Performance-Based Assessments: Implementing with Fidelity 89th Annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition Anne Petersen, Ph.D. Science Instructional Specialist Virginia Department of Education

Batsmen and Bowlers The batsmen were merciless against the bowlers. The bowlers placed their men in slips and covers. But to no avail. The batsmen hit one four after another, with an occasional six. Not once did a ball look like it would hit their stumps or be caught. How does providing context make meaning of information? Read with visual once, then re-read two more times without visual….slower and louder each time. Reveal context as being the game of cricket at the end. Questions: Who were the batsmen merciless against? Where did the bowlers place their men? What did the batsmen hit?

Quiz Who were the batsmen merciless against? Where did the bowlers place their men? What did the batsmen hit?

What does this mean for students and educators?

ESSA-What does it mean in terms of Assessment? States are required to implement a set of high-quality student academic assessments in math, reading/language arts, and science, and may implement assessments in other subjects. Assessments must be aligned with challenging state academic standards. Math and reading/language arts have to be assessed yearly in grades three through eight, and once in grades nine through 12. Science must be assessed at least once in grades three through five, grades six through nine, and once in grades 10 through 12. States may assess other subjects.

ESSA-What does it mean in terms of Assessment? These assessments must involve multiple measures of student achievement, including measures that assess higher-order thinking skills and understanding, which may include measures of student growth and may be partially delivered in the form of portfolios, projects or extended performance tasks. The assessments can be administered through a single summative assessment or through multiple assessments during the course of the academic year. Results must be disaggregated with each state, local education agency, and school

Required Grades and Student Assessments Subject Virginia ESSA Math Grades 3-8, EOC Grades 3-8, Once in grades 9-12 Reading/Language Arts Grades 3-8 and 11 Science Grade 3 (alternative & locally developed) Grade 5, 8, & EOC Once each in Grades 3-5 Grades 6-9 Grades 10-12

What is assessment? assessment(n.) --a planned instrument or activity that yields information about a sample of student knowledge, skills, and dispositions from which inferences about intended learning outcomes can be drawn. (Gareis and Grant, 2015)

Why Performance-Based Assessments? “We have a generation of teachers who have never known anything but the SOL tests.” “And the rest of us have been conditioned for the past 15 years.” -Conversation between two local teachers (September 2014)

Why Performance-Based Assessments? Traditional testing helps answer the question, “Do you know it?” and performance assessments helps answer the question, “How well can you use what you know?” (ACSD, 1996)

Why Performance-Based Assessments? ACSD, 1996

Learning from our own experiences 1.In your experience as either a student or a teacher, what was the best performance-based assessment that you either completed or administered? 2.What characteristics of that PBA made it good? (Be sure to stick to your actual experience as you identify characteristics.) As a group, identify a common set of characteristics of good PBAs? (Again, stick to your actual experience as you identify characteristics. Don’t say what you think should be.)

What does performance-based assessment look like in the secondary classroom?

Creating Performance-Based Assessments Questions for Principals to consider: Are these assessments to be used across classes/classrooms? What is the goal of the assessment? Who creates the assessments? Is the content aligned with the standards?

Creating Performance-Based Assessments Is the assessment cognitively appropriate? How can this assessment be differentiated to different cognitive abilities? How is student mastery of the content to be determined? How will consistency of implementation and grading be ensured within my school?

Assessment What do we intend for students to know, be able to do, and to value? What evidence would convince us that each student has acquired this set of knowledge, skills, and dispositions? = Validity How confident are we that this would be a dependable representation of an individual child’s learning, and not unduly influenced by chance or error? = Reliability

Keys for Creating High Quality Performance-Based Assessments 1. Articulate and unpack cogent set intended learning outcomes based on SOLs. Identify an authentic and/or engaging performance task. Ensure the appropriateness and feasibility of the response format. Create an accurate and clearly worded prompt. Articulate accurate and reasonably objective performance criteria.

Alignment Tool: Table of Specification

Keys for Creating High Quality Performance Assessments 1. Articulate and unpack set of intended learning outcomes Content (knowledge) Cognitive Behaviors (skills) 2. Do these intended learning outcomes work with the vertical alignment and the course pacing guide?

