1. Assessing the Common Core
Saluda Middle & High School
October 30, 2012

2. What Will Be Assessed?
4 Claims in ELA (the same across all grade levels)
Claim 1: Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts
Claim 2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences
Claim 3: Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences
Claim 4: Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information

3. What is a Performance Task?
Requires significant interaction with stimulus materials and/or engagement in a problem solution ultimately leading to an exhibition of the students' application of knowledge and skills
Asks students to research and analyze information, weigh evidence, and solve problems relevant to the real world
Measures skills valued by higher ed and the workplace: critical thinking, problem solving, and communication
Assesses several standards in one single, rich task

4. What Makes Performance Tasks Different?
Greatest departure from current state testing practices is the inclusion of performance tasks (PT), which engage students in more complex, prolonged exercises
Students will construct rather than select their answers
Extended writing will be a dependent prompt as opposed to PASS or HSAP, which has an independent prompt

5. What are Examples of Stimuli?
Stimuli include:
readings,
video clips,
audio clips,
graphs,
charts,
research topic/issue/problem
Students may produce:
essay,
report,
story,
script,
speech,
media,
graphic,
responses to embedded constructed response questions

6. How Much Stimuli Will PTs Include?
PTs for Grade 3 will require use of 1-2 stimuli
PTs for high school will require the use of up to 5 stimuli
Emphasis on stimuli related to science, history, and social studies
We need to provide opportunities in all of our classrooms for students to engage with multiple stimuli

7. What Does Test Administration Look Like?
Grades 3-8:
120 min Performance Task
part 1:35-45 min
Part 2: min
90 min Computer Adaptive Task
Grade 11:
120 min Performance Task
part 1: min
part 2: min
120 min Computer Adaptive Task

8. What Do PTs Look Like?
Let’s take a look at two release items (these can be found at
Using the DOK information provided, analyze the PT and identify the DOK levels for each piece
In small groups, write your findings on chart paper
Whole-group, we will look for trends in the findings

9. Closure Discuss the following questions at your table:
How can we provide opportunities now for students to engage in activities like these performance tasks?
What challenges will we face? How will we work through these challenges?