Performance Tasks in Education

The video tutorial provides an in-depth look at performance tasks within the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. It covers the purpose, benefits, and limitations of performance tasks, offering guidelines for their development. The tutorial also explains task components, scoring methods, and provides examples of tasks for different grade levels. Emphasis is placed on creating high-quality tasks that effectively assess student readiness for college and career.

What is the primary purpose of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium's performance tasks?

• To test students' physical fitness

• To evaluate students' ability to perform complex analyses

• To assess students' artistic skills

• To measure simple recall of facts

Which of the following is a limitation of performance tasks?

• They do not require analytical thinking

• They rely on human scoring, which can be costly

• They require less time to complete

• They are easy to score automatically

What is a key guideline for developing performance tasks?

• Use only multiple-choice questions

• Avoid real-world contexts

• Integrate knowledge and skills across multiple targets

• Focus on a single skill or knowledge area

What types of claims do ELA performance tasks address?

• Only argumentative writing

• Only research skills

• Multiple claims including narrative, informational, and argumentative writing

• Only narrative writing

What should teachers avoid when administering performance tasks?

• Incorporating real-world contexts

• Using clear and concise directions

• Providing assistance to students during the task

• Allowing students to work independently

In the example of a 9th-grade performance task, what are students asked to do?

• Perform a dance routine

• Write a poem about nature

• Create a drawing of a historical figure

• Produce an essay on virtual schooling

What is emphasized in the final guidelines for developing performance tasks?

• Avoiding real-world contexts

• Developing comprehensive scoring materials

• Focusing solely on math skills

• Using fictional scenarios