Questions for Case 22

1. Dave is concerned about his ability to develop performance assessments, since his college
professor focused almost exclusively on the use of traditional assessments. What types of
performance assessments might Dave consider, and how do they contrast with traditional
assessment approaches?
 Performance Assessments evaluate the knowledge and skills that have been learned,
sometimes over a period of time. Since this is a performance assessment rather than
informal, you need to physically see or be able to tell the students are capable of
displaying their knowledge. An example would be a short answer, critical response,
an act of a play, or in this case similar to this one, a physical representation of the
student completing the task learned. For example, if my students were being
assessed on the water cycle, I might have them draw and label the water cycle
independently or list off the steps to me aloud.

2. His college professor (Dr. Tosta) identified performance assessments as lacking

generalizability and being subjective. Discuss these and other limitations of performance
assessments. Also discuss their advantages. Draw upon your experiences in an assessment class
and as a teacher.
 I think that performance assessments being subjective can be a positive thing, as
you can look at the personalized achievements each student has met. This helps
students to be more motivated as they are not just sitting still taking a multiple-
choice test. This is a more hands-on experience. Dr. Tosta says performance
assessments lack generalizability, but depending on the content and materials used,
it can be quite the opposite. It can allow you to integrate more real-life scenarios
that can be more effective to the students. Instead of teaching the test, which has
been done for a while, teach them what they need to know to finish the test and the
skills they need to take it.

3. After talking with Joey, Dave realizes some advantages of performance assessments but is
concerned that he does not know which ones should be used under what conditions. Describe
two different performance assessments and the conditions under which they would best be used.
 Experiments: This method can be used to assess multiple students at one time and
may work better when assessing math, science, or social skills, rather than reading
or language arts. Students will be able to physically demonstrate what they have
learned by completing a
  Oral or Written Response: This method may work better if you are trying to
monitor the individual growth of your students. Not only will you be able to see the
understand of the subject they are writing about, but you can also see how their
writing skills are coming along.

4. Joeys offers the mnemonic of T.A.R. Discuss the relevance of this to the construction and use
of performance assessments.
 T- Considering the learning targets involved. This is important when identifying
what standards and objectives need to be met. This will help keep the lesson on
track and identify what the students know already, what they will be learning, and
making the connection between the two.
 A- Considering the level of authenticity. Making sure the lesson is not general and
unique to your classroom is important. From year to year, you will have to adjust
your lesson plans and assessment in order to reach every student and how they can
be successful.
 R- Considering the degree of restriction- How narrowly the learning target is
defined. This will have you thinking about how far you can go when assessing the
students, are you allowing them to display everything that is required for them to
know.

5. They conclude that some type of oral presentation would be appropriate. Applying the
elements of T.A.R., prepare an outline for this oral presentation.
 Think ahead about what needs to be in the presentation; standards and objectives,
content learned
 Introduce the Presenter and Topic
 Consider who the audience will be made up of and what they know. Will they need
background information on the subject that is being presented?
 Introduce the Body, or the main information you are presenting and include all
small details. How are they going to transition from point to point and are the ideas
organized? What makes this presentation different from the others, or how is it
individualized for the student?
 Closing statement and questions from teacher or students.

Assignment
Keeping the uses and limitations in mind, develop a plan to use performance assessment with a
lesson you have used or plan to use. Describe the learning targets, the authenticity of the
assessment, and how it will be restricted.
Lesson: Plant Life
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Select the appropriate standards that align with the content you are teaching.
Allot time and look for learning gaps
Scenario: You notice a plant in the corner of the room is looking kind of dark and gloomy.
The bright green colors have turned brown and the moist leaves are now dry and brittle. (if
you want to break this into groups for a more personalized lesson, I will use five small
plants, so each group has one)
Plan: I would allot around 15 minutes for 5 days (a school week) for students to do this
experiment. Students will begin a plant journal that documents the plant’s condition from
day one to day five and what changes were made, and what was added to improve the
condition of the plant. In the previous day’s material, we learned that plants would need
sunlight and water in order for it to properly grow and strive. Each day students will write
about the appearance, location, and overall condition of the plant and make and document
any adjustments that are necessary.
Performance Assessment: I will be able to go back and look at the students work on the
plant and what they reflected on in their journal. Are they displaying knowledge of the
content and are they meeting the standards and objective goals?

If you are able to go outside, that would be a better option as indoors could restrict the
environment necessary for this experiment to be successful. This is a more hands-on
experiment for the students and it will directly target the content standards in a unique
way.