Kentucky Department of Education -...

Kentucky Department of EducationWilmer S. Cody, Commissioner

Kentucky Board of Education

Alice Ann Combs Joseph Kelly, Chairman Dr. Samuel RobinsonLaken Cosby, Jr. Jeffrey C. Mando Martha Dell SandersDr. Gary Cox (ex-officio) Helen Mountjoy Craig TrueThomas E. Gish Margaret Pope Jane Adams Venters

Division of Curriculum and Assessment Development18th Floor, Capital Plaza Tower, 500 Mero Street

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Telephone: (502)564-2106

Dr. Betty Edwards, DirectorAnn Bartosh David Green Rhonda SimsJean Cain Pat Higgins Carol TuningFloria Clay Tricia Kerr Kay VincentNijel Clayton Arthur Patterson Kaye WarnerAgnes Durbin Fran W. Salyers Larry West

Support StaffTina DruryMarlene BoyleLeora Ruble

This document may be copied only for use by schools with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Anyother reproduction requires the written permission from the Kentucky Department of Education,the Division of Curriculum and Assessment Development, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky

40601. If you have questions about this document, call

(502) 564-2106 or 1-800-KDE-KERA (inside Kentucky).

The Kentucky Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services.

©The Kentucky Department of Education, 1996Printed with state funds

Table of Contents

Introduction iiiPart I, Design Process 1

Reviewing the Terms 2Reviewing Types of Performance Assessment 4Designing a Performance Task 6Determining the Focus 8Defining the Evidence of Learning 10Creating a Context for the Task 12Writing the Directions 16Deciding on an Audience 20Developing the Scoring Guide 22Revising the Performance Task 24Deciding Between an Analytic and a Holistic Scoring Guide 26

Part II, Sample Tasks 29Sample 1: Museum in a Box 30Sample 2: Calendar Star 34Sample 3: Automobile Buyer’s Guide 37Sample 4: Art in Society 40Sample 5: The Storage Area 45Sample 6: Modern Day Tall Tales 48

Part III, Worksheets 51Determining a Focus 52Creating a Context 53Writing the Directions 54Deciding on an Audience 55Scoring Guide Development 56

Bibliography 57

IntroductionWhen you see this publication the first time you may be asking yourself, “Why has the Department of Education decided to distribute a documentfocusing on performance assessment?” Performance-based learning is, andwill continue to be, the cornerstone of educational reform, not only in Kentucky, but across the country. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about how to design good performance tasks and how touse them in the classroom. Questions teachers have about tasks rangefrom, “What is a scoring guide?” to “How do I find time to do all of this inmy classroom and continue to do the really important things?” While nosingle publication or workshop can ever claim to answer every questionteachers have about performance tasks, this document attempts to addressmany of those issues. It primarily concentrates on guiding you through theprocess of developing a performance task with the hope that it will help youcontinue to provide the best possible educational opportunities for yourstudents.

The manual is presented in three parts. After briefly discussing the broadconcept of performance assessment, Part 1 focuses on the process of designing an effective performance task. Within this discussion you will finda description of the six steps in the design process, an examination of issuessurrounding each step, and examples of how this may appear in an actualperformance task.

Part 11 offers six sample performance tasks covering a variety of grade levelsand disciplines. While each sample performance task is presented in itsentirety, the component parts are also identified so you can follow thedevelopment process mentioned in Part 1. Accompanying each componentof the task is an analysis which expla ins significant aspects of the task.

The performance tasks appearing in Part 11 are offered only as examples. While they do show how specific components of a task may be developed, they are not perfect. Hopefully, you will be able to use them as models when you design tasks. These samples may also prompt you to imagine other ideas for performance tasks.

Worksheets which can be used as a guide through the development process can be found in Part 111. These worksheets are provided only as an aid for the development of your own performance tasks. A final version of the task can be prepared for distribution to students.

As you write your own performance tasks you are encouraged to work with colleagues, review other resources, and concentrate on the parts of this manual which are most helpful to you. However you decide to create performance tasks and use this document, it is most important that you design and assign performance tasks in your classroom. While fixed-response tests will continue to provide educators with information about what students know, it is only through performance assessment that we willbe able to discover what students understand and can do with theknowledge they possess. For this reason, designing quality performance tasks is a fundamental responsibility of all teachers.

Part IDesignProcess

Reviewing the Terms

I have heard a lot of talk about performanceassessment, performance-based learning,authentic assessment, alternative assessment,and culminating performances. What are thedifferences among these assessment forms?

People are often confused by the assortment ofterms which are used when talking about newassessment methods. Adding to the confusion isthe way "experts" seem to imply that each ofthese terms has some special significance whichwill unlock the mystery of assessment. It is truethat each of these terms has a specific meaning.They are all related, however, in that each ofthem makes a direct connection between studentlearning and assessment. They are all founded onthe principle that students learn best when theyare actively engaged in gaining knowledge and arerequired to show evidence that they have learned. In this respect, each of these assessment formsintegrates student learning with the evaluation ofstudent work. For consistency, the termperformance assessment will be used in thisdocument when talking about an assessmentwhich asks students both what they know andhow they can apply the knowledge.

Assessmentshould have a directconnection withwhat students learn.

Students learn

best when they areactive learners.

Studentsshould be requiredto show evidence oftheir learning.

Key Points

Clarifying the Terminology

These various assessment terms are essentially different wordsdescribing a common philosophy about student assessment. It isuseful, however, to understand the terminology because not everyonewill use these

Performance Assessment is any assessment which requires students to bothshow and apply what they have learned. Open-response questions, performance tasks and events,and portfolio prompts are all considered to betypes of performance assessment.

Alternative Assessment is a term used to group performance events,open-response questions, and portfolios into asingle category. These assessments differ fromothers in that students develop their own responsesto questions instead of choosing from apredetermined set of options.

Authentic Assessment is a type of performance assessment which requiresthe students to do a task they would normally haveto do in the world outside of school.

Culminating Performance is the assessment that students complete as theconcluding piece of a unit of study.

Performance-based Learning is an instructional style which provides studentswith a variety of opportunities and ways to learnand demonstrate achievement.

ideas to mean the same thing. The definitions belowexplain the differences in meanings.

It may be helpful to visualize performance-based learning as themanner in which a teacher organizes instruction in the classroom andperformance assessment as the way students are evaluated in thisclassroom. The other forms of assessment indicated above are allsubsets of performance assessment. This is illustrated below.

Learning

AuthenticAssessment

AlternativeAssessment

CulminatingPerformance

PerformanceAssessment

-

Reviewing Types of PerformanceAssessment

So performance assessment requires students to bothshow and apply what they have learned. Are allperformance assessments pretty much the same,then?

There are several types of performance assessments. As a Kentucky teacher, you are probably most familiarwith open-response, performance events, and portfolioprompts. Some people make a distinction betweenperformance events and performance tasks. Performance events are usually thought of asassessments which take a brief amount of time andprovide most of the information students need tocomplete the assignment. Performance tasks aremore complex in nature; may take several days forstudents to complete; and require students to useseveral skills or strategies. In this manual, performance events and tasks will both be referred toas performance tasks. These two assessment types aredesigned similarly and share common traits. Open-response questions and portfolio prompts are not specifically addressed in this document.

The primary trait of a performance task is thatstudents must develop a real product or complete ademonstration of their learning. Performance tasksare based on a significant issue or question and requirethe student to do some investigation and work. Thereis no point in developing a performance task to assessstudents' knowledge of information which is easilytested by fixed-response questions (likemultiple-choice).

• Open-response,performance events,performance tasks,and portfolioprompts are all typesof performanceassessment.

Performanceevents andperformance tasksshare common traitsand are designedusing the sameprocess.

Performanceassessments requirestudents to showtheir learningthrough a tangibleproduct ordemonstration.

Performanceassessments shouldbe based on asignificant issue oran importantquestion.

Key Points

If You’re Having Doubts

Using performance assessment in the classroom does not mean thatthe curriculum has been “watered-down” nor does it mean that youneed to add hours and hours to your work load. Creating aperformance-based learning environment, however, does require someteachers to make fundamental changes. It requires teachers to makedecisions in the early stages of planning about what their studentsshould know and what they should be able to do with this knowledge. When thinking about the value of performance assessment, considerthe list of advantages below.

Performance assessment provides . . .

teachers with a deeper understanding of what students knowand what should be done to further their learning.

teachers with a method of evaluation which is moreinteresting and relevant to students than other assessmentmethods.

teachers with a method of both discovering what studentsknow and observing how they can apply the knowledge.

teachers with an efficient way to evaluate students in astandards-based educational system.

teachers with an adaptable method of assessing a variety ofstudent talents and abilities.

students with a more engaging and active way of learning.

students with more information about what they are expectedto know and be able to do than fixed-response tests (such asmultiple-choice).

Designing a Performance Task

How should a performance task be designed, then? Is there an easy process to follow to create a goodperformance task?

In designing a performance task, there are six steps. The place to begin is to decide what the studentsshould learn and how they can prove that they havelearned it. This becomes the focus of the task. Once you know what you are looking for in thisassessment item, a context should be created. Writing the directions for the students can becompleted next. Then, an audience for the taskmust be identified. After this, a scoring guide isdeveloped which will allow you to assess the studentperformance. Finally, the task should be reviewedand revised.

Keep in mind that this is a design process. As withany creative process, there is revisiting, revision, andrecreating that occurs. This will mean that you willhave to constantly return to parts of the task whichwere developed earlier.

Effective performance tasks should be well-designed. While a well-designed task will notguarantee that students will successfully reach all ofthe goals the teacher has established, a poorlydesigned task creates a certainty of failure forstudents and teachers.

The six steps indesigning aperformance taskinclude:1. Determining a focus;2. Creating a context;3. Writing the directions;4. Deciding on an audience;5. Developing a scoring guide; and,6. Reviewing and revising the task.

Designing aperformance task is aprocess whichrequires revision andrewriting.

Performanceassessments must bewell-designed if theyare to be usedsuccessfully.

Key Points

A Reference Chart

The chart at right illustratesthe design process discussedin this document. You mightfind this helpful as a quickreference guide when youdevelop your own performancetasks.

This booklet outlines a processfor

Determine a Focus• Target an Academic Expectation or a

content standard• Determine the Evidence of Learning

Create a Context• Choose a significant question or an

important problem • Develop a background scenario

ê

Write the Directions• Describe in clear language what students

are expected to know and do• Describe the product or performance

students are expected to develop

Decide on an Audience• Identify an authentic audience when

possible

Develop the Scoring Guide• Write a descriptor of a quality performance• Determine an appropriate number of

performance levels• Write descriptors for all performance levels

Review and Revise the Performance Task • Add Academic Expectations or content

standards• Complete the scoring guide

Step 3

Step 1

Step 2

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Designing a Performance Task

ê

ê

ê

ê

designing a performanceassessment task. Keep inmind, however, that this is justa suggested process that theKentucky Department ofEducation is providing forteachers. It is not the onlyprocess which you may finduseful. You are encouraged towork through the processoutlined here and makeadaptations as needed. Also,you may wish to review otherdesign processes. Abibliography is included at theend of this booklet whichidentifies several resources forlooking at other designdescriptions.

Determining the Focus

I understand that the process of developing theperformance task is important. How do I getstarted?

