m arco teórIco

In this case study, middle and high school staff in several subject areas were working to improve the quality of summative assessments through the articulation of performance standards. While staff had extraordi- narily high expectations of their students, school leaders believed that the existing assessment practices focused too much on recall, surface- level explanations of thinking, and decontextualized problem solving and communication tasks. We started by creating performance standards in each subject area to delineate what quality tasks—tasks that are authentic to the discipline, require transfer of learning, and incorporate

21st century skills—should measure. Listed below are the standards developed for math, science, English, and history.

Math

Students should be able to

• Analyze a problem situation to identify patterns and make predictions.

• Create and execute a solution path(s) to determine the most effec- tive or reasonable solution.

• Analyze and justify the solution to effectively communicate results. • Create questions or goals based on (but not limited to) connec- tions to prior knowledge that stimulate further exploration or analysis.

Science

Students should be able to

• Use observations and integrated knowledge to generate investi- gable questions and/or goals that stimulate exploration.

• Generate and evaluate hypotheses that make testable predictions. • Design investigations using appropriate scientifi c tools, resources, and representations to generate evidence that addresses the original questions and hypotheses.

• Analyze data and arrive at justifi able conclusions that are effec- tively communicated to an audience.

• Engage in ongoing exchange of information, ideas, and approaches to develop a plan, communicate fi ndings, and/or evaluate the validity of results.

English

Students should be able to

• Create questions or connections that enrich and stimulate further exploration/analysis.

• Articulate the circumstances, evidence, and train of thought that led to the interpretation.

• Evaluate the validity of a range of interpretations to deepen or challenge their own assumptions/conclusions.

• Conceive, create, and revise a text to make sure it is appropriate for the audience.

History

Students should be able to

• Analyze a given situation to identify patterns and make predictions. • Assess the validity of information and the intent of the individual/ organization presented in any text.

• Adapt the way they explain and support their ideas based on audi- ence and task.

• Pose questions and examine underlying assumptions to construct meaning and broaden understanding.

• Collaborate with people of various backgrounds and perspectives to generate ideas and achieve a common goal.

The next step was for each department to identify or create perfor- mance tasks that would provide students the opportunity to do this work. Staff adopted a critical friends protocol, which guided their con- versations in subject-area teams as they evaluated good performance tasks in order to determine alignment with performance standards and, based on that analysis, discussed how to improve the task. Included below is one example of how this process triggered a redesign of an existing task in honors biology.

Original Question

The existence of variation within a species is a key component of evolutionary change.

a) Why is variation so important for evolution?

b) What are the molecular and genetic causes of variation?

Explanation for Redesign

The original question addresses some very important and fundamental aspects of evolutionary theory and the integration between molecular biology and evolution. When we first asked the question on a final exam, we received many tangential and unexpected responses, showing that the question was too broad and unfocused.

We wanted to rework the question entirely, still addressing some of the important concepts, but providing more focus and more connec- tion to the performance-based assessment design standards. We also wanted the students to have the opportunity to be creative in applying the concepts they were learning over the course of the semester.

The idea for the redesign came from a scenario I remembered from my evolution course in graduate school, in which an entire population of Laysan ducks was founded from a single female. The redesigned question (below) emphasizes the process of evolution and the role of variation, and gives the students many options for approaching the question while applying evolutionary concepts. It addresses the sci- ence department design standards involving generating hypotheses, analyzing data, arriving at justifi able conclusions, and communicating effectively to an audience.

The next step will be to design a grading rubric to take into account the variety of possible responses that will still show correct application of the concepts. We will also end up having to rework the rest of the exam or come up with creative solutions for administering the exam (e.g., in parts over several days), because the performance-based tasks we are asking students to perform will take more time.

Redesigned Question

The Laysan duck is the most endangered species of waterfowl in the United States. There are approximately 500 birds living in the Hawaiian Islands, in two distinct populations. One of the populations, at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), was founded from only approximately 26 breeding individuals.

As a scientist working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, your job is to develop a plan to foster the recovery of the Laysan duck. You are focused on the Midway Atoll NWR population. Your superiors at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have two questions for you to answer before you embark on a detailed study:

• Does the small size of the initial population of breeding individuals pose a problem for genetic diversity in the Laysan duck? Why or why not?

• Is there any aspect of the Laysan duck habitat that may help increase genetic variation in the species and aid in its recovery?

You need to write a report that answers these two questions and will need to draw on your understanding of evolution to address the species’ prospects for long-term recovery. You’ll also need to incorporate some information about the Laysan duck’s ecology, which includes the following:

• The Midway Atoll is an isolated island, 2.4 square miles, part of a chain of volcanic islands in the Pacifi c Ocean.

• It is home to 18 different species of bird (2–3 million individuals) that nest on almost every available square foot of the island.

• There are no natural predators on the island to threaten the adult birds, but the eggs can fall prey to rats.

• Because the Midway Atoll does attract tourists, there are problems with pollution, especially plastic debris that can kill the birds if they ingest it.

Write your report to your superiors at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Note that you do not need to use every piece of information provided above. You can pick certain facts and use them as a basis for speculation about the future of the Laysan duck.

The value of this process is that it creates a common framework to both design and review performance assessments so that both the quality of the design work and the capacity of the students to do this work improve. Staff were able to give feedback to one another on the creation of a task without foisting their own preferences on the designer or mak- ing the designer feel personally affronted by the advice.