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Performance Task Outline
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Introduction |
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 This page is dedicated to making it easier to design assignments and projects for students that are aligned with the district developed standards and benchmarks. Over the past decade, we have worked to increase active student engagement and provide work that addresses multiple intelligences. These efforts have, in many cases, provided a more engaging, motivational learning climate and allowed greater success to a wider variety of students. Our efforts are to continue this work by tightening up the relationship of the assignments and projects to the identified standards and benchmarks. |
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| Defining | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 A little clarification about the difference between a performance task and performance assessment task.
Performance tasks are assignments and projects used to provide students with the practice, rehearsal and scrimmage necessary to evidence competency in the skills and knowledge deemed important by the district. They require active engagement between the teacher and the student. Formative feedback throughout the experience is critical. Performance Assessment Tasks may be the identical project or assignment, but the teacher takes a much further outside role. They purposefully let the student navigate the project or assignment with limited intervention. | Return to Top | |
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| The Analogy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The best way to think about this might be using a sport analogy. During practices and scrimmages, the coach (teacher) can stop the action and provide detailed feedback and allow do-overs until it is done to as near perfection as is required. That's a performance task. Performance assessment tasks are more like game night; the player must take to the field and show evidence in the skills and knowledge that they have acquired in the practices and scrimmages. There is a time limit, and the coach has limits to how much time they can provide feedback. Do-overs are usually not allowed. In performance assessment tasks, students are expected to show that they are self-directed, self-reliant and self-assessing. A scrimmage looks a lot like the game, but it is not the game night. Likewise, a performance task looks a lot like a performance assessment task. It might even be identical, but the amount of teacher interventions, the flexibility of timelines and the type of assessment methods may vary. Performance assessment task counts in the final score/grade. Performance tasks may/or may not be figured into the final grade. (Note: Students should not be asked to do performance assessment tasks that they have not had prior opportunity to practice and/or scrimmage.) | Return to Top | |
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| When to Use: Making an Instructional Decision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Since performance tasks and performance assessment tasks can be time-consuming and resource-demanding, careful attention should be paid to when to use them to measure student performance. Performance assessment tasks are reserved for measuring those standards/benchmarks not easily measured by tests, quizzes, teacher observation, etc. For instance, if you want to know if students use a variety of strategies in the problem-solving process, a performance assessment task may be the best option for assessing their skills. If you want to know if students understand and apply basic and advanced properties of the concepts of numbers, (1) a test or quiz may be a better choice. Likewise, if you want to know if students understand the characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions and economic incentives, a test or a set of quizzes may be appropriate. On the other hand, if you wanted to know if a student understands the roles the government plays in the United States economy, a performance assessment task may be more suitable.AEA staff and local district leaders have developed screens or decision making grids that help classroom teachers make the decision of when to use a performance assessment task. One such grid, developed by Dr. Denise Schares from an earlier work of DJ Corson, is accessible on this site. (See PAT Decision Making Grid). An example of a screen is also accessible. It was developed by a group of district leaders and finalized and formatted by Dr. Sara McInerny. (See Jesup's Screen for PATs) | Return to Top | |
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| How to Write: The Step-by-Step Guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Designing performance tasks/performance assessment tasks requires attention to incorporating multiple components and to addressing issues such as validity, reliability and fairness. Using the work of experts such as Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins, Robert Marzano, and others, a step-by-step guide was created for AEA 267 educators.
Each step in the guilde helps teachers write a task that incorporates standards/benchmarks, thinking/reasoning skills, and learner performance goals. When these elements are aligned with student performance standards, the end result is purposeful work for students that goes beyond being an activity. It becomes a learning opportunity that allows students to evidence their knowledge, skills and competency at an application level. In addition, this guide asks educators to create assignments or projects that have more of an authentic nature—it replicas what people outside of the school do with the knowledge and skills that enable them to contribute and benefit from their families, jobs and communities in which they live. For more information on how to write a performance assessment task please visit the online guide. | Return to Top | |
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