Subject Sampler-Performance Tasks

One of the challenges we face as classroom teachers trying to implement standards-based curriculum is the designing of quality performance tasks. Creating Performance Tasks that truly give a student the opportunity to demonstrate the level to which he/she has mastered the standards is a difficult endeavor.

Your job is to sample and explore a minimum of three of the sites listed below. As you visit the sites, write down your thoughts on the questions asked below. You'll be expected to be your group's expert on Performance Tasks and when you meet again with your group, your role will be to share with them what you've learned about writing Performance Tasks.

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WebQuest Taxonomy: A Taxonomy of Tasks
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/taskonomy.html

1. After reading the description of each of the 12 tasks, what do the tasks have in common?
2. How do these tasks compare to tasks that you currently use in your classroom?
3. Of the twelve different types of tasks mentioned, which ones do you feel most comfortable using? Which ones are you least comfortable with and why?

Performance Tasks in Social Studies
http://www.mdk12.org/practices/support_success/
mspap/teacher_created_social.html

1. Explore some of the sample lesson plans and find the performance tasks.
2. Compare these tasks to tasks that you have used in the past. What similarities do you notice? What differences can you identify?

Performance Tasks in Science
http://www.mdk12.org/practices/support_success/
mspap/teacher_created_science.html

1. Explore some of the sample lesson plans and find the performance tasks.
2. Compare these tasks to tasks that you have used in the past. What similarities do you notice? What differences can you identify?

Introduction to Performance Tasks-Cedar Falls, Iowa http://edservices.aea7.k12.ia.us/framework/tasks/index.html

1. How important is the writing of performance tasks?
2. In your opinion, what is the relation between performance tasks and the curriculum decisions you make as the classroom teacher?

Writing Performance Assessment Tasks-An Online Guide http://edservices.aea7.k12.ia.us/framework/tasks/writing/index.html

1. Examine the process for writing Performance Assessment Tasks that is outlined at this site. Of all the steps, which step would be the most difficult for you to accomplish?
2. How would the teachers you work with react to being asked to follow this guide when writing Performance Tasks?

Selecting Tasks for Performance Assessment
http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/
Assessment_Tasks/Select_Task/select_task.html

1. After reading the information at this site, what are the three most useful tips that you found at this site?

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This will be a self-assessment that you'll need to complete and e-mail results to your instructor.

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After you have completed the activities above, consider the following questions and prepare to answer these as you share Performance Task information with your other group members.

1. If you had to identify criteria for a quality Performance task, what would your criteria be?
2. What is the relationship between the standards and the performance task?
3. Create three examples of possible performance tasks to help your group members understand what a performance task is.

You'll need to send your instructor a self-assessment based on the rubric above along with your answers to the questions for the three web activities that you chose to complete. Be sure to be able to thoroughly explain Performance Tasks to your group members when you meet to plan and create your presentation.

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