Gifted Child Today Magazine

Summer, 2002
Using performance assessment in the social studies classroom.
http://www.casenex.com/casenet/pages/virtualLibrary/Readings/perfassess.htm
Author/s: Tonya R. Moon
Balancing recommended practices in the social studies classroom with state-mandated
accountability pressures is a challenge for educators. Recognizing the need for accountability but
concerned with the narrowing of the curriculum that current versions of state-mandated testing
might promote, the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) has argued for social studies
assessment that is well-aligned with major social studies goals and more real-life in the types of
activities that are given to students. According to NCSS (1991), a comprehensive and balanced
plan for social studies assessment should include, among others, a range of performance
assessments where students take a reasoned position on a controversial social issue. They
strongly support looking at the process that students use, not merely the answers they choose.

The focus of this article is on one particular type of assessment, performance assessment, in the
social studies classroom. The intent is to show how performance assessment in a social studies
classroom can be the basis for providing integrated social science instruction using state
standards to address student academic diversity.

Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Learning, from a cognitive perspective, can be defined as the "process by which learners
selectively experience elements of their own and novel worlds, conceptualize and assimilate
symbols and relationships around problems they understand, and ultimately construct or at least
interpret knowledge and its meanings in ways that are their own" (Gordon & Bonilla-Bowman,
1996, p. 33). The underlying premise for this definition of learning is that teachers need to
provide students opportunities to work toward becoming critical thinkers who understand
multiple perspectives so that application of their own intellect will solve novel, as well as
everyday problems or issues with which they are confronted. Constructivist theories also
conclude that students learn best when they are in an active rather than passive learning mode,
tie new learning to what they already know, have clear statements of expectations, and realize
that their knowledge, understandings, and skills can be transferred to new situations (Bransford,
Brown, & Cocking, 1999). These learning principles are directly applicable to classroom
performance assessments.

Elements of Classroom Performance Assessments

Golub (1993) remarked:

The pressure to "cover the curriculum" is perhaps the most direct and
immediate pressure teacher[s] feel [about state tests]. Too often, the
curriculum becomes divorced from the teachers who teach it.... When one
must cover items, and usually there are far too many items in the
curriculum anyway to be covered adequately, one tends to focus on teaching
content instead of students. (p. 3)
If teachers come to regard standards as checklists of content, then the structure and
interconnectedness of a discipline is lost, and students will likely fail to see the meaning of their
learning, and the usefulness of standards as a framework for curricula is greatly diminished
(Moon & Callahan, 2001). One useful way to avoid these results from happening is through the
use of performance assessments. Performance assessments can be defined as those tasks that
require students to demonstrate their synthesized knowledge, understanding, and skills by
addressing several objectives, sometimes across multiple disciplines, all without teacher
assistance. Common to all performance assessments is the fundamental notion that students are
engaged in conceptualized academic exercises where they are comparing, contrasting,
summarizing, and predicting; in other words, they engage in the types of thinking that
characterizes what professionals do in the "real world."

Parker (1991) recommended several attributes for effective and useful performance
assessments:

1. Tasks that go to the heart of essential learnings by asking for exhibitions of understandings
and abilities that matter;

2. Tasks that resemble interdisciplinary real-life challenges, not schoolish busywork that is
artificially fragmented and easy to grade;

3. Tasks that set standards, for they point students toward higher, richer levels of knowing;

4. Tasks that are worth striving and practicing; and

5.Tasks that generally involve a higher-order challenge for which students have to go beyond
routine use of previously learned information.

The second element common to all performance assessments is that of a rubric, which clearly
delineates to students what is required for their work to receive a "beyond expectations," "meets
expectations," "below expectations," or what is required to receive an A, B, or C. Although it is
not an easy task to create a rubric, doing so forces teachers to clearly articulate their
expectations, while providing students with clear understanding of what is required to meet
particular performance standards. For rubrics to be effective, teachers must avoid the tendency

to measure what is easiest to measure rather than what is most important to measure. The
advantage to this type of assessment is that well-developed tasks with clearly delineated rubrics
provide in-depth feedback both to the teacher and student about student learning and
achievement.

Sample Social Studies Performance Assessment

The best assessments make an impact on students beyond evaluating their levels of competence
about certain subject matter. For example, a social studies goal might require students to
develop a position regarding a current social issue, grounding it in knowledge and diverse
opinions, and using research data gathered from a variety of sources. Writing an editorial for the
school or local newspaper would be a more authentic (or real-life) application than merely writing
to illustrate to the teacher that the students were able to do research and write coherent papers.

