Performance assessments tend to be better at measuring complex learning than standardized, multiple-choice tests. Therefore, they demand a richer curriculum and activities that prepare students to demonstrate their understanding.
Larry Lewin, an 8th grade teacher at Monroe Middle School in Eugene, Ore., exemplified the shift in instruction required by performance assessments, as he described the changes he's made in the 100-minute block English/U.S. History class he coteaches. Showing examples of tasks, scoring rubrics, and student work, Lewin gave conference-goers a close-up look at the complexity—and the payoffs—of teaching for performance. "The beautiful thing about performance assessment is that teaching and assessing go hand in hand," said Lewin.
For example, Lewin described a major performance task he uses to help students show their understanding of the events of 1492. Students spend several weeks preparing for and writing a short story from the point of view of either a Spanish sailor or a Taino Indian. The story is supposed to reveal their understanding of historical events, and students are judged on how realistically they present their character, the setting, and events, among other criteria. Students are expected to revise their stories at least once, and the audience for the task is 5th grade students who are also studying 1492. Reading from one student's story, Lewin clearly demonstrated how "Amanda" displayed her mastery of historical facts and her understanding of the qualities of an engaging piece of historical fiction writing.
How does Lewin prepare middle school students for such a demanding performance? "We practice," he said half-jokingly. The class reads lots of historical fiction to help them better understand the genre. At the beginning of the unit, students must create fictional characters (a Spanish sailor and a Taino). Several class assignments then call upon students to further develop their characters. (For example, students write a short expository piece on "A Sailor's Life" before the final performance task.) In this fashion, several mini performance tasks serve as building blocks to the culminating performance task. In addition, students learn skills and tactics throughout the course that help them perform well on the task, such as reading for comprehension and writing as a process.
Criteria Spelled Out
Another example of how assessment and instruction go hand in hand is the development and use of the criteria for scoring student work. By creating scoring guides and rubrics that convey the attributes of a quality performance, and the distinctions that separate a so-so performance from a great one, Lewin has the tools to evaluate student work fairly and accurately.
The criteria are essential for teachers to evaluate, Lewin said, but they have other uses as well. When students are familiar with the criteria from the time the task is announced, they, in effect, know what attributes their work must have to earn a passing mark. "I'm fed up with kids asking me: 'What grade did you give me?' as if it were all up to the teacher," Lewin said. A rubric helps students "connect their performance to the grade they earn."
Once student work has been scored, the rubric can provide a starting point for additional instruction. If, for example, a student's persuasive essay was mechanically sound and well-organized but lacked a compelling point of view, the teacher and student can go back to the rubric, see specifically how the piece was deficient, and figure out what additional instruction and student practice might improve it.
Lewin was careful to note that the entire curriculum in his class is not built around performance tasks, and he continues to use a variety of traditional assessments, including short-answer tests and true-or-false quizzes. But he emphasized that "performance tasks motivate kids to perform at a higher level. It's a much more interactive way of learning."
After the 1492 unit was over, Lewin asked his students to do one more performance task: write a "training manual" that would help the students in next year's class understand how to succeed in the unit. The manuals helped him revise the curriculum, as well as serving as a learning aid for the new students. Which perhaps proves the point that thoughtful assessments contribute to better classroom practice well before—and long after—the tests have been given and graded.