The focus for the performance task is what youdecide that students should know and be able todo. Perhaps the best way to begin determining afocus is to concentrate on one AcademicExpectation or content standard. In doing this,you will have targeted the Expectation or standardfor assessment. Once you have an initial draft ofthe complete performance task and scoring guide,review the task to determine whether or not otherExpectations or standards can easily be targeted. Then the draft of the task can be revised and afinal version can be prepared for the students. Targeting multiple Academic Expectations orcontent standards is discussed further on page 25.

Be careful not to target so many Expectations orcontent standards for assessment that you areunable to assess them all. It might be a good ideato only target one Academic Expectation orcontent standard the first time you design aperformance task. Once you have developed a fewtasks you will find it easy to target more. Three tosix Expectations or standards are probably amanageable number to assess.

The focus for aperformance task iswhat students areexpected to learn anddo.

To determinethe focus, begin bychoosing oneAcademic Expectationor content standard totarget for assessment.

After a draft ofthe task is completed,review it to see ifmore AcademicExpectations orstandards need to betargeted forassessment.

Assess areasonable number ofExpectations andstandards. Targetingthree to sixExpectations orstandards is enough.

Key Points

Some Examples of FocusBecause schools are held accountable for how well they are able to addressthe Academic Expectations, the Expectations should be a primaryconsideration in deciding what students should know and be able to do inthe focus of a performance task. Other resources can also provide guidancein determining the focus. For example, Core Content for Assessment,national standards, and local curriculum documents are all resources whereyou may find ideas about what to assess.

Determining a Focus Academic Expectation or Content Standard:

Academic Expectation 2.20: Historical

Perspective--Students understand, analyze, and

Evidence of Learning:

interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and

issues to develop historical perspective.

Sample 1,"Museum in a Box," Part II, page 30

Transformations: Kentucky’s CurriculumFramework is the best resource for teacherswho want to target the AcademicExpectations as part of the focus. TheFramework includes information about eachExpectation. It also includes “demonstrators”which explain the kind of student work whichmight appear as the Academic Expectationsare being addressed. In the task shown atleft, an eighth-grade social studies teacherhas chosen to focus on Academic Expectation2.20, Historical Perspective.

Determining a Focus Academic Expectation or Content Standard:Core Content : Objects in the sky have patterns of movement. The sun, for example, appears to move


across the sky in the same way every day, but its

path changes slowly over the seasons. The rotation

of the earth causes the moon to appear to move

The observable shape of the moon changes from across the sky on a daily basis much like the sun.

day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month.

Sample 2,"Calendar Star," Part II, page 34

An elementary teacher may decide to use astatement from the Core Content forAssessment to provide the focus for a scienceperformance task as shown in the sampletask at right. Using Core Content forAssessment in this way will help preparestudents for the KIRIS test. Statements fromlocal curriculum guides or national standardsdocuments can also be used to helpdetermine the focus.

Defining the Evidence of Learning

Once an Academic Expectation or contentstandard has been chosen, what is next in theprocess?

When an Academic Expectation or contentstandard has been selected to be assessed,the next step is to decide how to know whenstudents have achieved this learning goal. Thisis the evidence of learning. The evidence oflearning explains what students have to do toprove that they have learned what wasintended. It will become the basis of thescoring guide later in the process.

The evidence of learning is a part of theprocess which is most often overlooked byteachers and yet, if it is not defined at thispoint the task may not accomplish what wasintended. Once the evidence of learning hasbeen established, a task can be developedwhich will allow students to show that theylearned what was expected.

The evidenceof learning is thecriteria used toevaluate whether ornot a student hasachieved anAcademicExpectation or acontent standard.

The evidenceof learning is thebasis for the scoringguide which will bedeveloped later.

The evidenceof learning providesdirection indeveloping theperformance task.

Key Points

Some Ideas Which Might HelpThere are several resources available to help decide what evidence of

learning students should provide. The“demonstrators” found in Volume I

of Transformations: Kentucky’sCurriculum Framework

sources and artifacts to create an account of an

historical event.


Academic Expectation 2.20: Historical

Perspective--Students understand, analyze, and


interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and

issues to develop historical perspective.

Students are able to use a variety of informational

Sample 1, "Museum in a Box," Part II, page 30


Academic Expectation 2.30: Consumerism--Students evaluate consumer products and services


and make effective consumer decisions.

Students are able to evaluate consumer information,

rights, and responsibilities.

Sample 3, "Automobile Buyer's Guide," Part II, page 37

can often beused as the evidence of learning with fewor no changes. The Practical Living taskshown at left illustrates how this mightappear. Kentucky’s Core Content forAssessment and the national standardsdocuments are sources of ideas for theevidence of learning. The bibliographyalso includes several KentuckyDepartment of Education publicationsthat may be helpful.

Of course, no one knows better than youwhat to look for as proof that yourstudents have learned. After reviewingsome resources, you may decide todevelop your own evidence of learning. Ifyou decide to do so, using verbs whichreflect Bloom’s Taxonomy or theMultiple Intelligences will be helpful.These lists are available in manypublications. The illustration at rightfrom “Museum in a Box” shows how thiscould be done using ideas from theevaluation level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Once the focus has been determined the taskcan be written. How should that be done?

A performance task actually has three parts:the context, the student directions, and theaudience.

It is important to develop a context for thetask because it is an explanation, in studentterms, as to why the task is worth doing. Thecontext should engage the students in thetask.

The context will usually include a focusquestion or problem and a backgroundscenario. The focus should center around asignificant question or an important problemto which students will want to find an answeror a solution. The scenario should drawstudents into the task. It is the "hook" whichengages students.

The three partsof a performance taskare the context, thestudent directions,and the audience.

The contextengages the studentsand shows why thetask is worth doing.

The contextshould focus on asignificant questionor important problem.

The contextshould also include abackground statementwhich will engage thestudents in the task.

Creating a Context for the Task

Key Points

Finding a Question or Issue

Finding the right question or issue is very important in designing a goodperformance task. It would be great if there were some specific steps whichcould be followed to uncover challenging questions and issues. The truth is,however, that what works as a good question or issue may vary from teacherto teacher, classroom to classroom, and task to task. There are a fewguidelines which may help in making the decision about what question to askor issue to investigate.

• The question or issue should present students with an opportunityfor exploration. Answering the question or solving the issue shouldrequire students to look at various options. In other words, tasksshould be open-ended.

• Answering the question or investigating the issue should be acomplex job for students. It should require them to search,analyze, and synthesize information. A good performance taskwill require students to engage in a quest.

• Students should believe that the question or issue is worth

studying. They should be interested in finding the answers orsolutions. Possible solutions to the task should be based in realityand not simply based on opinion. The problems posed in thetasks should require students to plan and develop strategies tofind solutions.

• It should be feasible for students to answer the question orinvestigate the issue. A task which appears to be very good maybe disastrous if students are frustrated in developing a productbecause of limited resources or other factors. For example, askingstudents to provide a simple solution for eliminating world conflictwould not be appropriate since world leaders with access to greatresources are unable to attain that goal.

Some Examples

The chart below shows some examples of questions and issues which mightbe used in developing a context for a performance task. They are arrangedby discipline but it should be noted that many of them could be consideredinterdisciplinary questions or issues. Because of this, some of these examplesmay be used as the basis for performance tasks for integrated assessments.

Social Studies• What events in American history should all citizens know?• Does the United States Constitution favor individual rights over group rights?• The role of the individual in history• The connections between regions and occupations

Mathematics• How big is a million?• Explaining voting trends using data analysis• Is Euclidian geometry the only geometry?• How does "bigger area" relate to perimeter?

Science• Developing appropriate and accurate conclusions based on data• Can patterns be predicted?• How do systems interact?• Explaining how factors influence evolving systems

Language Arts• Is the pen really mightier than the sword? • Literature as an instrument of the oppressed• Is style more important than substance in a debate? • Are the works of Shakespeare timeless?

Practical Living• Defining personal safety• Is life insurance a good investment or should money be invested in other ways? • What are the characteristics of a healthy lifestyle?• The effects of advertising on consumer decisions

Vocational Studies• What types of jobs will be in demand five years from now?• What are employers looking for in a good employee?• Do employers ask workers to give up too much of their personal lives?• Does an education really help in getting a job?

Arts andHumanities• How does "setting" affect a drama?• Does music "calm the savage beast?"• Movies: art or entertainment?• What is the role of the artist/author in defining a culture?

Some Final Thoughts About Context

The context for the performance task can be as simple or as involved as youwant to make it. In some cases there may be very little need for detailedbackground information. For example,in “Art in Society” (shown at right), a high

Creating a ContextOur topic for today's class discussion was, "Do thearts reflect or change the beliefs of society?" Thisdiscussion was just the beginning of our investigation of this question.

Sample 4, "Art in Society," Part II, page 40

Creating a Context I was talking with the school librarian last month and he was explaining to me that he did not haveenough information in the library for students whoare studying American history. He said that one ofhis goals for the library is to have resources, other

than books, available for students. Unfortunately,

he is having difficulty finding these resources for

historical topics. After discussing this situation forseveral minutes, we came up with a plan to solve

able to check them out just like they would a book.


the problem. Our class is going to produce collections of materials called "Museums in a

Box." Each of these museums will address aspecific topic in American history and will be kept

in the library so that students in the future will be

The class has been divided into groups of four.Each group is being asked to create a "Museum in

a Box" on a topic which they have chosen. Your

group has chosen to create a box focusing on ManifestDestiny. As you have told me several times, our

school humanities teacher has planned tohave her students complete a performancetask as a follow-up to a class discussion.(Complete examples are provide in Part II.)

Sometimes, students may need thebackground to be more elaborate. Manyteachers enjoy writing these scenariosbecause it gives the teacher an opportunityto be creative--to be an author of mysteries,adventures, and open-ended stories. “Museum in a Box,” illustrated below, is an example of a performance taskwith this kind of context.

Creating a Context(continued)classroom is full of old books, pictures, records,and a hodgepodge of stuff which is collecting dust.Well, now it is your time to use all of that stuff.

Your group should look through all of these materialsand choose the items which you believe can be

included as exhibits in your "Museum in a Box."You may use any chapters from old textbooks (inwhole or in part), recordings, pictures, documents,or anything else you find in the classroom which will help. You may use other resources besides

those you find in our classroom if you want. Yourgroup will also be given a blank audiocassette tape.

The purpose for this tape will be explained later.


Writing the Directions

What are the main features of the directions? Are there certain guidelines that should befollowed in writing the directions?

The most important thing to rememberabout writing the directions for theperformance task is to make sure that theyare clear to the students. That may seemobvious but it is easy to write the directionsfor a task and think they are very clear. Sometimes, however, what is clear to you, asan author, may not be clear to others.

The best way to insure the clarity of thedirections is to let several people read thembefore the task is assigned to students. Other teachers and students can be helpfulin giving feedback about clarity.

Directions for the task should explain whatstudents are expected to do and what thefinal product or performance will be. Performance tasks should include a tangibleproduct or performance which will beevaluated. This is the defining characteristicof a performance assessment task.

Make thedirections to studentsas clear as possible.

Ask otherteachers and studentsto review thedirections to makesure that thedirections are clear.

Directions forperformance tasksshould explain whatstudents are expectedto do and describe theproduct orperformance they willhave to complete.

All performancetasks have a tangibleproduct orperformance which isevaluated.

Key Points

The Details of the Task

The directions for the task need to include specific instructions to studentsexplaining what they are expected to do through their products orpresentations. A few possibilities are listed below.

