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AN INTRO TO

Performance Tasks Guide to Engaging Students in Meaningful Learning

Jay McTighe

A Publication of Defined Learning

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: What is a Performance Task? Chapter 2: Characteristics of a Performance Task Chapter 3: Why Should We Use Performance Tasks? Chapter 4: How Can Educators Design Performance Tasks? Chapter 5: Examples of Performance Tasks Chapter 6: Conclusion

What is a Performance Task? A performance task is any learning activity or assessment that asks students to perform to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and proficiency. Performance tasks yield a tangible product and/or performance that serve as evidence of learning. Unlike a selected- response item (e.g., multiple-choice or matching) that asks students to select from given alternatives, a performance task presents a situation that calls for learners to apply their learning in context. Performance tasks are routinely used in certain disciplines, such as visual and performing arts, physical education, and career-technology where performance is the natural focus of instruction. However, such tasks can (and should) be used in every subject area and at all grade levels.

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Characteristics of a Performance Task

Characteristics of Performance Tasks

3. Performance tasks establish novel and authentic contexts for performance. These tasks present realistic conditions and constraints for students to navigate. For example, a mathematics task would present students with a never-before-seen problem that cannot be solved by simply “plugging in” numbers into a memorized algorithm. In an authentic task, students need to consider goals, audience, obstacles, and options to achieve a successful product or performance. Authentic tasks have a side benefit — they convey purpose and relevance to students, helping learners see a reason for putting forth _effort in preparing for them.

4. Performance tasks provide evidence of understanding via transfer._ Understanding is revealed when students can transfer their learning to new and “messy” situations. Note that not all performances require transfer. For example, playing a musical instrument by following the notes or conducting a step-by-step science lab require minimal transfer. In contrast, rich performance tasks are open-ended and call “higher-order thinking” and the thoughtful application of knowledge and skills in context, rather than a scripted or formulaic performance. Assess knowledge and skills Not usually authentic Involve application Yield a product or performance Set in an authentic context Assess understanding and transfer

Characteristics of Performance Tasks

5. Performance tasks are multi-faceted. Unlike traditional test “items” that typically assess a single skill or fact, performance tasks are more complex. They involve multiple steps and thus can be used to assess several standards or outcomes. 6. Performance tasks can integrate two or more subjects as well as 21st century skills. In the wider world beyond the school, most issues and problems do not present themselves neatly within subject area “silos.” While performance tasks can certainly be content-specific (e.g., mathematics, science, social studies), they also provide a vehicle for integrating two or more subjects and/or weaving in 21st century skills and Habits of Mind. One natural way of integrating subjects is to include a reading, research, and/or communication component (e.g., writing, graphics, oral or technology presentation) to tasks in content areas like social studies, science, health, business, health/physical education. Such tasks encourage students to see meaningful learning as integrated, rather than something that occurs in isolated subjects and segments. 7. Performances on open-ended tasks are evaluated with established criteria and rubrics. Since these tasks do not yield a single answer, student products and performances should be judged against appropriate criteria aligned to the goals being assessed. Clearly defined and aligned criteria enable defensible, judgment-based evaluation. More detailed scoring rubrics, based on criteria, are used to profile varying levels of understanding and proficiency.

Why Should we Use Performance Tasks The New Standards Demand Performance The most recent sets of academic standards in the U.S. — The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and Mathematics , The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), The College, Career and Citizenship Standards for Social Studies (C3) and The National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) — call for educational outcomes that demand more than multiple-choice and short answer assessments. Rather than simply specifying a “scope and sequence” of knowledge and skills, these new standards focus on the performances expected of students who are prepared for higher education and careers. For example, the CCSS in English Language Arts have been framed around a set of Anchor Standards that define the long-term proficiencies that students will need to be considered “college and career ready.” Similarly, the NGSS have highlighted eight practices, including Asking Questions and Defining Problems and Analyzing and Interpreting Data. These practices are intended to actively engaging learners in “doing” science, not just memorizing facts. The pattern is clear: the current crop of academic Standards focus on developing transferable processes, not simply presenting a body of factual knowledge for students to remember. A fundamental goal reflected in these Standards is the preparation of learners who can perform with their knowledge.

Why Should we Use Performance Tasks Needed Shifts in Assessment The new emphases of the Common Core and Next Generation Standards call for a concomitant shift in assessments — both in large-scale and classroom levels. The widespread use of multiple-choice tests as predominant measures of learning in many subject areas must give way to an expanded use of performance assessments tasks that engage students in applying their learning in genuine contexts. The two national assessment consortia, Smarter Balanced (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment and Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), have declared their intent to expand their repertoire to include performance tasks on the next generation of standardized tests. While it is encouraging to see changes in external testing, my contention is that the most natural home for the increased use of performance assessments is in the classroom. Since teachers do not face the same constraints as large-scale testing groups (e.g., standardized implementation, limited time, scoring costs, etc.), they can more readily employ performance tasks along with traditional assessment formats.

