Assessing Deeper Learning: Developing, Implementing, and Scoring Performance Tasks

Deeper learning has been defined as “the skills and knowledge that students must possess to succeed in 21st century jobs and civic life” (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2013). Assessing Deeper Learning: Developing, Implementing, and Scoring Performance Tasks examines the role of performance assessment to facilitate student attainment of the core competencies of deeper learning. The book details a journey that a large school district undertook to create a system of performance tasks designed to assess students’ proficiency in critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication. Chapters devoted to the development and implementation of the district’s high-quality performance tasks and rubrics highlight successes and lessons learned during the journey. Additional chapters focus on such topics as types of performance assessments, instructional methods that promote student engagement and deeper learning, policy, and how teacher leaders can drive this innovation to serve the teaching, learning, assessment, and accountability needs of schools. Assessing Deeper Learning: Developing, Implementing, and Scoring Performance Tasks was written for teachers, administrators, superintendents, and policy makers to better understand the challenges and opportunities afforded by using performance assessment to promote deeper learning.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Eva L. Baker Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1- Teaching and Assessing for Deeper Learning Chris Gareis Chapter 2- Looking Back at Performance Assessment Chapter 3- Performance Assessment vs. Performance Tasks Chapter 4- Embarking Upon the Journey Chapter 5- Ruminating on Rubrics Chapter 6- Developing Performance Tasks Chapter 7- Scoring Performance Tasks Chapter 8- Using Performance Task Results Chapter 9- Leveraging Performance Assessment in the Classroom Chris Gareis Chapter 10- Purposeful Innovation Chris Gareis Appendix A Appendix B About the Authors

About the Author :
Douglas G. Wren, EdD, is an educational consultant with twenty-eight years of experience in public education, including fourteen years as a classroom teacher in DeKalb County, Georgia. He served as DeKalb’s director of research and evaluation before working as educational measurement and assessment specialist with Virginia Beach City Public Schools and assistant adjunct professor at Old Dominion University. Christopher R. Gareis, EdD, is a professor of educational leadership in the School of Education at William & Mary. A former teacher, coach, principal, and associate dean, he regularly presents at educational conferences and works with schools, districts, and state agencies to develop the capacity of teachers and educational leaders to design and use assessments for learning.

Review :
Performance assessment and deeper learning are twin themes in this book. Wren and Gareis describe what deeper learning is, why students and educators should aim for it, and how performance assessment can help. They describe how high-quality performance assessment tasks and rubrics can support student thinking, teacher understanding of student thinking, and further learning. They tell the story of the journey one district took to develop a formal system of performance assessments and, importantly, how lessons learned along the way can be leveraged to inform wider and higher-quality performance assessment as part of ongoing classroom learning. The result is a very readable and informative book that inspires as well as instructs, with learners as the ultimate beneficiaries. This book affirms the position that school districts must ensure all students are engaged in deeper learning experiences. Not only is the reader provided with a compelling case for deeper learning approaches to instruction but a critical rationale for the shift away from conventional systems of assessment which rely too heavily on standardized, multiple-choice tests. The authors provide a much-needed road map for designing authentic, valid, and reliable assessments that provide meaningful results and position school districts to ensure students are learning and being assessed on what matters. Policy makers, district leaders, building administrators, and classroom teachers stand to benefit from this text which masterfully outlines a way forward for creating a balanced system of assessment in which meaningful, authentic, engaging performance assessments are a focal point. Although our knowledge of how to assess student learning has grown immensely in recent decades, we still have a long way to go before we can identify truly ‘best practices.’ In tracing one school district’s journey to develop more authentic ways to measure deeper learning, however, Wren and Gareis show us how we can become much better. Every educator will find the examples they offer and the guidance they provide to be helpful in efforts to assess the complex reasoning and problem-solving skills that are so important for students’ success in today’s world. This book shares the story of one Virginia school division's [district’s] journey - and the implications that journey has for the rest of the nation. It not only inspires us to undertake a similar journey ourselves, but provides the background, information, and guidance needed to make the journey a successful one. If you have ever wondered, ‘what DO today's students need to be well prepared for the expectations of the 21st century?’, many of the answers are in this book. It is a must read for all who strive to build schools that provide instruction and assessments that serve the learning needs of today's students.