Persuade an Audience Analyze a PerspectiveDesign a Product Compare and ContrastPerform an Experiment Investigate an IssueSolve a Problem Provide SupportInterpret an Event Make a Decision

PRODUCTS

• Models/Diagrams • Photo Journals

• Postition Papers • Storyboards • Editorials • Editorial Cartoons • Lab Reports • Poems/Song Lyrics • Dioramas • Advertisements • Pictures/Collages • Simulated Newspaper • Technical Writing Articles

PERFORMANCES

• Plays • Oral Defense of Work • Video Presentations• Audio Presentations • Musical • Presentations to Live Performances Audiences • Speeches/Debates • "How-to" Explanations • Guided Tours of • Public Readings of Exhibitions Original Work

The amount of detail needed in outlining exactly how students are supposedto complete the task depends on several factors. If the students have littleexperience in doing performance tasks you may need to provide fairly explicitinstructions about how to do the task. Early in the school year, it might beespecially helpful to have examples of quality work from students whocompleted the task in past years. These can be used as exemplary modelsand challenge students to produce even better products or performances. You may also find that younger students need more direction than olderstudents. Certainly, as students take more responsibility for their learning,they should require fewer details about how to do a performance task. Amodel or example which illustrates your expectations will always helpstudents understand the task no matter what their level.

All performance tasks have a tangible product or performance whichstudents must complete. This is the “what” aspect of the task so it is veryimportant that students understand the expectations. Some possibleproducts and performances appear below.

Examples of Student Tasks


1. Choose and view one of the following performances from our video library: a) Inherit the

Wind, b) Our Town, c) American Graffiti,d) Meet John Doe, e) The Great Dictator.2. Research the background of the drama. Investigatequestions like, "What purpose for the drama did theauthors have in mind when they created the production?"; "What caused the authors to believe thisproduction would be interesting to an audience?";

"What were the important issues confronting American society at the time this drama was popular?"; and, "Didthis drama increase America's awareness of, or

3. Analyze the impact of this drama on society.Answer the question: Did the drama "reflect" or

"change" the beliefs of American society?4. Next Friday, we will divide into groups of five.Groups will be determined by assigning students who

reviewed different dramas so that no drama is


concern with, a particular issue?"


I am going to show you some photographs that

were made in the front of the school. These picturesshow the sun soon after dawn as it appears atdifferent times during the year. The first picture

was made in January, and there are eleven otherpictures--one for the same day of each month.

In your group, I want you to discuss what you notice about these pictures. Pay close attention tothings like the direction of the shadows, the way the

trees look, how close the sun appears to the side of the school, or anything else you think may be important. On the back of each picture you willfind the month it was taken. You might find that helpful to know. Be sure to keep your own list

of things you notice in the pictures. Once your group has finished looking at the picturesyou should take your list back to your workstation.

What I would like for you to do is create a calendar page for each month of the year. On each of the

Sample 2, "Calendar Star," Part II, page 34

Writing the Directions(continued )

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward

the sun during that month,

• A sketch which shows how the change in sunlight

affects things around our school (things like trees,

animals, and our activities), and• A short paragraph which tells about the sketch mentioned above, talks about the path


followed by the earth as it revolves around the sun, and explains why many of the changes we can

observe as the seasons change have something to do with the way the earth revolves around the sun.

This week, we will use our science classtime towork on this project. You may use that time each dayto research information, work on your sketch, or writethe paragraphs that go on the calendar. Make sure that

all pieces of writing go through the writing process. At the end of the science time each day, you will

Writing the Directions(continued )

and what problems (if any) you are having. Duringthe time you are working, I will meet with students

who are having problems or need questions

answered. You are encouraged to work at home, if

needed. If you do work at home, please write a letter to me which explains what you did. The final product is due next Monday!


in class that day, what you plan to do the next day, write a short letter to me which explains what you didtwelve pages you are required to have the following:

“Calendar Star,” shown below, is an example of student directions that providea detailed explanation of the work students in an upper elementary science classare to be assigned. A teacher might read these directions to students andperiodically remind them about what they are supposed to do.

“Art in Society,” a high school task shown below, is an example of studentdirections which many students would understand without much teacherexplanation. No matter how self-explanatory the directions appear to be,however, it is advisable to continually talk with students while they are workingto see if there are questions or to make sure the directions are clear.


share your analysis in an 8 minute presentation whichgives background about society at the time the drama

was produced, background about the drama, and a

discussion about the drama's impact on or its

reflection of society. You must use props in yourpresentation including charts, pictures, and video clips(no more than 2 minutes of your presentation may be devoted to video clips). Your presentation will be

guide provided.5. On the next Friday, you are responsible for

the question, "Do drama productions, as a form of art,reflect the beliefs of society or do they cause societyto change its beliefs?" Your essay will be evaluated by

a committee of teachers which include a historyteacher, a language arts teacher, and me. The essay


you will present your findings to the group. You must

assessed by the group members using the scoring

turning in a formal essay which addresses the


also should be sure to follow the rules of formalwriting. You are encouraged to use other resources to support your point of view.


supporting examples for your point of view. Youuse the dramas that your group discussed as

should address the main question, and you shouldrepresented in the group more than once. Each of

A Performance Assessment with a Series of Tasks

It will sometimes be useful to design an assessment which will requirestudents to complete a series of performance tasks. In the example task,

“The Storage Area,” shown on this page, the students are asked by a middleschool mathematics teacher to design astorage area for the classroom. This isan example of how an assessment canbe created using a series of tasks. (“Calendar Star,” Sample 2, and “Art inSociety,” Sample 4, are also assessmentswhich involve a series of tasks.)


Task 1, Group Work:In a group with three other students, you are to

decide what the best design for this storage area

would be. It must meet all of the requirements I

mentioned above. The group should create a

drawing of the design which will show how the storage area will look when it is built. The groupshould then compile a list of reasons which explain

why this design will work.

Sample 5, "The Storage Area," Part II, page 46

The first task in the series focuses ongroup work that the students will do. Ifthe task were to end at this point, itwould be difficult to hold each studentaccountable for his or her work. For thisreason, the teacher decided to take thetask a step further.


Task 2: Individual Work:As an individual, make a copy of the design your

group created. Using this sketch, create a diagram

showing where all of our materials and books should

be placed in the storage area. In writing, explain

why you would place each item in the particularspot you have designated. When developing your

diagram consider factors such as size of items,

convenience, and safety. You will be allowed to

share your organizational scheme with your groupmembers to get ideas about how it might be

improved, and you may make any final revisions you think are appropriate.

Sample 5, "The Storage Area," Part II, page 46

The group task is extended by requiringeach student to organize the storagearea and explain his/her reasoning inwriting. This second task can thenbecome the basis of a portfolio piece. Often, the best portfolio items are theones originally completed asperformance tasks.

Deciding on an Audience

How important is it that the performance taskhave an audience? Does the audience alwayshave to be someone outside of the classroom?

Identifying an audience for the performance task isimportant. It helps students better understandwhat is expected by identifying a focus for theproduct or the performance. It also helps to givestudent work some significance and serves as a wayto hold students accountable for doing quality work.

The best audiences are those who have a realinterest in the student performance. This is thepart of the task that is most authentic because thetask takes on a relevance to the student that willnot be achieved in any other way. An audiencedrawn from outside the school is often best. Thereare times, however, when a simulated audience isappropriate (see the next page for examples). Performance tasks which use a simulated audiencewill allow students to practice presentations to aboss, a jury, or a group of potential customers.

There are occasions when the best audience maybe class members or the teacher. These audiencesshould be used when the performance orpresentation will enrich the class, or when theteacher or class has a real interest in the topic.

An audiencehelps the student tounderstand what isexpected of him/herin the task.

An audienceholds the studentsaccountable fordoing quality work.

An audience ofpeople in anauthentic settingmakes theperformance taskauthentic.

Simulated andteacher audiences are appropriate insome situations.

The bestaudience for astudent's product orperformance is madeof people with anhonest interest in thestudent's work.

Key Points

Some Thoughts About Audience

Authentic Audiences• Younger students• Friends/peers• Older students• Local business groups• Newpaper readers• Local community groups - County historical society - Literary society - Veterans association• Library patrons• Radio audiences• Panel of business people• Panel of college professors• Parents

The chart at the top left lists some possible authenticaudiences. Another place to find ideas for authenticaudiences is ”Incorporating Community Resources” inVolume 1 of Transformations. You might also keep afile of people who like to be audiences for studentwork. Surveying parents at the beginning of theschool year may help to locate audience participants.

Sometimes it will be impossible for students topresent or perform before an authentic audience. Inthese instances, a simulated audience made-up ofstudents, or others, who role-play a specific person orgroup will be appropriate. Simulated audiences mayalso be useful when a task is part of a daily lessonembedded in a unit of study. Possible simulatedaudiences are shown in the bottom chart on the left.

Simulated Audiences:• Television audience• Jury• Boss• Co-workers• Congress• Historical figures• Board of directors• Directors of a government bureau• Chemists• Radio audience• Supreme Court• Panel of biologists• Public policy advocates

Occasionally, a teacher may serve as anaudience. For example, a studentpresentation about non-Euclidian geometrymay have a teacher as the only availableaudience.

Students might find it helpful i


Next Friday you will get to perform your tall

tale before Mrs. Allen's fifth-grade class. You will

receive feedback sheets from her class, Mrs. Allen ,

and me. These feedback sheets are copies of the

scoring guide with comments from your audience.

You should take this feedback and continue to make

your presentation better.

The following Tuesday, we will be hosting a Tall

Tale Party at the local nursing home. We will

decorate their party room, provide snacks, and

present our modern day tall tales for people who live

there. They will also be invited to give feedback on

how well you told your tales. Listen carefully to what

they tell you. You may pick up some pointers. (They

may even have some tall tales to tell you!)

The final presentation of your tall tale will be

the next day when we have been invited to tell our

tales to Mr. Humphrey's primary class.

Sample 6, "Modern Day Tall Tales," Part II,page 49

f you design atask with multiple audiences. By doing this,students are allowed to perform before variousgroups with multiple chances to have theirwork assessed. The audience in the exampleshown at right illustrates how this mightappear in a task.

Developing the Scoring Guide

I always have trouble creating a scoring guide. What things should I keep in mind when I amdeveloping one?

Actually, you began work on the scoring guidewhen you identified the evidence of learning. The "evidence" is a description of what studentshave to present so that you know there islearning taking place. This statement becomesthe foundation of the scoring guide.When the task has been written and you areready to develop the scoring guide, review theevidence of learning to make sure that you areassessing what was intended. Then, rewriteand expand the evidence statement so that itreflects this particular task and describes whatstudents are expected to do. You now have adescription of the performance or product youexpect students to create--the qualityperformance level. Examples of performancesor products which match these descriptors(saved from past efforts or developed by theteacher) are helpful to students and should beincluded when possible. The next step is to decide how manyperformance levels are needed (for moreinformation about this see the following pages).A description of each level can then be writtenand a value assigned.

The scoring guideshould be based on theevidence of learning.

Begin creating thescoring guide bydescribing how qualitystudent work willappear.

The descriptor ofquality performanceshould be specific tothe task.

Examples ofquality work should beprovided for thestudents.

Once the qualityperformance isdescribed, write thedescriptors of otherperformance levels.

Key Points

Performance Levels and Values

There are many different styles of scoringguides. The most important considerationin deciding which style to use is to choosethe one which best fits your purpose.

Developing the scoring guide is not an easyenterprise, yet it is one of the mostimportant aspects of a performance task. Once the quality level of studentperformance has been described,descriptors for the other performance levelshave to be written. To do this, you mustdecide how many performance levels yourscoring guide will need and determine thedefining characteristics of each level. Keepin mind when you write the descriptors forthe performance levels that you mustprovide enough information in eachdescriptor for the scorer to observe adifference in the quality of the studentproduct or performance.