How do we ensure that the intended learning outcomes are valid and reliable? 1. To what degree have a coherent set of ILOs that represent an impactful, subject specific competency been articulated? 2. To what degree are the ILOs aligned to either the SOL Strands or the SOL Reporting Categories? 4. To what degree do the teachers who share responsibility for this set of ILOs clearly understand these ILOs? 5. Has an authentic and/or engaging task that aligns to the ILOs been identified? (Gareis, 2015)

First: Identify an authentic and/or engaging performance task. Process or product Should align with ILO (both content and cognitive levels) Purpose/Goal Authenticity/Relevancy Engagement

Second: Ensure the appropriateness and feasibility of the response format. Sufficient time? Resources? Format? (lab report, interview, essay etc.) Does the process/content need to be explicitly taught?

Third: Create an accurate and clearly worded prompt. Clarity of directions to reduce systematic error degree of prescriptiveness Oral or written Steps, questions, scenarios Ensure prompt is written to engage students with content

Fourth: Articulate accurate and reasonably objective performance criteria. Select appropriate template Rubric Checklist Rating Scale Make sure the performance criteria are aligned to ILO content and cognitive levels Will there be feedback on formative assessments?

Ensuring Fidelity As a principal, what can I do to ensure that PBA is implemented and assessed with fidelity?

Example BIO.2 The student will investigate and understand the chemical and biochemical principles essential for life. Key concepts include the nature of enzymes. Design and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of a catalyst (an enzyme) on a metabolic reaction and apply scientific principles and evidence to explain the results of the rate of the reaction. Condition: Given horizontal workspace, a choice of laboratory equipment, liquid detergent, hydrogen peroxide, and yeast.   Behavior: Students will design and conduct an experiment that will determine the effect of a catalyst on the rate of a metabolic reaction. Success Criteria: Prior to experimentation the students will synthesize an experiment to include: a testable hypothesis; a balanced chemical reaction with appropriate reactants and products; a detailed procedure that includes specific equipment and amounts of chemicals needed in the experiment. Upon completion of the experiment, the student will analyze the experiment to include: a table that includes data collected in the experiment and a graph of the data (if appropriate); an explanation of the data observed; an appropriate conclusion based on the data collected; an explanation of how catalysts affect the rate of a reaction; any sources of error that may have been encountered in the experiment and how those errors may impact the experimental results. Extension: Students will design and conduct an experiment that will determine the effect of pH and temperature on a catalyzed reaction.

Assessing the Example Students create their own procedures Students determine what data to collect and how to record it Analyze procedures and data to determine sources of error Provides bridge between content and lab exercise

Assessing Student Performance How can data from PBLs be used to determine overall student performance in an area? How can principals ensure that the review of student performance data will lead to changes in the way things are done in the school?

Pros and Cons of Performance Based Assessments Engages students in learning activity. Promotes student creativity and critical thinking. Engages students in active learning. Addresses higher levels of cognitive processes. Can be summative or formative. Can be an avenue for student self-assessment and performance. Cons Takes more time to grade then a traditional M.C. assessment. Time consuming and labor intensive if properly designed and executed. Grading can be more subjective. Graders need to be trained. Can be difficult in classrooms with poor classroom management. More difficult to collect large sets of data on student performance.

Professional Development Principals must provide the training necessary for teachers to align instruction and assessments to standards. create tools to assess student mastery. use assessment results to analyze learning gaps.

Conclusion Performance based assessments, when designed and implemented with fidelity, can be used to determine mastery of content through the application of concepts learned in class versus a traditional style assessment.

Anne Petersen (Anne. Petersen@doe. virginia. gov) Tina Mazzacane (Tina Anne Petersen (Anne.Petersen@doe.virginia.gov) Tina Mazzacane (Tina.Mazzacane@doe.virginia.gov) Jim Firebaugh (Jim.Firebaugh@doe.virginia.gov) Eric Rhoades (Eric.Rhoades@doe.virginia.gov