Why Should we Use Performance Tasks Current Assessment Landscape Many current classroom assessments focus on the most easily measured objectives. Teachers devote valuable class time to “test prep” involving practice with multiple-choice and brief constructed-response items that mimic the format of standardized tests. While selected-response and short-answer assessments are fine for assessing discrete knowledge and skills, they are incapable of providing evidence of the skills deemed most critical for the 21st century. Ironically, the widespread use of narrow, inauthentic assessments and test prep practices can unwittingly undermine the very competencies called for by the next generation academic Standards and 21st Century Skills. Students will not be equipped to handle the sophisticated work expected in colleges and much of the workforce if teachers simply march through “coverage” of discrete knowledge and skills in grade-level standards. Moreover, they deprive students of relevant and engaging learning experiences. In order to counter to these trends, we need to significantly increase the use of authentic performance tasks that require students to apply their learning in genuine contexts. We need to assess the performance outcomes that matter most, not simply those objectives that are easiest to test and grade. Meaningful learning will be enhanced when school curricula are constructed “backward” from a series of rich performance tasks that reflect the “end-in-mind” performances demanded for college and career readiness.

Our assessment photo album needs to include performance tasks that provide evidence of students’ ability to apply their learning in authentic contexts.

• Jay McTighe

How Can Educators Design Performance Tasks? In the spirit of “backward design,” let’s begin at the end by considering the qualities of a rich performance task, summarized in Figure 1. Since the criteria listed here define the features that we should see in an authentic task, they serve as targets for constructing tasks as well as the basis for reviewing draft tasks. Figure 1 – Performance Task Review Criteria: A. The task addresses targeted standard(s)/ outcome(s) B. The task calls for understanding and transfer, not simply recall or a formulaic response C. The task requires extended thinking — not just an answer D. The task establishes a meaningful, real-world context for application of knowledge and skills E. The task includes criteria/rubric(s) targeting distinct traits of understanding and successful performance F. The task directions for students are clearn G. The task allows students to demonstrate their understanding H. The task effectively integrates two or more subject areas & technology

How Can Educators Design Performance Tasks Let’s examine these task characteristics as they apply to designing authentic performance tasks: A. The task addresses/assesses targeted standard(s)/ outcome(s). As noted in previous blogs in this series, performance tasks ask students to perform with their knowledge. Accordingly, they are well suited to those educational goals that call for application of learning. Also, performance tasks are naturally aligned with trans-disciplinary outcomes, such as the 21st Century Skills of Critical Thinking, Cooperation, Communication and Creativity (4Cs). Here is a quick check to see if a performance task is well aligned to targeted standard(s)/ outcome(s): Show your task to another teacher or a team and ask them to tell you which standards/outcomes are being addressed. If they can determine all of your targeted standards/outcomes, then the alignment is sound. If they can infer one, but not all, of your targeted standards/outcomes, then you will likely need to modify the task (or eliminate one or more of the outcomes since they are not being addressed.)

How Can Educators Design Performance Tasks C. The task requires extended thinking — not just an answer. Authentic performance tasks engage students in the thoughtful application of knowledge and skills. In order to insure that our tasks involve “higher order” thinking, I suggest using the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) framework developed by Dr. Norman Webb as a reference. DOK describes four levels of tasks according to the complexity of thinking required to successfully complete them: Level 1: Recall and Reproduction Tasks at this level require recall of facts or rote application of simple procedures. The task does not require any cognitive effort beyond a rote response.. Level 2: Skills and Concepts At this level, students must perform two or more steps and make some decisions on how to approach the task or problem. Involve some reasoning beyond recall. Level 3: Strategic Thinking Tasks at this level require strategic thinking and reasoning applied to situations that generally do not have a single “right” answer. Expect students to support their answers, interpretations and conclusions by explaining their reasoning and citing relevant evidence Level 4: Extended Thinking Level 4 tasks require extended thinking and complex reasoning over an extended period of time. Expects students to transfer their learning to novel, complex and “messy” situations. May require students to develop a hypothesis and perform complex analysis. My general recommendation is that authentic performance tasks should target DOK Level 3.

How Can Educators Design Performance Tasks D. The task establishes a meaningful, real-world (i.e., “authentic”) context. If you have ever watched a house or apartment being constructed, you know that carpenters frame out the individual rooms to outline the walls, doors, windows, closets and ceiling based on the dimensions specified in a blueprint. This framing guides the installation of sheetrock (drywall) on the walls and ceiling, etc. Then, the windows and doors are installed and the finishing touches (e.g., painting, carpeting) applied. The idea of framing applies to the construction of performance tasks as well! Grant Wiggins and I created a task design frame based on the acronym, G.R.A.S.P.S. Here are the G.R.A.S.P.S. elements that are used to frame a performance task: (1) a real-world Goal ; (2) a meaningful Role for the student; (3) authentic (or simulated) Audience (s); (4) a contextualized Situation that involves real-world application; (5) student-generated Products and Performances ; and (6) performance Standards (criteria) by which successful performance would be judged. Figure 3 presents this practical task design tool containing associated prompts for each of the G.R.A.S.P.S. elements.