The scoring guide from “Museum in a Box,”displayed at right, is a four-level guide. Quality level student work is described inLevel 4. Each of the other levels describes how students have shown their learningto a lesser degree.

Scoring Guide DevelopmentLevel 4: The museum includes all of the items required as outlined in the task. The brochure,audiocassette, and materials included in the museum show a complete understanding of

Manifest Destiny by• identifying events, issues, and people involved

in the era and by making connections among these events, issues, and people and other eras in American history; and,

• showing how the events, issues, and people involved in Manifest Destiny influenced America during this time and/or reflect the history of the era.

The brochure, audiocassette, and other materials

are used to create an interesting, accurate, and


Scoring Guide Developmentinformative account of Manifest Destiny.Level 3: The museum includes all of the itemsoutlined in the task. The brochure, audiocassette,and materials included in the museum show an

understanding of Manifest Destiny by identifyingevents, issues, and people involved in the era and

show how they influenced America duringthis time and/or reflect the history of the era. Thebrochure, audiocassette, and other materials

create an interesting, accurate, and informativeaccount of Manifest Destiny.

Level 2: The museum includes all of the itemsrequired as outlined in the task. The brochure,

audiocassette, and materials included in the

museum show a knowledge about Manifest

Sample 1, "Museum in a Box," Part II,page 32

Scoring Guide DevelopmentDestiny but do not give evidence of understanding.

In other words, an accurate and informativeaccount of Manifest Destiny is presented by thewritten and/or audio portion of the museum butthe connection between this description andother materials is not obvious.Level 1: The museum includes the chronologicaloutline and either the brochure or the audio-

cassette. Students are able to explain the major

events, issues, and people involved in the era ofManifest Destiny through either the brochure or the audiocassette. The other materials in themuseum appear to have been randomly selected.

Sample 1, "Museum in a Box," Part II,page 32

The artifacts and documents may reflect the era

but they are not used to explain anything about it.

Revising the Performance Task

After the scoring guide is written, what'snext? Is there something else that needs tobe done?

Designing a performance task is a cyclicalprocess. After each step in the process iscompleted, you should review the task to makesure that it all fits together. When you havegone through the entire process it is time to takeanother look at the task and decide whether ornot you want to target other AcademicExpectations or content standards.

As you work to refine your task, you will need to determine the evidence of learning for eachExpectation or standard you add. Afterwards,revise the context and the directions to reflectthe revisions.

If you decide to add Expectations or standardsto the performance task, you will need to includeeach one in the scoring guide. You can do thisin several different ways. A separate scoringguide can address each Expectation orstandard. Or, a single analytic scoring guide,which assesses each Expectation or standardseparately, can be used. Another option is touse a holistic scoring guide which assesses theoverall task. For more information on scoringguides see page 26.

Designing aperformance task is acyclical processrequiring revisionand refining.

When AcademicExpectations orcontent standards areadded to the task theevidence of learning,context, directions,and scoring guide have to be adjusted.

Each AcademicExpectation andcontent standardwhich has beentargeted has to bereflected in thescoring guide.

Key Points

Evaluating More than one AcademicExpectation or Content Standard

Throughout this manual, the sampleperformance

Scoring Guide Development

Academic Expectation 2.26, "Cultural Diversity"Level 4: The analysis reviews American societyin the historical period around the time the dramawas produced. The review discusses issuesand/or events which were important to Americansociety at the time. The drama is well researchedto determine how its content would be interpretedby an audience in that time. Specific scenes arecited and reviewed to support ideas about thewriter's/producer's point of view. The dramais discussed in terms of whether it reflected theviews of society and/or influenced the beliefsof society. Credible evidence is used to supportthe analysis.Level 3: The analysis reviews American societyin the historical period around the time the drama was produced. The review discussesissues and/or events which were important toAmerican society at the time. The drama is . . .


tasks have focused on theassessment of one Academic Expectation orcontent standard. As noted earlier, however,performance tasks may be used to evaluatestudents on multiple Academic Expectations orcontent standards. In fact, you may find that


Level 4: The graphics and visuals addinformation to the presentation about dramaand the way it reflects and/or influences society.The illustrations and props also are used tosupport and illustrate the viewpoints expressed inthe presentation. The visuals are based on defensible research. They are effectively designed and planned so that the audience caneasily understand the intent. The audience is notdistracted by mistakes or confused by the included material. The props show careful attention to details.Level 3: The graphics and visuals support and illustrate the viewpoints expressed in the presentation. The visuals are based on defensible research. They are effectivelydesigned and planned so that the audience caneasily understand the intent and is not . . .


Academic Expectation1.13, "Visual Arts"

assessing two or more Expectations orstandards may save time and make sense.

In “Art in Society,” the teacher began designingthe task by targeting Academic Expectation2.26, Cultural Diversity. Once the initial draftof the task was completed, AcademicExpectation 1.13, Visual Arts, was added. Thescoring guides for each of these appear at theright.

Level Analyze and interpret the influenceof dramatic performances on society

Communicate ideas through theuse of graphics and visuals

The analysis reviews American society in the

historical period around the time the drama wasproduced. The review discusses issues and/orevents which were important to American societyat the time. The drama is well researched to

determine how its content would be interpreted byan audience in that time. Specific scenes are citedand reviewed to support ideas about thewriter's/producer's point of view. The drama isdiscussed in terms of whether it reflected the views

of society and /or influenced the beliefs of society. Credible evidence is used to support the analysis.

The graphics and visuals add information to the

presentation about drama and the way it reflectsand/or influences society. The illustrations andprops also are used to support and illustrate theviewpoints expressed in the presentation. The

visuals are based on defensible research. They areeffectively designed and planned so that theaudience can easily understand the intent. Theaudience is not distracted by mistakes or confusedby the included material. The props show careful

attention to details.

4

The analysis reviews American society in the

historical period around the time the drama wasproduced. The review discusses issues and/orevents which were important to American societyat the time. The drama is researched to determinehow its content would be interpreted by an

audience in that time period. The drama isdiscussed in terms of whether it reflected the viewsof society and/or influenced the beliefs of society. Evidence is cited to support the analysis.

The graphics and visuals support and illustrate

the viewpoints expressed in the presentation. The visuals are based on defensible research. They are effectively designed and planned so that

the audience can easily understand the intent. The audience is not distracted by mistakes orconfused by the included materials. Use of thevisuals shows attention to details.

The analysis provides a general review of

American society around the time that the dramawas produced. The drama is researched todetermine how its content would be interpreted by

an audience at that time. The drama is discussed interms of whether it reflected the views of societyand /or influenced the beliefs of society. Evidenceis citied to support the analysis.

The analysis provides a general review of American

society around the time that the drama wasproduced. The drama is researched to determine

how its content would be interpreted by anaudience at that time. The drama is discussed interms of whether it reflected the views of societyand/or influenced the beliefs of society. No

evidence is cited to support the analysis, however.

The graphics and visuals support the viewpoints

expressed in the presentation. They are based ondefensible research. The visuals have fewmistakes. The design of the illustrations or useof the video clips may seem inappropriate in

some situations or their design may cause theaudience to be confused, or the props may beused in distratcting way.

Graphics and visuals are used throughout the

presentation to support viewpoints. Their use,however, is not well planned and appears to berandom. The illustrations and video segments are

ineffectively used.

3

2

1


Because this is a complex task with severalsteps, the teacher decided that students wouldbenefit by having the scoring guide on one page.A two-cell matrix was then created to put all ofthe above information in a format which wasmore student friendly. This scoring guide ispictured at left. A larger version of this scoringguide appears on page 42 with the completeperformance task.

Deciding Between an Analytic anda Holistic Scoring Guide

Earlier it was mentioned that there are twotypes of scoring guides; analytic andholistic. What's the difference between thetwo and is one better than the other?

If you adjust your performance task to targetmultiple Academic Expectations or contentstandards, you will have to choose between usingan analytic scoring guide or a holistic scoringguide. Both have advantages. The mostimportant consideration in making this decision isthe purpose of the assessment.

An analytic scoring guide focuses on a student'sability to show proficiency of specific AcademicExpectations or content standards. EachExpectation or standard is assessed with aseparate scoring guide or a component of ascoring guide. Often, an analytic scoring guide iscreated as a matrix. In the matrix, eachExpectation and standard being scored shouldhave its own set of criteria and be scoredseparately. After the task is assessed, theseseparate scores may be combined to providestudents with a single, final score.

A holistic scoring guide is used to evaluate astudent's overall performance or product. Oneset of criteria is used to assess the quality oroverall effectiveness of student work. The criteriais written to include all the Expectations orstandards which are targeted.

Consider thepurpose of theperformance task inchoosing to use ananalytic scoringguide or a holisticscoring guide.

An analyticscoring guideassesses studentproficiency onspecific AcademicExpectations orcontent standards.

Analyticscoring guidesprovide a separatescore for each traitbeing assessed.

A holisticscoring guideprovides a single,overall score for astudent performanceor product.

Key Points

More on Analytic and Holistic Scoring Guides

Many teachers have discovered that analytic scoring guides work best inmost classroom situations. This is because teachers are usually trying toobtain as much information about what students have learned and givestudents as much feedback as possible. Analytic scoring guides work best ifthese are the primary goals of the task. The advantages of analytic scoringguides are shown in the chart below.

Analytic Scoring Guides . . .• provide feedback about student performance for each element of the assessment,• can be conveniently organized with a matrix if multiple elements are being

assessed,• are effective when used in diagnosing individual student progress and needs, and• can be developed to evaluate very specific content or processes.

Holistic Scoring Guides . . .• are usually simplier and faster to use than analytic scoring guides,• can be effective when used for a final evaluation,• provide a single score for the complete performance, and• are most effective when all the elements being assessed are closely related.

Holistic scoring guides seem to work best when teachers need to assign afinal score to a series of performance tasks (like in a portfolio assessment) orwhen the Academic Expectations and content standards are so closelyrelated that they can easily be scored as a unit. Holistic scoring guides areoften misused, unfortunately. Early in the movement toward performanceassessment, many educators were under the impression that all studentperformances or products should be scored holistically. This led, in someinstances, to the emphasis being placed on the performance or productrather than the student learning. Teachers need to be careful when theyuse a holistic scoring guide to be sure that they are scoring what they intendto assess. The advantages of holistic scoring guides are shown in the chartabove.

A Sample of Scoring Guides

To simplify the explanation of the development process, most of the sample performance tasks used in this document have targeted only one AcademicExpectation. Sample 4, “Art in Society,” is the only example of a task whichhas targeted multiple Academic Expectations. An explanation of how ananalytic scoring guide or holistic scoring guide may be used with this task isprovided below. Larger examples of the scoring guides shown below appearon pages 43 and 44.

In the scoring guide shown at right, the teacherhas decided to target two specific traits ofwriting found in Academic Expectation 1.11,Writing. These traits are writing for a purposeand effective use of language mechanics. Theanalytic scoring guide is an effective way toassess students on these traits and to providethem with meaningful feedback about how toimprove their writing skills.

Scoring Guide for "Art in Society" Essay

• Addresses the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form of art, reflectthe beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change its beliefs?" Stays consistent during the discussion and clearly states a point of view

• Shows evidence of analysis, reflection on, and insight into thequestion posed by referring to specific examples for support ofviewpoints

• Is organized in a manner which communicates a clear intention topersuade the reader to believe in the author's point of view.

