Designing and Using Performance Tasks

Presented by Jay McTighe, Educational Consultant and Author
Sponsored by Triumph Learning

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING

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Curriculum-embedded performance tasks are intended to engage students in applying their knowledge and skills in authentic and relevant contexts. Authentic tasks can serve as both rich learning activities and assessments of understanding and transfer. Such tasks enable the integration of 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication) with subject area content. In this webinar, Jay  introduced some of the principles and best practices for creating and implementing ELA, science, and social studies performance tasks.

Topics included:

• Characteristics of authentic performance-based tasks and assessments
• Practical design tools for creating such tasks
• A list of valuable recommended resources

This recorded webinar will be very helpful for ELA, social studies and science teachers of grades 3-12 as well as school and district leaders, including curriculum and assessment specialists.

Jay McTighe is an education consultant and author based in Columbia, MD. He has been a classroom teacher, resource specialist, and program coordinator, and also directed a state residential enrichment program for gifted and talented students. Most recently, Jay served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, and is involved with school improvement projects at the Maryland State Department of Education where he helped lead Maryland’s standards-based reforms, including the development of performance-based statewide assessments.

Jay has co-authored 14 books, including the award-winning and best-selling Understanding by Design series with Grant Wiggins and has been published in leading journals, including Educational Leadership (ASCD) and ED WEEK. Additionally, he was selected to participate in the Educational Policy Fellowship Program through the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C., and served as a member of the National Assessment Forum, a coalition of education and civil rights organizations advocating reforms in national, state, and local assessment policies and practices.

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING

Developed specifically for the Common Core State Standards, Triumph’s Common Core Coach, Support Coach, and Performance Coach series provide professional development support for teachers and rigorous instruction and practice for students, covering the skills and concepts students need to master. In four case studies in Kentucky, an outside research firm found that the use of Common Core Mathematics or Common Core English Language Arts with elementary and middle school students contributed to an improvement in the achievement levels on K-PREP, Kentucky’s state-wide test. The number of students who performed at the lowest level (Novice) decreased significantly, with a corresponding increase at the higher performance levels.