performance assessment

In this paper, Suzanne Lane advocates for the use of performance assessments, which have been an integral part of educational systems in numerous countries. Research has shown that the format of the assessment affects the type of thinking and reasoning skills that are used by students, with...

In this paper, David Miller and Robert Linn outline six aspects of construct validation to guide the validation of performance based assessments: content, substantive, structural, generalizability, external, and consequential. Each aspect is discussed, with the focus on studies that could be...

This paper by Raymond L. Pecheone and Stuart Kahl describes efforts by states to use performance assessment in large-scale state accountability systems and highlights promising practices that can a basis for broadening how the nation approaches assessement and accountability. Lessons from...

This paper offers a retrospective research study of performance assessment initiatives beginning in the 1990s up to today.  The study addresses three specific questions: 

• What were the conditions that helped sustain some of the programs? 

• What were the challenges that led to...

This paper is one of eight written through a Stanford University project aimed at summarizing research and lessons learned regarding the development, implementation, consequences, and costs of performance assessments. 

As the paper shows, the bulk of the costs for any assessment system...

The purpose of this paper is to present findings regarding the reliability and validity of the performance based assessments used in the state pilot, including the results of three sets of studies: 1) Generalizability studies; 2) Regression analyses to ascertain the relationships between...

This paper, discusses limitations with the standardized achievement tests currently used for ELLs and share information on how performance assessments can be efficiently used to lead to better understanding of these students’ content knowledge and to improve their academic performance.  

The primary focus of this study was to investigate process and content opportunities that are particularly relevant to improving English Language Learner (ELL) achievement with particular attention to the relationship between opportunities to acquire academic language and ELL achievement on...

In this paper, David T. Conley, well-known for his influential research on college readiness, draws on a wealth of recent research to argue that the time is ripe for a major shift in educational assessment, from an over reliance on standardized tests of math and reading, which tell us little...

In this paper, David Conley and Linda Darling-Hammond describe how two multistate assessment consortia are being designed to measure how well students achieve the goals of the Common Core State Standards. As planned, the new consortia assessments should be a significant advance over most states...

This resource provides a outline comparing types of instructional methods with a range of response options.

This protocol provides a structured process and a set of analytic questions to guide a collaborative discussion centered around student work. It is best used for collaborative learning among teams of educators.

This resource outlines elements of unit quality as well as guiding questions to promote collaborative analysis of student work.

The purpose of the Quality Performance Assessment (QPA) Framework is to provide guidance to teachers and adminis-
trators on how to design a performance assessment system.

This executive summary outlines how New Hampshire will integrate performance assessments into its state assessment and accountability systems.

The proposed performance assessment system will be based on:

1. competencies that provide state-defined learning expectations,

2. a...

Authored by Joel Knudson, Stephanie Hannan, Jennifer O’Day, and Marina Castro, this brief charts the lessons from the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) of the early 1990s that can inform state efforts to assess new college- and career-ready standards. The CLAS included performance...

In this paper, authors Scott Marion and Paul Leather present an overview of New Hampshire’s efforts to implement a pilot accountability system designed to support deeper learning for students and powerful organization change for schools and districts. The accountability pilot, referred to as ...

This Oregon Essential Skills and Local Perormance Assessment Manual describes the guidelines for Oregon's approach to using locally developed performance assessments to assess student mastery of the state's essential skills framework. In addition, the manual describes how performance assessment...

The New York Performance Standards Consortium (Consortium) has developed a proven practitioner developed, student-focused performance assessment system for its 28 member schools in New York City and State. Its validity was confirmed by the NY State Education Department and the NY Board of...

This paper by Stump and Silvernail examines the early implementation process of proficiency-based education standards in the state of Maine. All schools are expected to establish a proficiency-based diploma system by 2018. Using a two-phase, qualitative approach, findings suggest that benefits ...