• Uses precise and/or rich language• Controls surface features effectively (e.g., spelling, grammer, and

punctuation)

• Addresses the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form of art, reflectthe beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change its beliefs?" Connects all discussion to the topic and clearly states a point of view

• Shows an understanding of the topic by applying examples as supportfor viewpoints

• Is organized in a logical and effective manner so that the readerunderstands the author's point of view

• Uses acceptable, effective language• Shows few errors in surface features

• Attempts to address the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form ofart, reflect the beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Strays from the topic on limited occasions but maintains arecognizabile point of view

• Shows some undestanding of the topic but provides few examples tosupport viewpoints or show analysis of the issue

• Shows some inconsistency in organization which detract from thepersuaveness of the work

• Uses simplistic and/or imprecise language• Shows some errors in surface features which indicate carelessness in

editing

• Is unfocused in the way it addressess the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs of society; or do theycause society to change its beliefs?" May not have a recognizable pointof view

• Shows little development of the topic by failing to provide examples tosupport viewpoints

• Has random and/or weak organization which makes no attempt topersuade the reader of a point of view

• Shows an incorrect and/or ineffective choice of wording• Shows errors which indicate little knowledge of the effective use of

surface features

4

3

2

1


Level Essay supports a point of view andis persuasive.

Essay addresses tone, uses properform, and follows spelling andgrammatical rules

The essay addrsses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions discussed in class and by researchwhich goes beyond those requirements. Alternative views and questions are anticipated andaddressed in the writing. Points of view andresearch combine to create a persuasive piece ofwriting.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. It contains no errors inspelling, grammar, or style. All sources areproperly identified.4

The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions used in class discussions and researchwhich was prepared for the classroom presentation.Alternative views and questions are anticipated andaddressed in the writing. Points of view andresearch combine to create a persuasive piece ofwriting.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. It contains no errors inspelling, grammar, or style which destract thereader from the essay's primary purpose. Allsources are properly identified.

The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions. Points of view are supported and areplausable and possible.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. Errors in spelling, grammar,or style exist which interrupt the reader'sconcentration and detract from the purpose of theessay. Sources are identified.

The tone and form of the piece are appropriate foran academic essay. Errors and mistakes,however, detract from the effectiveness of theessay. Mistakes in form and/or style aredistracting to the reader. No sources areidentified.

3

2

1


The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Points of view are plausable andpossible but there is little effort made to supportthem with examples and/or research.

The holistic scoring guide at left illustrates anotherway to score the same performance task forAcademic Expectation 1.11, Writing. This rubric,modeled on the Kentucky Writing AssessmentHolistic Scoring Guide, combines the specific traitsof writing being assessed. Using this guide wouldrequire the teacher to score students with a “bestfit” approach. Because few student products aregoing to match every bullet in a performance level,the teacher would have to look for the closestmatch between the descriptors and the product.

Part IISampleT A S K S

Sample 1: Museum in a Box(Middle School, American History)

FocusAcademic Expectation: Historical Perspective, 2.20--Students understand, analyze, andinterpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspective.

Evidence of Learning: Students are able to use a variety of informational sources and artifactsto create an account of an historical event.

"Museum in a Box" is designed for eighth-grade social studies students. AcademicExpectation 2.20 is found in Transformations. The evidence of achievement is teacherdesigned and reflects a more precise assessment of student work than is found in the middleschool demonstrators in Transformations. Some teachers may find it necessary to "zero in"on specific skills or content in this way.

ContextI was talking with the school librarian last month and he was explaining to me that he did not haveenough information in the library for students who are studying American history. He said thatone of his goals for the library is to have resources other than books available for students. Unfortunately, he is having difficulty finding these resources for historical topics. Afterdiscussing this situation for several minutes, we came up with a plan to solve the problem. Ourclass is going to produce collections of materials called "Museums in a Box." Each of thesemuseums will address a specific topic in American history and will be kept in the library so thatstudents in the future will be able to check them out just like they would a book.

The class has been divided into groups of four. Each group is being asked to create a "Museum ina Box" on a topic which they have chosen. Your group has chosen to create a box focusing onManifest Destiny. As you have told me several times, our classroom is full of old books, pictures,records, and a hodgepodge of stuff which is collecting dust. Well, now it is your time to use all ofthat stuff. Your group should look through all of these materials and choose the items which youbelieve can be included as exhibits in your "Museum in a Box." You may use any chapters fromold textbooks (in whole or in part), recordings, pictures, documents, or anything else you find inthe classroom which will help. You may use other resources besides those you find in our classroom if you want. Your group will also be given a blank audiocassette tape. The purpose forthis tape will be explained later.

The context in this task reflects a possible real situation and establishes a believable audiencewhich will be identified later. The students are familiar with the problem presented in thisscenario. It also makes use of resources which are often available to students. Anotheradvantage with this task is that it uses an additional staff member, the librarian, as a part ofthe instructional team.

Students are given some choice to decide what they want to study and develop (as will bemore obvious in the directions). Also, "Museum in a Box" gives students the opportunity topractice the work of actual historians and provide future students with a valuable resource. All of these characteristics make this a worthy task for students.

DirectionsYour job is to create a type of museum which will provide a student with an overview of ManifestDestiny. The box should include ten to twelve items. Of these items you must include thefollowing:

A) A chronological outline of events which influenced America's belief in ManifestDestiny. These events should cover the period of time from 1830 to 1860.

B) A pamphlet or brochure which identifies each item in the box and explains itsconnection with Manifest Destiny. The explanation for each item should be writtenin 100 words or less.

C) An audiocassette recording which gives the listener an overview of ManifestDestiny and discusses each of the other items included in the box. With this "audiotour" the listener should be able to "walk through the museum" and discover whatManifest Destiny is all about. The listening time on the cassette should not belonger than 15 minutes, however, some pauses may be built into the audiopresentation which allow the audience to stop and discuss an artifact or read adocument.

Your group may select the other items to include in the box. Be careful to select and arrange yourexhibit so that your museum tells the story of Manifest Destiny. Use strategies and techniques tokeep your audience interested in your subject. Make your museum something that someone wouldwant to view. You have one week to complete this task.

The student directions are specific about several aspects of the task. Teachers have to beconcerned about how much time students have to complete the task and how much time itwill take to evaluate the task. Placing limits such as 100 words or 15 minutes will help to makethis task "doable" for students and "assessable" for teachers.

The task requires students to develop a product with multiple parts. They put the exhibit to-gether and create both written and audio components to explain what they have included. The exhibit is to be organized so that it tells the "story" of Manifest Destiny in an interestingway.

AudienceWhen your box is complete it will be reviewed by the committee which selects materials for ourschool library. The librarian and I will provide both this committee and you with a review sheetwhich will explain what criteria have to be met for any book or item to be included in the library. Your box will also be evaluated on how well it covers the period of Manifest Destiny, howaccurate the information is, and whether or not material is presented in a way which would helpstudents to know and understand the historical era. As you always must do when you develop

products for this class, you should try to make this "Museum in a Box" as appealing to theaudience as possible. Make it look interesting and keep mistakes to a minimum. Create a"museum" that people will want to visit.

The audience for this task is authentic. Students are preparing this for future eighth graders.In the meantime, they realize that people with a real understanding of what should be in thelibrary are evaluating their work.

Scoring GuideLevel 4:The museum includes all of the items required as outlined in the task. The brochure,audiocassette, and materials included in the museum show a complete understanding of ManifestDestiny by• identifying events, issues, and people involved in the era and by making connections

among these events, issues, and people and other eras in American history; and,• showing how the events, issues, and people involved in Manifest Destiny influenced

America during this time and/or reflect the history of the era.The brochure, audiocassette, and other materials are used to create an interesting, accurate, andinformative account of Manifest Destiny.

Level 3:The museum includes all of the items outlined in the task. The brochure, audiocassette, andmaterials included in the museum show an understanding of Manifest Destiny by identifyingevents, issues, and people involved in the era and show how they influenced America during thistime and/or reflect the history of the era. The brochure, audiocassette, and other materials create aninteresting, accurate, and informative account of Manifest Destiny.

Level 2:The museum includes all of the items required as outlined in the task. The brochure,audiocassette, and materials included in the museum show a knowledge about Manifest Destinybut do not give evidence of understanding. In other words, an accurate and informative account ofManifest Destiny is presented by the written and/or audio portion of the museum, but theconnection between this description and other materials is not obvious.

Level 1:The museum includes the chronological outline and either the brochure or the audiocassette. Students are able to explain the major events, issues, and people involved in the era of ManifestDestiny through either the brochure or the audiocassette. The other materials in the museumappear to have been randomly selected. The artifacts and documents may reflect the era but theyare not used to explain anything about it.

A scoring guide with four performance levels has frequently been used by teachers inKentucky because of models provided by the test items on the statewide accountabilityassessment. Preparing students for these tests is important; and, for that reason, teachersshould continue to use tasks and scoring guides so that students will have experience withthem.

This scoring guide does not use the performance-level titles used on the statewideassessment. Because the terms “Distinguished,” “Proficient,” “Apprentice,” and “Novice"are commonly associated with student performances on KIRIS items, it may be misleadingto students and parents to use these terms on individual tasks.

An important characteristic of this scoring guide is that students must complete all of therequirements listed in the task in Levels 4 through 2. If the product does not meet theminimum requirements mentioned in a Level 1 performance, the student work would not beevaluated by the teacher. Either the product would be returned to the students so they couldcontinue to work on it, or it would be assessed as a 0.

Some "experts" believe that scoring guides should have at least six performance levels. Teachers may, however, find it difficult to write six or more descriptors if they have neverused the task before. A four-level guide is a good beginning for these "first runs." This modelmay continue to work well. Often when using a scoring guide with just a few descriptors,teachers find it necessary to spend time conferencing with students to explain where theyneed to improve their performances or products.

Sample 2: Calendar Star (Upper Elementary, Science)

FocusCore Content Standard: Objects in the sky have patterns of movement. The sun, for example,appears to move across the sky in the same way every day, but its path changes slowly over theseasons. The rotation of the earth causes the moon to appear to move across the sky on a dailybasis much like the sun. The observable shape of the moon changes from day to day in a cycle thatlasts about a month. (page 17 of elementary science Core Content for Assessment, V 1.0)

Evidence of Learning: Students recognize, describe, and create patterns (e.g., repeating,developmental, behavioral, symmetrical, cyclical) of objects or events. (page 58 ofTransformations , Academic Expectation 2.2, elementary level, science demonstrator)

"Calendar Star" is intended as a task for upper elementary students. It shows how twodocuments, Core Content for Assessment and Transformations, can be used together todevelop a performance task. The task focuses on the science core content in an effort to notonly help the students learn valuable information but also to prepare them for the statewideassessment. Because the core content is so closely aligned with the AcademicExpectations, it is easy to use the demonstrators from Transformations as evidence oflearning.

ContextHave you ever wondered why it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer? Over the next fewdays we are going to learn the answer to that question.

The context for this task shows how a brief question may be adequate to set the situation forstudents. In this case, the context is a question commonly posed by nine- or ten-year-olds. Building on the natural curiosity of students can provide the best possible context.

DirectionsI am going to show you some photographs that were made in front of the school. These picturesshow the sun soon after dawn as it appears at different times during the year. The first picture wasmade in January, and there are eleven other pictures--one for the same day of each month. In yourgroup, I want you to discuss what you notice about these pictures. Pay close attention to thingslike the direction of the shadows, the way the trees look, how close the sun appears to the side ofthe school, or anything else you think may be important. On the back of each picture you will findthe month it was taken. You might find that helpful to know. Be sure to keep your own list ofthings you notice in the pictures.

