear, logical set of P-B activities are evident

Clear set of criteria to judge the performance

PBAs - 3 points

Good tasks do 3 things… Content of the Task - What information

do students need? Sampling - Is there enough evidence? Distortion Due to Bias - What can

interfere with accuracy?

Designing PBA Tasks

1. Identifying Outcomes & Indicators2. Creating a Meaningful Task

Context3. Identifying Products &/or

Performances4. Considering options in task design

Designing PBA Tasks (cont.)

5. Planning task activities

6. Identifying Evaluative Criteria

7. Generating an Exemplary Response

8. Making Decisions about Scoring

A Word About Rubrics… Be understandable to students Be aligned with standards Be illustrated with samples of student work Be concise Be worded in a positive manner Match the task Define various levels of performance Include the same features across various

levels of performance

As they say, two heads are better

than

one!