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PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENTS Amory School District November 1, 2012

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WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PBA 1. Build on content knowledge taught in class and help students develop work habits that will help them in the future 2. Designed for real world application of skills 3. Opportunities for cooperative learning 4. Allow students to pull things together 5. Examples of PBAs are speeches or oral presentations 6. Not all PBAs have to be huge, ongoing projects. As long as the activity forces students to think on the higher levels of Blooms then the activity can be considered performance-based. 7. Help students to think critically and use problem solving skills 8. Deeper understanding of a concept is required 9. Takes time to complete

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WHY USE PBA IN THE CLASSROOM? 1. Shows real-life examples of math applications 2. Makes learning relevant to students 3. Provides opportunity for more than simply recalling information 4. Provides opportunity for collaboration among students and encourage deeper thought 5. Assessed in common core 6. Requires students to use higher order thinking skills and to have a deeper understanding of a concept 7. Fosters critical thinking and social skills that are necessary for college and career readiness

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TWO COMPONENTS OF THE SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT Performance Assessment Given primarily on the computer; composed primarily of performance tasks with emphasis on hard-to- measure standards Results will be returned in 2 weeks This assessment will be given 75% into the school year. End of Year Assessment Given on computer with multiple item types Scored entirely by computer for fast results *These two assessments will be combined for an overall score.

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THE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT Students will complete project-like tasks that draw on a range of skills. ELA tasks will focus on writing effectively when analyzing texts, using evidence from the texts to support claims. Math tasks will require students to apply key mathematical skills, concepts, and processes to solve complex problems of the types encountered in everyday life, work, and decision-making

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WHAT IS A PBA? Traditional assessments of student performance rely heavily on standardized testing methods. Performance-based assessments is an alternative that is designed to encompass a better overall representation of student progress. The goal is to gather a demonstration of the scope of knowledge a student has on a subject rather than simply testing the accuracy of their response on a selection of questions.

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TIME Performance Based Assessments range from short activities taking only a few minutes to projects culminating in polished products for audiences in and outside of the classroom.

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ADVANTAGES OF PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENTS Measure students readiness for college and the workforce Track student growth Provide a variety of info for teachers Provide a model for what teachers should be teaching and students should be learning Serve as professional development opportunities for teachers involved in creating and scoring them Provide more direct measures of student abilities than multiple choice items Teachers are able to assess students knowledge and skills at deeper levels

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PBA EXAMPLES Group projects enabling students to work together on a complex problem that requires planning, research, internal discussion, and group presentation Essays assessing students understanding of a subject through a written description, analysis, explanation, or summary Experiments testing how well students understand scientific concepts and can carry out scientific processes Portfolios allowing students to provide a broad portrait of their performance through files that contain collections of students work, assembled over time

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THOUGHTFUL, CAREFUL PLANNING When well-designed PBAs are administered and scored in the classroom, they can provide valuable information for evaluating and improving instruction.

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METHODS TO ASSESS PERFORMANCE Open-ended or extended response exercises: questions or prompts that require students to explore a topic orally or in writing Extended tasks: assignments that require sustained attention in a single work area and are carried out over several hours or longer Portfolios: selected collections of a variety of performance-based work

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THINK ABOUT IT The pressure to cover the curriculum is perhaps the most direct and immediate pressure teachers feel about state tests. Too often, the curriculum becomes divorced from the teachers who teach it. When one must cover items, and usually there are far too many items in the curriculum to be covered adequately one tends to focus on teaching content instead of students. J. Golub

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VIDEOS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFySmS9_y_0&feature=rel ated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFySmS9_y_0&feature=rel ated

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A WASTE OF TIME Assignments and assessments that are not aligned to standards and do not involve students in meaningful work are a waste of time. Which assignment is more rigorous? 1. Create a diorama for Mothers Day about something you and your mother like to do. 2. Interview your mother about an event in her life that was important to her and write it up for her to keep on Mothers Day.

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PBA EXAMPLES

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DEVELOPING PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENTS Decide on topic, standards; then write final assessment What activities do I need to take students through, so they can be successful on the final assessment?

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A MATH EXAMPLE A group of five families on your block is having a garage sale in which clothes, toys, and books will be sold. Your family has 12 items to sell and will need 18 square feet to display the items; the Hamlets have 13 items and need 20 square feet; the Phillips, 7 items, 10 square feet; Garcias, 15 items and 15 square feet; the Smiths, 10 items and 30 square feet. Rental tables measure 6 feet by 2.5 feet and cost $6 per day. The garage where the sale will be held is 20 feet by 30 feet. Newspaper advertising costs $11 for the first 10 words and $1.50 for each additional word.

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MATH EXAMPLE CONTINUED 1. How many tables will you need? Explain your answer. 2. Draw a diagram showing how many tables can be arranged in the garage to allow the customers to move about with at least 4 feet between the tables. 3. Write an ad for your sale that includes essential information. 4. How much money do you have to earn from your sale for the families to break even?

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7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD EXAMPLE Through research students will study the 7 Wonders of the World and the ongoing arguments over what should be classified as one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Research Niagara Falls and write an argument for why it should or should not be on the 7 Wonders of the World list. Be sure to cite evidence from your research to support your view.