Once the group has finished looking at the pictures you should take your list back to yourworkstation. What I would like for you to do is create a calendar page for each month of the year. On each of the twelve pages you are required to have the following:

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward the sun during that month,

• A sketch which shows how the change in sunlight affects things around our school(things like trees, other plants, animals, and our activities), and

• A short paragraph which tells about the sketch mentioned above, talks about thepath followed by the earth as it revolves around the sun, and explains why many ofthe changes we can observe as the seasons change have something to do with theway the earth revolves around the sun.

This week, we will use our science classtime to work on this project. You may use that time eachday to research information, work on your sketch, or write the paragraphs that go on the calendar. Make sure that all pieces of writing go through the writing process.

At the end of the science time each day, you will write a short letter to me which explains what youdid in class that day, what you plan to do the next day, and what problems (if any) you are having.During the time you are working, I will meet with students who are having problems or needquestions answered. You are encouraged to work at home, if needed. If you do work at home,please write a letter to me which explains what you did.

The final product is due next Monday!

This task is an example of how group work can be part of a performance task. Thedirections begin by asking students to share observations about the photographs of the sunsoon after sunrise. After the group discussion is completed, students are expected to doindividual work for which they are assessed. This process is similar to tasks found on manystandardized performance-based assessments. This development style offers teachers away to have students work in groups and still hold individual students accountable for theirwork.

“Calendar Star” requires students to do much of their work as part of their regular school day. Performance tasks are much more effective when students see them as what school is allabout. Often, performance tasks which are assigned only as homework are viewed bystudents as add-on work and are resented. In these situations, the teacher is not present toprovide feedback or help so important opportunities for learning are lost. “Calendar Star”avoids this problem by requiring students to do the work in class and specifying that theteacher will be involved with the students as they work.

Scoring GuideOutstanding:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. Everything that youshow or print on the calendar pages is accurate. Along with the calendar you have the following:

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward the sun during that month.• A sketch which shows how the change in sunlight affects things around our

school (things like trees, other plants, animals, and our activities).• A short paragraph which tells about the sketch mentioned above, describes how

the earth revolves around the sun, and explains how the changes you sketchedhave something to do with the way the earth revolves around the sun.

Notable:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. Everything that youshow or print on the calendar pages is accurate. Along with the calendar you have the following:

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward the sun during that month.• A sketch which shows how the change in sunlight affects things around our school

(things like trees, other plants, animals, and our activities).• A short paragraph which explains what is shown in the sketch and describes the

way the earth revolves around the sun but does not explain why the changes havesomething to do with the way the earth revolves around the sun.

Satisfactory:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. Everything that youshow or print on the calendar pages is accurate. Along with the calendar you have the following:

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward the sun during that month.• A sketch which shows how the change in sunlight affects things around our school

(things like trees, other plants, animals, and our activities).• A short paragraph which explains what is shown in the sketch but does not tell

anything about why the earth revolves around the sun or why the changes on theearth have something to do with the way the earth revolves around the sun.

Presentable:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. Everything that youshow or print on the calendar pages is accurate. Along with the calendar you have the following:

• A drawing which shows how the earth slants toward the sun during that month.• A short paragraph which explains how the earth’s rotation around the sun would

affect things on the earth (things like trees, other plants, animals, and ouractivities).

Acceptable:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. On each page you havea short paragraph that explains how the earth revolves around the sun. Everything that you showor print on the calendar pages is accurate.

Minimal:You have a calendar for each month of the year on twelve different pages. On each page you havea drawing showing how the earth slants toward the sun. The picture shows the way the sun reallyslants toward the earth. You have not drawn any other sketch and there is no written explanationof what appears on the calendar.

This scoring guide uses six performance levels. One advantage of using more performancelevels is that less time is required to explain to students what is needed for improvement oftheir product. The scoring guide, as a whole, describes most of the differences that couldexist in student products. In classroom situations, scoring guides with six to ten levels areoften more effective because of the specifics included in the descriptors.

Sample 3: Automobile Buyer’s Guide (High School, Practical Living)

FocusAcademic Expectation: Consumerism, 2.30--Students evaluate consumer products andservices and make effective consumer decisions.

Evidence of Learning: Students are able to evaluate consumer information, rights, andresponsibilities.

"Automobile Buyer's Guide" is designed for high school students. Academic Expectation2.30 is found in Volume I of Transformations. The evidence of learning is from the highschool demonstrators on page 188 in Volume I of Transformations. This is an excellentexample of how demonstrators can be used as evidence of learning.

ContextMany students your age are thinking about purchasing automobiles in the near future. Unfortunately, there is not much guidance available for teenagers as they try to decide what kindof automobile to buy. What questions should they ask sales people? Is it better to buy from adealer or an individual? How will the purchase of different "makes" of automobiles affectinsurance rates? These, and other questions should be addressed by anyone who is interested inbuying a car.

The context for this task is relevant to students in high school. Also, it shows how the contextfor a task does not have to be a greatly detailed statement.

DirectionsYour assignment is to create an “Automobile Buyer's Guide” for teenagers at your school. The“Buyer's Guide” may be presented in any format you choose, that is, you may prepare a smallbooklet, an audiocassette presentation, an exhibition, an internet homepage site, or a videoproduction. It is, of course, in your interest to choose a format with which you are alreadyfamiliar. What you must do is provide students with an idea about what concerns they should havewhen they purchase an automobile, what questions they should be asking, and where they can goto get information about automobiles. A plan for the development of your buyer's guide is duetomorrow. A first draft is due one week from today and the final version should be ready forevaluation two weeks from today. The final version must be a quality product that is ready forpublication. You will have classtime to work on this, but superior products will require you tospend some time on this outside of class.

The task for "Buyer's Guide" allows students to have options about what their product shouldbe. Because of this flexibility, there is more direction given about what should be included inthe product in the scoring guide. Also, these directions establish "check points" for studentwork and reminds students that they should be spending time outside of class developingtheir products.

This performance task intentionally uses the prior knowledge students have about the type ofproduct they will produce. There is an assumption that students already know how to developat least one of the products mentioned in the task. A teacher using “Buyer’s Guide” wouldhave either already taught students how to create these products or would have to includeinstruction about them as part of the unit. Regardless of which kind of product studentsdecide to create, the emphasis in assessing this task is on the students’ abilities to evaluateconsumer information, and rights and responsibilities as targeted in the evidence of learning.

AudienceThe “Automobile Buyer's Guide” for teenagers should be prepared for students here at our schoolwho are interested in purchasing an automobile. It will be advertised around school and madeavailable to students in the library.

The “Automobile Buyer's Guide” will be available to friends and peers. Because the productaddresses a topic which is interesting to the audience, and since it is likely that the authorswill know their audience, there is motivation for students to do a good job.

Scoring GuideLevel 10: The “Automobile Buyer’s Guide” evaluates information from various sources in abalanced manner. Both the sources and the information are examined for reliability. The quality ofthe automobile is evaluated by rating the vehicles in specific categories which are relevant to theneeds and interests of teenage consumers. Recommendations about how to purchase automobilesor which automobiles to purchase are consistent with the evidence presented in the guide. Theinformation presented in the Buyer’s Guide would be helpful to students as they make decisionsabout purchasing vehicles and overall the Buyer’s Guide is inviting and usable for teenage buyers. Level 8: The “Automobile Buyer’s Guide” evaluates information from various sources in abalanced manner. Both the sources and the information are examined for reliability. Recommendations about how to purchase automobiles or which automobiles to purchase areconsistent with the evidence presented in the guide. The information presented in the Buyer’sGuide would be helpful to students as they make decisions about purchasing vehicles; and, overall,the Buyer’s Guides is inviting and usable for teenage buyers. The quality rating of automobiles iscompleted in a haphazard or random manner and may not be relevant to the needs of teenageconsumers.

Level 6: The “Automobile Buyer’s Guide” makes recommendations about how to purchaseautomobiles or which automobiles to purchase. The recommendations are supported by theevidence presented in the guide. The Buyer’s Guide is appropriate for a teenage audience. Theusefulness and helpfulness of the Buyer’s Guide is weakened because the information it presents isgathered only from sources which have similar views about the vehicles. (For example, twosalespeople and a technician from the same dealership were consulted, and a publication distributedby that dealership’s parent corporation was examined. No other views were sought.)

Level 4: The “Automobile Buyer’s Guide” makes recommendations about how to purchase

automobiles or which automobiles to purchase. The guide is designed to be inviting to a teenageaudience. The helpfulness of the Buyer’s Guide is weakened, however, by not basingrecommendations on valid or reputable sources. In other words, the research for therecommendations is not adequate. Additionally, the Buyer’s Guide fails to explain how vehicleswere rated and/or what criteria consumers should use to make purchasing decisions.

Level 2: The “Automobile Buyer’s Guide” is not very useful to teenagers as they make decisionsabout purchasing automobiles. The research is inadequate or incomplete, and recommendationsabout purchases are not supported or do not exist. Additionally, no effort is made to developcriteria for rating vehicles, or the criteria have no connection to the recommendations being made. In other words, the Buyer’s Guide gives little guidance to teenagers in purchasing an automobile.

This scoring guide uses 10 performance levels because it allows the teacher to make morespecific distinctions among the products. Often when a teacher writes a larger number ofdescriptors, students need less explanation for the evaluation of their work. The descriptorsdetail where the student needs improvement. In this scoring guide, the teacher has left theodd numbered levels open. This was done to give some flexibility to the scoring guide so thatif a student’s work seems to fit between two levels there is a score that can be used. Sometimes a teacher may want to actually write a descriptor for these "between levels" toexplain why the apparent gap exists. For example, a statement such as, "Products whichmeet the basic requirements of Level 10 but need more development" could be used todescribe a Level 9 performance.

Sample 4: Art in Society (High School, Arts and Humanities)

FocusAcademic Expectation: 2.26, Cultural Diversity--Through the arts and humanities, students recognize that although peopleare different, they share common experiences and attitudes.1.13, Visual Arts--Students make sense of ideas and communicate ideas with the visual arts. [Note: This Academic Expectation was added after the task was reviewed.]1.11, Writing--Students write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicateideas and information to different audiences for different purposes. [Note: This AcademicExpectation was added after the task was reviewed and revised to insure that individual studentswere being held accountable for learning.]

Evidence of Learning: 1. Students will analyze and interpret the influence of dramatic performances on American society

(corresponds to Academic Expectation 2.26).2. Students clearly communicate ideas through the use of graphics and visuals (corresponds to

Academic Expectation 1.13).3. Students write a transactive piece (an essay) which supports a point of view (corresponds to

Academic Expectation 1.11).

"Art in Society" is an example of a performance task which targets multiple AcademicExpectations. The process outlined in this document encourages teachers to focus on oneAcademic Expectation or content standard when they begin to design a task. It is, however,simple to add more Expectations or content standards if the task allows. As teacherscomplete each part of the design process, it is important to review what has been done. Insome cases, another Expectation or content standard should obviously be assessed with thetask.

In this example, the developer saw that this task required students to "make sense of ideas"in the visual arts. Academic Expectation 1.13, Visual Arts was then added. Also, aftercompleting the development of the task, the author noticed that it was going to be difficult tohold individual students accountable in the way it was written. (The first draft of the task onlyrequired students to complete a group activity.) Academic Expectation 1.11, Writing, wasthen targeted so that individual students could be asked to write for a particular academicpurpose.

