Using Performance-Based Assessment to Make Instructional Decisions

1. Using Performance-Based Assessment to Make Instructional Decisions SCCGE Dr. Elissa Brown Charleston, SC Ms. Mandy Fordham November 29, 2006 Center for Gifted Education College of William & Mary

2. Benefits of Performance-Based Assessment • Targets high level skills; performance-based assessments require students to operate at higher levels of application, synthesis, analysis and evaluation • Allows for students to show depth and complexity through task assignment • Conveys higher level expectations for student performance • Allows the teacher to collect data and monitor student performance over time • Complements standardized testing through student demonstration • Works more efficiently as a tool to examine students’ mastery in an area

3. Components of Authentic Assessment • Measurements are essential, not needlessly intrusive, arbitrary, or contrived to “shake out” a grade. • Measurements are enabling, constructed to point the student toward more sophisticated use of skills or knowledge. • Measurements are contextualized, complex intellectual challenges, not atomized tasks corresponding to isolated outcomes. • Measurements involve the student’s own research or use of knowledge, for which content is a means. • Measurements assess student habits and repertoires, not mere recall or plug-in skills. • Measurements are representative challenges, designed to emphasize depth more than breadth. • Measurements are engaging and educational. • Measurements involve somewhat ambiguous (ill-structured) tasks or problems. - Wiggins, 1989

4. “Time” Concept Pre-Assessment Tell in pictures and numbers what you know about telling time.

8. Literary Analysis Rubric 1. State and explain the main idea of the story. 2. Use your own words to explain what you think the author means by . . . • What does the piece tell us about the idea of change? Support what you say with details from the reading. • Create a new title for the reading. Give support from the piece for your new title. ** Possible score of 0-8 per question, maximum total score of 32.

9. Literary Analysis Activity • In grade level groups, you will be scoring a set of actual student responses to the Literary Analysis questions corresponding to your grade level. • Formulate responses to the question: How would you help this student reach the next level of performance?

10. Literary Analysis: 3rd GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? 1.Important idea: The important idea of the story was a miser who got a lot of money and buried it. Then a thief just happened to find the gold and stole it. 2.“A possession is worth no more than the use we make of it.”: I think it means if something is yours and you never use it, don’t hide it or someone just someone may steal it and never-ever in your life return it ever again.” 3. Idea of change: “It tells us change may be randomly. It can be randomly because the miser never new someone may be stealing his money.” 4. New title for the story: “A good title for this story would the The Mad Miser because the miser was mad when he found out someone stealed his money. Also, the miser was mad with the stranger.”

11. Literary Analysis: 4th GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • Main Idea: Zhanna was worried about her husband. Her neighbor widow died and her children were sleeping next to her body. • “They had been covered carefully with the mother’s threadbare shawl and with her dress.”: Her kids were covered by a piece of fabric and her dress. • Change: The neighbor was barely alive to dead. Zhanna’s neighbor did not live that long in the story. • Title: So Little Time, So Much Love. Because Zhanna’s neighbor didn’t live long in the story, but she had so much love.

12. Literary Analysis: 5th GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • Important Idea: The person who wrote the poem is picturing a world without racism. • “It’s going to be a sad song, brother, Because we don’t know the tune, And it’s a difficult tune to learn.”: Although it will be strange to learn, it is well worth it. • Change: Since the author states “There is no such thing as a black tune, There is no such thing as a white tune, There’s only music, brother,” the author wants us to end racism. Ending racism would change the world. • Title: No Colors, Just Music. I choose this title because the author describes unity without color. I also choose this title because it describes music without color.

13. Literary Analysis: Debriefing • What areas of scoring were particularly challenging for you and your group members? How did you address these challenges?

14. Persuasive Writing

15. Persuasive Writing Rubric • Claim or Opinion • Data or Supporting Points • Elaboration • Conclusion ** Possible score of 0-6 per criteria; 0-8 per criteria, maximum total score of 28 (based on Burkhalter, 1995).

16. Persuasive Writing Activity • In grade level groups, you will scoring a set of actual student responses to the Persuasive Writing prompts corresponding to your grade level. • Formulate responses to the question: How would you help this student reach the next level of performance?

17. Persuasive Writing: 3rd GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • “Students in my grade should be required to read this book a lot. Students should read this book a lot because it can help them learn if you get something and you don’t use it what was the reason of buying it. Also to teach you that you shouldn’t yell and scream at someone when you get very, very, very mad! Finally, the last reason is never hide any of your things where someone can see it. These are my three reasons why students should read this book a lot.”

18. Persuasive Writing: 4th GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • “Yes, I think “Poor People” should be required reading for all the students in my grade because the story “Poor People” is about a person named Zhanna caring for her neighbor and when other kids in my grade read this story they’ll probably learn about caring and helping others. Another reason why I think the story “Poor People” should be read by all the kids in my grade because it demonstrates an example of showing kindness, caring, and love. If kids in my grade read this story they can realize they can help others by caring, showing kindness, and loving one another. More reasons why kids in my grade should be required to read “Poor People” because it helps the kids realize that if they don’t help one another they’re not caring and that nobody won’t help them if they don’t help another person. That’s what I think about should kids be required to read “Poor People”.

19. Persuasive Writing: 4th GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • “I don’t think that the story “Poor People” should be read by all students in my grade. First, the story doesn’t teach you anything. It also isn’t very important. Second, the story isn’t very difficult and the readers can easily get bored. Also, it’s only about four pages long. Lastly, the story might cause sadness. It might because the widow died and Zhanna and her husband might not survive. Finally, I believe that the story “Poor People” should not be read by all students in fourth grade.”

20. Persuasive Writing: 5th GradeHow would you help this student reach the next level? • The Chosen Poem Do I think the poem, “Where the Rainbow Ends,” should be required for all students in my grade? Of course I do! This poem states that you should rather sing together than alone. Especially if you are different races. It teachers you that there is no such thing as a black tune or a white tune. It is just music. Don’t judge people by there color of there skin. We are all brothers and sisters. It also tells us that a tune is very hard to learn. If we work together, we can definitely do it. This poem will tell everyone in the world to be a family. • If I was the one who wrote that poem, it would be a story instead. It would be a story because there is a lot to talk about. This poem is going to be an Oscar. That is why I think all the children in my grade should be able to read this poem.

21. Persuasive Writing: Debriefing • How did you distinguish between a “strong” paragraph and a “weak” paragraph? • What areas of scoring were particularly challenging for you and your group members? How did you address these challenges?

22. Helping Students Make Gains • You have scored the performance-based assessment, now what? • What curricular and instructional strategies can you use in the classroom to help students make gains? • What strategies could you use to provide additional challenges for a student who is already scoring at the high end of the rubrics?

23. Your Thoughts • Now that you have had a chance to review some example papers and share your reasons for your scores . . . • What benefits do you see being provided by performance-based assessment? • What is the interface between performance-based assessment and state assessments? • What advice would you give to educators beginning to use performance-based assessments? • How might you use pre and post performance based assessments to guide student learning?

24. “...if the next generation is to face the future with zest and self-confidence, we must educate them to be original as well as competent.” • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi