Performance-Based Learning and Assessment in Middle School Science

by Hibbard, K. Michael

• ISBN13: 9781883001810
• ISBN10: 1883001811
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Eye on Education

Summary

This book contains a collection of performance tasks and easy-to-use assessment tools, ready to be photocopied and distributed to your students. The tasks in this book ask students to write letters, prepare posters, create charts and graphs, prepare 3D models, write skits, take surveys, and otherwise apply what they have learned.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
Six Questions to Focus Our Work on Improving Student Performance	1	(1)
A Balanced Approach	2	(1)
This Book's Focus	3	(2)
Our Ultimate Goal Is for Students to Be Motivated, Capable, Independent Learners	5	(2)
The Creature Feature Performance Task	7	(20)
An Enrichment Follow-up for Creature Feature	9	(1)
The Context for the Creature Museum Task	9	(1)
The Creature Museum Performance Task	9	(1)
The Assessment Lists for Creature Museum	9	(1)
Summary	9	(18)
Embedded Performance Tasks Used Both for Learning and Assessment	27	(6)
The Problem of Assessment as an ``Add-on''	27	(3)
The Problem of the Match Between Curriculum and Instruction: Is the Written Curriculum the Taught Curriculum?	30	(1)
How Embedded Performance Tasks Influence Teaching	30	(1)
Summary	31	(2)
Curriculum Standards for Performance Tasks	33	(8)
Content Standards for Science	33	(2)
Language Arts Standards for Science	35	(1)
Thinking Skills for Science	35	(1)
Problem-Solving Process Performance Standards	36	(1)
Work Habit and Performance Tasks	36	(1)
Performance Tasks Integrate Knowledge of Science Content, Thinking Skills, Problem-Solving Skills, and Work Habits	36	(1)
Themes, Big Ideas, and Essential Questions of Science Also Serve as Performance Standards	37	(1)
Sample of a Seventh Grade Biology Curriculum That Is Organized Around Performance Standards	38	(2)
Why Themes and Content Standards?	40	(1)
How to Make a Performance Task	41	(20)
Definitions and Dimensions for Performance Tasks	41	(2)
Dimensions of a Good Performance Task	42	(1)
Coming Up with Ideas for Performance Tasks	43	(9)
Questions That Act as Guides to Creation of Performance Tasks	44	(2)
Thinking-Skill Verbs Provide Strategies to Create Performance Tasks	46	(2)
Ideas for Formats of Final Products and/or Performances	48	(3)
The Theory of Multiple Intelligences Gives Us Ideas for Performance Tasks	51	(1)
Making Classroom-Friendly Performance Tasks from Those Ideas	52	(8)
Turning the Plan Resulting from the Framework into the Performance Task That Is Presented to the Student	57	(1)
Other Components of the Set of Materials for a Performance Task	58	(2)
Summary	60	(1)
Making Tools to Assess and Evaluate Student Work	61	(26)
Definition of Terms	61	(3)
The Purpose and Design of an Assessment Tool	64	(2)
Validity and Reliability	64	(1)
Scoring Tools Should Always Be Used in Conjunction with Benchmarks	65	(1)
Subjectivity vs. Objectivity	65	(1)
Scoring Tools Provide Information to Improve Performance	66	(1)
The Assessment Tool Should Promote Independent Learning	66	(1)
The Assessment Tools Should Be User-Friendly	66	(1)
Different Types of Assessment Tools	66	(3)
Options for Scoring Tools: The Scoring Tool Tree	66	(3)
Visiting the Branches of the Scoring Tool Tree	69	(10)
Holistic Rubrics	70	(2)
Analytic Rubrics	72	(3)
Combining Scores on Criteria	75	(2)
Acceptable and Unacceptable Work	77	(1)
Analytic Assessment Lists	77	(2)
Tailored Assessment Lists for Specific Performance Tasks	79	(3)
What Kinds of Items Go on the Assessment List?	79	(1)
Why Do Assessment Lists Include Elements About Writing Format and Work Habits?	80	(1)
How Many Items Go on the Assessment List?	80	(1)
How Are Points Assigned?	80	(1)
How Is the Assessment List Used?	81	(1)
Using the Tailored Assessment List to Assess and Grade the Student's Response to Creature Feature	81	(1)
Coaching Students to Accurately Assess Their Own Work	81	(1)
Teachers Add Comments to Assessment Lists	82	(1)
Assessment Lists Are Dynamic Tools for Getting Students to Pay Attention	82	(1)
Which Assessment List Is Best?	83	(1)
Students Can Create Their Own Assessment Lists	83	(3)
Peer Assessment	86	(1)
How Do Parents React to Assessment Lists?	86	(1)
Summary	86	(1)
Performance Tasks for a Scientific Method	87	(20)
Dimensions of a Scientific Process	87	(4)
Performance Tasks That Include Both the Scientific Method and Science Content	91	(6)
Consumer Research as an Authentic Application of the Scientific Method	97	(1)
The Science Fair	97	(6)
Summary	103	(4)
APPENDIX A: PERFORMANCE TASKS	107	(66)
Index of Performance Tasks	107	(1)
Curriculum Standards for Performance Tasks	108	(5)
Action and Reaction Poster Performance Task	113	(2)
Deer Dilemma Performance Task	115	(7)
Electric Circuits Performance Task	122	(5)
Electric Energy Transformation and Transfer Performance Task	127	(6)
Forensic Scientist Performance Task	133	(2)
Heartbeat Performance Task	135	(2)
Insect Mouth Parts Performance Task	137	(2)
Invent a Musical Instrument Performance Task	139	(2)
Invent a Worm Farm for Making Soil Performance Task	141	(3)
Machine Skit Performance Task	144	(2)
Model of How an Enzyme Works Performance Task	146	(2)
Rolling Down the River Performance Task	148	(7)
States of Matter Skit Performance Task	155	(2)
What Do You Eat? Performance Task	157	(4)
Worm Project Performance Task	161	(12)
APPENDIX B: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS	173	(6)
APPENDIX C: A COLLECTION OF PERFORMANCE PROFILES FOR VARIOUS FORMATS OF STUDENT WORK	179	(35)
Performance Profiles as Menus of Ideas for Assessment Lists	179	(1)
Performance Profiles as Frameworks for Conversations Among Teachers	180	(1)
Performance Profiles as Tools to Describe and Document the Proficiency Level of a Student's Performance	180	(1)
Index to Performance Profiles	181	(2)
Performance Profile for a Data Chart	183	(1)
Performance Profile for Technical, Informational, and Expository Writing	184	(4)
Performance Profile for a Bar or Line Graph	188	(2)
Performance Profile for an Invention	190	(2)
Performance Profile for Making Scientific Observations	192	(2)
Performance Profile for a Map	194	(1)
Performance Profile for a Science Model	195	(2)
Performance Profile for a Multimedia Presentation	197	(3)
Performance Profile for Writing a Newspaper Article	200	(2)
Performance Profile for an Oral Presentation	202	(3)
Performance Profile for a Poster	205	(2)
Performance Profile for Research Skills	207	(3)
Performance Profile for a Scientific Drawing	210	(2)
Performance Profile for a Science Skit	212	(2)
Performance Profile for a Written Summary of a Bar or Line Graph	214