ContextOur topic for today's class discussion was, "Do the arts reflect or change the beliefs of society?" This discussion was just the beginning of our investigation of this question.

This context is a brief lead-in to the task for students. It shows how a complex performancetask can be tied to a planned class discussion. It also is an example of how daily lessons canbe planned to directly tie into a performance task.

Directions/AudienceYour task is as follows:1. Choose and view one of the following performances from our video library.

a. Inherit the Windb. Our Townc. American Graffitid. Meet John Doee. The Great Dictator

2. Research the background of the drama. Investigate questions like, “What purpose for the dramadid the authors have in mind when they created the production?”; “What caused the authorsto believe this production would be interesting to an audience?”; “What were the importantissues confronting American society at the time this drama was popular?”; and, “Did thisdrama increase America's awareness of, or concern with, a particular issue?”

3. Analyze the impact of this drama on society. Answer the question: Did this drama “reflect” or“change” the beliefs of American society?

4. Next Friday, we will divide into groups of five. Groups will be determined by assigningstudents who reviewed different dramas so that no drama is represented in the group morethan once. Each of you will present your findings to the group. You must share youranalysis in an 8 minute presentation which gives some background information about society atthe time the drama was produced, background about the drama, and a discussion about thedrama's impact on or its reflection of society. You must use props in your presentation,including charts, pictures, and video clips (no more than 2 minutes of your presentation may bedevoted to video clips). Your presentation will be assessed by the group members using thescoring guide provided.

5. On the next Friday, you are responsible for turning in a formal essay which addresses thequestion, "Do drama productions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs of society or do theycause society to change its beliefs?" Your essay will be evaluated by a committee ofteachers which include a history teacher, a language arts teacher, and me. The essay shouldaddress the main question, and you should use the dramas that your group discussed assupporting examples for your point of view. You also should be sure to follow the rules offormal writing. You are encouraged to use other resources to support your point of view.

The directions for "Art in Society" actually identify the audience so that another step is notnecessary. The complexity of this task is evident. Students are asked to complete severalactivities in succession before they actually prepare the formal essay. There are othercharacteristics that are noteworthy about this task. First, this is another example of a taskwhich begins with a group of students working on the task together (Sample 2, “CalendarStar,” has this same format). As students progress through the task, the focus is on thework of the individual student. Second, “Art in Society” requires students to both do a publicperformance (as a presentation to the group) and complete a more traditional task, the formalessay. It points out that assignments such as formal essays continue to have a place in aperformance-based classroom. These kinds of tasks are important. However, creating anessay-type product is just one of many kinds of performances students may and shouldcomplete.

Scoring GuideLevel Analyze and interpret the influence

of dramatic performances on societyCommunicate ideas through theuse of graphics and visuals

The analysis reviews American society in thehistorical period around the time the drama wasproduced. The review discusses issues and/orevents which were important to American societyat the time. The drama is well researched todetermine how its content would be interpreted byan audience in that time. Specific scenes are citedand reviewed to support ideas about thewriter's/producer's point of view. The drama isdiscussed in terms of whether it reflected the viewsof society and/or influenced the beliefs of society. Credible evidence is used to support the analysis.

The graphics and visuals add information to thepresentation about drama and the way it reflectsand/or influences society. The illustrations andprops also are used to support and illustrate theviewpoints expressed in the presentation. Thevisuals are based on defensible research. They areeffectively designed and planned so that theaudience can easily understand the intent. Theaudience is not distracted by mistakes or confusedby the included material. The props show carefulattention to details.

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The analysis reviews American society in the historical period around the time the drama wasproduced. The review discusses issues and/orevents which were important to American societyat the time. The drama is researched to determinehow its content would be interpreted by anaudience in that time period. The drama isdiscussed in terms of whether it reflected the viewsof society and/or influenced the beliefs of society. Evidence is cited to support the analysis.

The graphics and visuals support and illustratethe viewpoints expressed in the presentation. The visuals are based on defensible research. They are effectively designed and planned so thatthe audience can easily understand the intent. The audience is not distracted by mistakes orconfused by the included materials. Use of thevisuals shows attention to details.

The analysis provides a general review ofAmerican society around the time that the dramawas produced. The drama is researched todetermine how its content would be interpreted byan audience at that time. The drama is discussed interms of whether it reflected the views of societyand/or influenced the beliefs of society. Evidenceis citied to support the analysis.

The analysis provides a general review of Americansociety around the time that the drama wasproduced. The drama is researched to determinehow its content would be interpreted by anaudience at that time. The drama is discussed interms of whether it reflected the views of societyand/or influenced the beliefs of society. Noevidence is cited to support the analysis.

The graphics and visuals support the viewpointsexpressed in the presentation. They are based ondefensible research. The visuals have fewmistakes. The design of the illustrations, or useof the video clips, may seem inappropriate insome situations; their design may cause theaudience to be confused; or the props may beused in a distratcting way.

Graphics and visuals are used throughout thepresentation to support viewpoints. Their use,however, is not well planned and appears to berandom. The illustrations and video segments areineffectively used.

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This performance task uses two scoring guides because the task is assessing threeAcademic Expectations. The scoring guide above is designed to assess the grouppresentation and is intended to evaluate students’ work on Academic Expectations 2.26,Cultural Diversity, and 1.13, Visual Arts. When assessing two distinct Expectations orstandards, a scoring guide with a matrix often works best. In this way, teachers can focuson each Expectation or standard. The advantage of this kind of scoring guide is that it allowsteachers to assess each trait which is targeted (analytic scoring) but provide one final scorefor the task (a holistic score). If a teacher has to issue traditional grades, these scores areeasily translated. For example, a total score of 8 may equate to an “A” on the task. Scores of6 and 7 could be a “B,” and so on.

Level Essay supports a point of view andis persuasive.

Essay addresses tone, uses properform, and follows spelling andgrammatical rules

The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions discussed in class and by researchwhich goes beyond those requirements. Alternative views and questions are anticipated andaddressed in the writing. Points of view andresearch combine to create a persuasive piece ofwriting.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. It contains no errors inspelling, grammar, or style. All sources areproperly identified.4

The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions used in class discussions and researchwhich was prepared for the classroom presentation.Alternative views and questions are anticipated andaddressed in the writing. Points of view andresearch combine to create a persuasive piece ofwriting.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. It contains no errors inspelling, grammar, or style which destract thereader from the essay's primary purpose. Allsources are properly identified.

The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Opinions are supported by examples ofproductions. Points of view are supported and areplausable and possible.

The essay uses an appropriate tone and form foran academic essay. Errors in spelling, grammar,or style exist which interrupt the reader'sconcentration and detract from the purpose of theessay. Sources are identified.

The tone and form of the piece are appropriate foran academic essay. Errors and mistakes,however, detract from the effectiveness of theessay. Mistakes in form and/or style aredistracting to the reader. No sources areidentified.

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1The essay addresses the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs ofsociety; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Points of view are plausable andpossible but there is little effort made to supportthem with examples and/or research.

This second scoring guide for "Art in Society" is developed to assess Academic Expectation1.11,Writing. It is specifically aimed at assessing the students' abilities to write an academicessay. A matrix is appropriate for assessing this part of the task because the teacher wantsto distinguish between the students' abilities to support a point of view and their abilities toshow good mechanics in writing. This type of scoring guide also has the advantage ofallowing teachers to easily weight a specific part of the student product. In this case, theteacher may always devote a section of the scoring guide to mechanics. Since mechanicsare assessed very frequently, the teacher could place more emphasis on the persuasivenessof the essay by weighting it double. Thus, students could get a possible score of 12 points onthe essay. This would motivate students to put emphasis on making their argumentspersuasive as well as attend to correctness.

Scoring Guide for "Art in Society" Essay

• Addresses the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form of art, reflectthe beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change its beliefs?" Stays consistent during the discussion and clearly states a point of view

• Shows evidence of analysis, reflection on, and insight into thequestion posed by referring to specific examples for support ofviewpoints

• Is organized in a manner which communicates a clear intention topersuade the reader to believe in the author's point of view

• Uses precise and/or rich language• Controls surface features effectively (e.g., spelling, grammer, and

punctuation)

• Addresses the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form of art, reflectthe beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change its beliefs?" Connects all discussion to the topic and clearly states a point of view

• Shows an understanding of the topic by applying examples as supportfor viewpoints

• Is organized in a logical and effective manner so that the readerunderstands the author's point of view

• Uses acceptable, effective language• Shows few errors in surface features

• Attempts to address the prompt, "Do drama productions, as a form ofart, reflect the beliefs of society; or do they cause society to change itsbeliefs?" Strays from the topic on limited occasions but maintains arecognizable point of view

• Shows some understanding of the topic but provides few examples tosupport viewpoints or show analysis of the issue

• Shows some inconsistency in organization which detracts from thepersuaveness of the work

• Uses simplistic and/or imprecise language• Shows some errors in surface features which indicate carelessness in

editing

• Is unfocused in the way it addressess the prompt, "Do dramaproductions, as a form of art, reflect the beliefs of society; or do theycause society to change its beliefs?" May not have a recognizable pointof view

• Shows little development of the topic by failing to provide examples tosupport viewpoints

• Has random and/or weak organization which makes no attempt topersuade the reader of a point of view

• Shows an incorrect and/or ineffective choice of wording• Shows errors which indicate little knowledge of the effective use of

surface features

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This is a holistic scoring guide which could be used to assess the essay students arerequired to write for “Art in Society.” This scoring guide is based on the Kentucky WritingAssessment Holistic Scoring Guide. While the analytic version appearing on the previouspage will allow teachers to score for specific elements of writing, this holistic guide will allowteachers and students to have a clearer picture of the overall work that has been done. Additionally, this holistic approach may provide the teacher with the ability to score studentwork more quickly. Which scoring guide is used depends on what kind of feedback theteacher wants to provide to students.

Sample 5: The Storage Area (Middle School, Mathematics)

FocusAcademic Expectation: 2.9, Space and Dimensionality--Students understand space anddimensionality concepts and use them appropriately and accurately.

Evidence of Learning: Students will be able to provide an accurate solution to a probleminvolving space and dimensionality.

"The Storage Area" task differs from some of the other tasks which have been discussed inthat the evidence of learning is teacher designed. In this case, the teacher knows morespecifically what middle school mathematics students should be able to do. After consultingTransformations and the Technical Report from the Council on School PerformanceStandards, the author decided to develop a more precise statement of student learning.

ContextThe principal, Mrs. Buckner, has agreed to allow me to build a storage area in the back of ourclassroom. Now, I need to design this area. The storage area will be in the back left corner of theroom in a space which is two meters long and one meter wide. The storage area must not behigher than two and one half meters. There are several things that must be considered in designingthis storage area.

First, there are four boxes of portfolios that must be stored. The boxes are 34 cm by 68 cm andthey are each 30 cm tall. There are also six boxes of various sizes (which you can measure) in theback of the room with materials that we use for the topics we study. All of our math books need tobe stored in this area, and there should be room to keep some extra items which we use every nowand then. Keep in mind that none of the boxes can be stacked on top of each other. (The weightof each box would crush the box below.)

I am not sure how this storage area should look. Should it run as high as can be built (rememberthat I am not very tall) or as deep as can be built (my arms are not long)? Should there be shelvesor is there another way to design this?

Our class is going to design and build this storage area as part of our study of geometric conceptssuch as space and dimensions.

The context for “The Storage Area” is derived from an ordinary situation arising in theclassroom. The teacher has decided to let students design this area using the mathematicsskills they are learning in class. It is a very practical way of applying student learning.

DirectionsTask 1, Group Work:In a group with three other students, you are to decide what the best design for this storage area

would be. It must meet all of the requirements I mentioned above. The group should create adrawing of the design which will show how the storage area will look when it is built. The groupshould then compile a list of reasons which explain why this design will work.

Task 2, Individual Work:As an individual, make a copy of the design your group created. Using this sketch, create adiagram showing where all of our materials and books should be placed in the storage area. Inwriting, explain why you would place each item in the particular spot you have designated. Whendeveloping your diagram, consider factors such as size of items, convenience, and safety. Youwill be allowed to share your organizational scheme with your group members to get ideas abouthow it might be improved, and you may make any final revisions you think are appropriate.

Once again, this is an example of a complex performance task. The group work in Task 1provides students with the opportunity to share ideas and learn from each other while theyattack the problem. In Task 2, they are asked to apply their thinking on their own. In this wayeach student is held individually responsible for being able to show and apply his or herlearning.

Audience[Task 1] Each group will present its design, its reasoning, and its four alternative organizationalschemes to a panel which includes Mrs. Buckner, Mr. Calhoun (the plant manager), and me nextweek. We will take the plan which best meets our needs and use it to build the new storage area.

[Task 2] We will use the organizational scheme which best meets our needs. The diagram of thescheme will be placed in the storage area to use as a map showing us where items are to be kept.

The audience for Task 1 attempts to model the situation that students might confront in theirfuture should they have to submit some type of proposal. The committee will have criteria tofollow in the form of the scoring guide as they make their decision. Since the organization ofthe materials in the storage area must meet the needs of the teacher, that person is the mostauthentic audience for Task 2.

Scoring GuideTask 1:Level 4: The design of the storage area meets all requirements mentioned in the problem. Thedesign is supported by accurate mathematical calculations and reasoning which are connected to theconditions explained in the problem. The illustration of the design is drawn to scale and is anaccurate representation of how the storage area would appear when completed.

Level 3: The design of the storage area meets all requirements mentioned in the problem. Thedesign is supported by mathematical calculations and reasoning which are connected to theconditions explained in the problem. The illustration of the design shows approximately how thestorage area would appear but is not necessarily drawn to scale.

Level 2: The design of the storage area meets all requirements mentioned in the problem. Thedesign is supported by mathematical calculations and reasoning which are accurate but do not meetall of the conditions explained in the problem. The illustration of the design shows approximatelyhow the storage area would appear.

Level 1: The design of the storage area meets all requirements mentioned in the problem. Support for the design may be based on inaccurate mathematical calculations or may not meetconditions which are identified in the problem. The illustration of the design shows approximatelyhow the storage area would appear.

Task 2:Level 4: The organizational scheme is supported with an accurate drawing and effective writtenexplanation. The drawing and written explanation accurately apply geometric principles,measurement, and mathematical calculations. The organization takes into consideration the factorsidentified in the problem and specifically addresses these conditions.

Level 3: The organizational scheme is supported with an accurate drawing and effective writtenexplanation. The drawing and written explanation accurately apply geometric principles,measurement, and mathematical calculations. The organization takes into consideration the factorsidentified in the problem and generally addresses these conditions.

Level 2: The organizational scheme is supported by a drawing and written explanation. Thedrawing and written explanation apply geometric principles, measurement, and mathematicalcalculations, but these may show mistakes or errors which detract from the overall effectiveness ofthe scheme. The organization takes into consideration the factors identified in the problem andgenerally addresses these conditions.

Level 1: The organizational scheme is supported with a drawing and written explanation. Thedrawing and written explanation apply geometric principles, measurement, and mathematicalcalculations, but these contain obvious errors which put the overall effectiveness of the scheme inquestion.

This performance task mirrors the tasks that have appeared in the past on Kentucky'sstatewide accountability test. Not only do the tasks divide into group and individual work, butthere are scoring guides for both parts. As is the case with several of the other examples,students can be assessed with two separate scores, or the scores can be combined. It isimportant to note in this scoring guide that all students are expected to show a proficiency inmathematics. In a task being scored this way, students would be expected to continueworking on the task until they were doing the mathematics correctly.

Sample 6: Modern Day Tall Tales(Upper Elementary, Language Arts)

FocusAcademic Expectation: Speaking, 1.12--Students speak using appropriate forms,conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information to different audiences for differentpurposes.

Evidence of Learning: Students are able to verbally tell a story while appropriately addressingthe audience, occasion, and purpose.

"Modern Day Tall Tales" focuses on “Speaking.” This is an example of an Expectation whichis often difficult to assess on a statewide or standardized test, but it is appropriate andimportant for teachers to assess students on this Expectation in their classrooms. Theevidence of learning is a compilation of the elementary demonstrators found inTransformations.

ContextWe just finished reading and talking about some favorite tall tales from America's past. While wewere reading these tales, did you wonder what some of these characters are doing today? I thinkthat Paul Bunyan and Babe are out there on the Plains still doing those great deeds. So are all theother characters we study. The problem is, nobody is telling their story to us anymore.

The context for this task develops a situation which is perfect for the culminatingperformance in a unit of study which focuses on tall tales. It centers on a question which asksthe students to use their imagination, knowledge of literary characters, and understanding oftheir own world.

DirectionsStep 1: In class today you will be assigned to a group with three other students. In your groupyou are to choose a character from a tall tale. Next, I would like for you to brainstorm ideas forsome modern tall tales which involve this character. Remember that tall tales are supposed toentertain and (sometimes) celebrate the achievements of people by telling about them in a humorousway. By this afternoon, your group should have a first draft outline of four brief tall talesinvolving this character. Tonight, I will read through your outlines and make comments. All ofthis will be returned to you tomorrow.

Step 2: Tomorrow, each member of your group should choose one of the outlines the groupdeveloped and write a brief tall tale. Remember that you will have to tell your tale to differentgroups (these are discussed in later steps). When you tell your tale, it should not be more than 2minutes long so you need to keep the story short. The written version of your tale does not have tobe perfect (but I do have to be able to read it). It is due by lunch tomorrow. You may ask for helpfrom members of your group, but the tale should be your work.

Step 3: After I have read and commented on your tale, you will need to memorize it. You shouldhave that done by Thursday (3 days from today). On Thursday and Friday, during our Language Artstime, you will practice telling your tale. You may begin by telling the story to your group and getting

help from them. Make sure that you look at the scoring guide so you know what you are evaluatingwhen you look at each other's work. I will be walking around class making suggestions and helping.During this time you should practice telling your tale at home so that you can get additional feedbackfrom your parents, brothers and sisters, and friends.

Step 4: Monday, each of you will be videotaped telling your tale. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I willmeet with each of you, and we will talk about some ways you could improve the telling of your tale.

This directions describe the specific work students are expected to do. This may be acommon practice for teachers who have students with little experience in doing performanceassessment. Some students need this detailed direction. A disadvantage is that students donot have much choice in how to do the task, but it does allow students to experienceorganization and will help insure that deadlines are met.

It should be noted that in Step 2, students are not expected to develop a completed writingpiece for this task. Since they were going to orally present the story, the teacher did not feelthat requiring students to proceed through the total writing process would be an efficient useof their time. This component of the assignment, however, could be expanded to requirestudents to finish a written copy of the tall tale. Such an assignment might effectively be usedfor a portfolio entry. If that became part of the focus for the task, the students would certainlyhave to be concerned with spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other surface features.

AudienceNext Friday you will get to perform your tall tale before Mrs. Allen's fifth-grade class. You willreceive feedback sheets from her class, Mrs. Allen, and me. These feedback sheets are copies of thescoring guide with comments from your audience. You should take this feedback and continue tomake your presentation better.

The following Tuesday, we will be hosting a Tall Tale Party at the local nursing home. We willdecorate their party room, provide snacks, and present our modern day tall tales for the people wholive there. They will be invited to give feedback on how well you told your tales. Listen carefully towhat they tell you. You may pick up some pointers (They may even have some tall tales to tell you!).

The final presentation of your tall tale will be the next day when we have been invited to tell our talesto Mr. Humphrey's primary class.

The audiences for this task provide students with three opportunities to perform. This givesthe teacher some options in deciding how to assess students. One way could be to use acompilation of student efforts. The teacher might also use an average of all three efforts. Another option might be to use the student's best effort. It is important that the teacherexplain to the students how they will be assessed before the performances are done. Settingup a task with multiple demonstrations does allow students to have a performance seasonmuch like an athletic season. In that way, a student's total evaluation does not rest on a singledemonstration.

Scoring GuideLevel 6:The presentation engages the audience by . . .• including funny events in the tall tale.• using movement and gestures.• using language which the audience will understand and will think is acceptable in this situation.• avoiding mistakes, long pauses, or distractions which interrupt the story.• organizing the tall tale so that it makes sense.• speaking loudly and distinctly enough to be heard.

Level 4:The presentation entertains the audience by . . .• including funny events in the tall tale.• avoiding mistakes, long pauses, or distractions which interrupt the story.• organizing the tall tale so that it makes sense.• speaking loudly and distinctly enough to be heard.

The presentation could be improved by . . .• using movements and gestures.• using language which the audience understands and will think is acceptable in this situation.

Level 2:The presentation tells a story to the audience by . . .• organizing the tall tale so that it makes sense.• speaking loudly and distinctly enough to be heard.

The presentation could be improved by . . .• avoiding mistakes, long pauses, or distractions which interrupt the story.• including more humor in the tall tale, or using movement and gestures.

The scoring guide for "Modern Day Tall Tales" is designed for students to both get feedbackfrom peers and to use for self-evaluation. As students complete the performances in eachstep, the scoring guide can be used to give them the information they need to improve theirproducts. Comparing feedback from one performance to another makes the scoring guide avaluable teaching and assessment tool. If the students have the opportunity to conferencewith the teacher after the first two performances, they can develop and follow some strategy toimprove their final presentation.

The need to provide students with copies of the scoring guide when the task is first assignedis obvious in this situation. Students will use the guide from the beginning so that they willknow what is expected of them. Additionally, it is important to talk to students about themeaning of certain words on the scoring guide at this point of the process. For example,fourth- or fifth-grade students may not have a firm understanding of what the teacher meanswhen they are told to avoid “distractions which interrupt the story.” The class should discusswhat this phrase means so that everyone, including the teacher, is clear about what is beingassessed.

Part IIIWorksheets

Determining a Focus

Academic Expectation or Content Standard:


Creating a Context

Bibliography

Since the Kentucky Education Reform Act went into effect, the Department of Education has published several documents which you may find helpful as you develop performance tasks.

The following resources may be useful in providing further information about the design and use of performance tasks. All of these are “teacher friendly” and include some helpful ideas for developing both performance tasks and portfolio prompts.

Herman, Joan L., Pamela R. Aschbacher, and Lynn Winters, A Practical Guide to AlternativeAssessment, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA,1992.

Marzano, Robert, Debra Pickering, and Jay McTighe, Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment Using the Dimensions of Learning Model, Association forSupervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA, 1993.

Performance Assessment Sampler: A Workbook, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ,1993.

Wiggins, Grant P., Assessment Rubrics and Criteria: Design Tips and Models, (Audiocassette),Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA, 1994.

Wiggins, Grant P., Assessing Student Performance: Exploring the Purpose and Limits ofTesting, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA, 1993.

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