For five years, the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at the University of
Virginia has worked with teachers across the country to develop classroom performance
assessments based on rigorous content standards while being sensitive to the academic diversity
of students in contemporary classrooms. "Read All About It!" in Figures 1 and 2 are examples of
these assessments; students assume the role of producer/creator of a special edition of the local
newspaper focused on significant events of the previous century. Focusing on five great wars of
the 20th century, students are asked to analyze and synthesize information related to common
elements historically found in war: cause and effect, alliances, perceptions of the war abroad and
at home, and the peace process. The basic form of the performance assessment for on-gradelevel students is represented in Figure 1, and the advanced form of the performance assessment
for students who have the ability to work above grade level is presented in Figure 2.

Figure 1

"Read All About It!": A Sample Performance Assessment

With the dawn of a new millennium, the media become focused on special reports and humaninterest stories about significant events of the previous century. Your local newspaper is
producing a special edition series, "War in Review," on the five great wars of the 1900s: World
War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. You will play two
roles in this process. One, you will act as a staff writer to create newspaper stories highlighting
elements common to all wars, such as cause and effect, alliances, perceptions of the war abroad
and at home, and the peace process. Two, you will serve on the editorial board of the newspaper
to create this special edition.

First, meet with your group to decide which war each of you will research. Each group member
must choose a different war: WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the Persian Gulf
War.

Determine which role matches your interests and abilities, choosing one of the following editorial
roles:

Copy Editor: Enjoys speaking and the written language. A copy editor is responsible for
proofreading for grammar, syntax, spelling, and mechanics. Copy editors polish up the pieces to
make them look good.

Layout Editor: Has a great eye for space and is spatially oriented. The layout editor determines
how the paper will look when finished; he or she chooses the fonts, figures effective use of size
and space, and decides how big/small graphics and stories will be in relation to each other.

Mock-Up Editor: Enjoys detail-oriented activities; neatness is a must. The mock-up editor actually
cuts and pastes stories and pictures to match the layout and transfers the copy and graphics
carefully to printers.

Photo Editor: This person enjoys visual and artistic tasks. Photo editors will be responsible for
finding or creating graphics that represent and reinforce the war stories. Pictures, drawings,
photocopies, and political cartoons are examples that may be used.

Story Editor: A "big-picture" thinker who is organized and can oversee the whole process. A story
editor puts the whole paper together, checks each page to make sure the necessary elements
are present, assists with headlines, and assesses the content of the story.

Research the aspects below of the war you choose. Be sure you look for big concepts, universal,
and timeless ideas.

* Identify the cause(s) of the war. What were the antecedents that led to the war?

* Determine the alliances that formed as a result of the war. Why do you think these particular
alliances occurred? Why did other probable alliances not occur?

* Profile a key individual from each side of the conflict. What was the importance of each
individual to the war or to one or more of the elements of the war?

* Explain how people in the countries or alliances involved felt about the war. What was the
general public opinion on the war?

* Choose what was, in your opinion, the most important reason(s) the war came to an end when
it did. What were the circumstances surrounding the end of the war? Was there a particular
treaty, agreement, or resolution of any kind?

Once group members have completed their research, meet as an editorial board to plan the
special edition of the newspaper. Discuss the results of your research and how to best
communicate it to your audience. Consider the types of articles that would best cover the results
of your research while providing variety and interest to the reader? (Feature story, regular
column, political cartoon, letter to the editor, advertisement, and so forth.) Remember that you
want your paper to have as comprehensive a view as possible of the major wars of the 20th
century.

* Assign each group member at least three different types of articles to write about their
assigned war. Submissions must reflect the information found in their research. Emphasize big
concept, universals, and timeless ideas in your writing.

* As a writer completes each article, he or she should consult with the appropriate editor(s) as
described above.

Once all articles are submitted, reconvene as an editorial board to put together the special
edition of the newspaper. Each group member will be evaluated on his or her historical research,
integration of the elements of war into his or her article, and the quality of writing. Each group
will be evaluated on the quality of the group work habits and the overall quality of the newspaper
produced. A copy of the evaluation form that will be used can be found in Figure 3.

Note. Original idea for "Read All About It!" was developed by Cori Meredith and later revised by
Cindy Strickland, staff at the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of
Virginia. For more information regarding "Read All About It," see Callahan, Tomlinson, Moon,
Brighton & Hertberg (in press). Funding for the development of this assessment was supported
under the Javits Act Program (Grant no. R206R000001) as administered by the Office of
Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Grantees undertaking
such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional judgment. The opinions
expressed in this article, therefore, do not necessarily represent positions or policies of the
Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Figure 2

"Read All About it!": A Sample Performance Assessment

With the dawn of a new millennium, the media become focused on special reports and humaninterest stories about significant events of the previous century. Your local newspaper is
producing a special edition series, "20th-Century Wars: What have we learned?" on the five great

wars of the 1900s: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian
Gulf War. You will play two roles in this process:

* act as a staff writer to create stories for the newspaper high-lighting the wars; and

* serve on the editorial board of the newspaper to create this special edition.