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ASSESSMENT PLANNING Teachers should consider assessment before they begin planning activities and tasks. To be a good test designer ask yourself these four questions: 1. What am I going to assess? 2. What learning activities do I need to provide for students, so they will be successful on the assessment? 3. What are the best, available resources to utilize? 4. What instructional strategies will I use in my classroom to reach all learners?

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MINI TASKS FROM BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION These could assist teachers in any content area in writing quality essay type questions that will likely closely resemble what will be on the CCSS assessment.

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YOUR TURN Work in the following groups to create a PBA. -Group 1: Tiffany Herndon and Tabitha Goodin -Group 2: Heather Gault, Sarah Clark, and Emily Allmond -Group 3: Brittany Pace, Stephanie Gallop, and Amy Johnson -Group 4: Michelle Harris, Michelle Holman, and Debbie Leech -Group 5: Amy Jones, Wayne Walls, and Linzy Patterson -Group 6: Leigh Stanford and Priscilla Black -Group 7: Julie Clark and Mary Beth Black -Group 8: Rachael Faulkner, Masha Laney, and Vickie Palmer

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CAROUSEL ACTIVITY Travel with your partner(s) to each posted PBA. Discuss how to improve the item. Consider the following when providing feedback. 1. Does the task clearly state what the student is to do? 2. Is the standard embedded in the task? 3. Is the task engaging/challenging/rigorous? Make suggestions for revision on the chart.

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REVISION Consider the suggestions made on your written task. Make any revisions you choose to make. Share your thoughts.

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ADVANTAGES OF RUBRICS Improve student performance by showing students how their work will be evaluated (expectations) Help students become better judges of quality work Force teachers to clarify criteria in specific terms Provide useful feedback to the teacher for modifying instruction-and for students for concentration or effort Understandable guidelines-easy to use/explain

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RUBRICS Examples of skills or processes that adapt well to rubrics include: -the writing process -the application of the method of scientific inquiry -thinking skills -cooperative learning

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RUBRIC GENERATORS www.rubistar.com www.rubistar.com www.rubistar.4teachers.org www.rubistar.4teachers.org www.teachnology.com/web_tools/rubrics www.teachnology.com/web_tools/rubrics www.rubrics4teachers.com/generator.php www.rubrics4teachers.com/generator.php www.exemplars.com/resources/rubrics/assessment.html www.exemplars.com/resources/rubrics/assessment.html

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OTHER WAYS TO ASSESS Checklist-check whether or not certain elements are present in the students performance Rating scale-teacher indicates the degree to which standards are met Portfolio-look for progression of skill/content Self/peer evaluation-students evaluate performance

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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT Portfolio Assessments are folders of student work that tells a story of student effort/progress/achievement Advantages: -tell more about student specific skills; students carry the skills forward into new contexts -motivates; student takes charge of own learning (sees growth over time; learns to meet explicit expectations) -encourages problem solving and self reflection -parents appreciate the information

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APPENDIX B SAMPLE PERFORMANCE TASKS K-5 Kindergarten and 1 st Grade Page 28-Stories and Poetry Page 36-Informational Texts 2 nd Grade and 3 rd Grade Page 53- Stories and Poetry Page 61-Informational Texts 4 th Grade and 5 th Grade Page 70-Stories and Poetry Page 76-Informational Texts

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APPENDIX B SAMPLE PERFORMANCE TASKS 6-10 6 th -8 th Grade Page 89-Stories, Drama, and Poetry Page 93-Informational Texts (ELA) Page 100-Informational Texts (history/social studies, science, mathematics, and technical subjects) 9 th and 10 th Grade Page 121-Stories, Drama, and Poetry Page 129-Informational Texts (ELA) Page 138-Informational Texts (history/social studies, science, mathematics, and technical subjects)

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APPENDIX B SAMPLE PERFORMANCE TASKS 11-CCR Grades 11-CCR Page 163-Stories, Drama, and Poetry Page 171-Informational Texts (ELA) Page 183-Informational Texts (history/social studies, science, mathematics, and technical subjects)

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RECOMMENDED READING Students Taking Charge by Nancy Sulla ISBN: 9781596671850 Sulla shows you how to design problem-based learning activities for students and rubrics for assessment.

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PBA WEBSITES Math Grades 5-8 http://www.yummymath.com/ Math Grades K-8 http://www.monroe.k12.mi.us/exemplars/math2/start_here.html All Subjects and Grades http://www.bie.org/ Project Based Learning (lots of student examples found here) http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-guide

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COMMON CORE RESOURCES COMMON CORE http://www.corestandards.org/ http://www.commoncore.org/free/index_php/maps/grades PARCC http://PARCConline.org MDE Website www.mde.k12.ms.us

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ASSIGNMENT Create one Performance Based Assessment with the teachers in your building. I would like for you to share this at our next meeting.

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EXIT TICKET Write your response to the following. 1. What are you going to do to either begin (or increase) using Performance Based Assessments in your classrooms? 2. How do you see this benefitting students?