Meet with your assigned group. As staff writers, each of you will design and write stories for this
special edition of the paper. Each group member must choose or be assigned at least two of the
following wars to research: WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or the Persian Gulf War.
To ensure thorough coverage of each war, try to have each war researched by at least two
different group members.

Each group member must research the following elements of their assigned wars: cause and
effect, alliances, perceptions of the war abroad and at home, and the peace process. Be on the
lookout for big concepts, universals, and timeless ideas. Based on your research, do the
following:

* Compare and contrast the causes of war. What important issues are typically involved? Justify
your reasoning.

* Web the kinds of alliances typically made during war. Why do they occur and how do they
benefit each participating country?

* How do the perceptions of war reflect the values and beliefs of the countries involved?

* Describe patterns in the peace process. In what way(s) can the resolution of a war be
accelerated? Can a conflict be settled fairly or amicably? If so, how? If not, why not?

* Examine the overall results of war. What important conclusions about war can be drawn from
these results?

Once group members have completed their research, meet as an editorial board to determine
which of the following roles best matches the interests and abilities of each group member:

Copy Editor: Enjoys speaking and the written language. A copy editor is responsible for
proofreading for grammar, syntax, spelling, and mechanics. Copy editors polish up the pieces to
make them look good.

Layout Editor: Has a great eye for space and is spatially oriented. The layout editor determines
how the paper will look when finished; he or she chooses the fonts, figures effective use of size
and space, and decides how big/small graphics and stories will be in relation to each other.

Mock-Up Editor: Enjoys detail-oriented activities; neatness is a must. The mock-up editor actually
cuts and pastes stories and pictures to match the layout and transfers the copy and graphics
carefully to printers.

Photo Editor: This person enjoys visual and artistic tasks. Photo editors will be responsible for
finding or creating graphics that represent and reinforce the war stories. Pictures, drawings,
photocopies, and political cartoons are examples that may be used.

Story Editor: A "big-picture" thinker who is organized and can oversee the whole process. A story
editor puts the whole paper together, checks each page to make sure the necessary elements
are present, assists with headlines, and assesses the content of the story.

As an editorial board, plan the special edition of the newspaper. You want your paper to have as
comprehensive a view as possible of the relationships among the major wars of the 20th century.
Emphasize big concepts, universals, and timeless ideas. Consider:

* The information you wish to convey to your readers about the complexities of war in the 20th
century.

* The types of articles that would best cover the results of your research, while providing variety
and interest to the reader. (Feature story, regular column, political cartoon, letter to the editor,
advertisement, and so forth.)

* The skills of the various members of the board and who is best equipped to write each article.
(Each board member must submit for publication a total of at least three different types of
articles based on his or her research and analysis of war.)

As a board, assign articles that support the above goals. As writers complete their articles, they
should consult with the appropriate editor(s). Once all articles have been submitted and edited,
meet as an editorial board to put together the special edition of the newspaper.

Each group member will be evaluated on his or her historical research, integration of the
elements of war into his or her article, and the quality of writing. Each group will be evaluated on
the quality of the group work habits and the overall quality of the newspaper produced.

Examination of the content standards that are a central part of today's classrooms (see Figure 3
and Table 1) suggests that "Read All About It!" is applicable to multiple standards in various
disciplines, as well as various grade levels. For example, one can see that several U.S. history
standards spiral across multiple grade levels and content areas are the basis for the assessment.
In addition, other discipline standards (e.g., English/language arts) are also embedded in the
assessment.

Figure 3 Sample Standards Addressed in "Read All About It!" Assessments

The student will be able to:

English

* Comprehend what is read from a variety of sources;

* Read and analyze a variety of print materials;

* Write in a variety of forms, including narrative, expository, and persuasive writings;

* Develop narrative, expository, or technical writings to inform, explain, analyze or entertain;

* Collect, evaluate, and organize information; Demonstrate their ability to conduct quality
research using a variety of resources; and

Present information in an understandable and appealing newspaper format.

History

* Analyze major historical events of the 20th century;

* Demonstrate his or her ability to recognize the common elements of war; and

* Demonstrate his or her ability to incorporate information about common elements of war into
formats commonly found in newspapers.

Computers/Technology(if graphic design software is used)

* Communicate through application software.

Collaboration

* Demonstrate his or her ability to work cooperatively and effectively within a group to produce a
realistic community newspaper.

Differentiating the Assessment to Address Student Academic Differences

The assessment for "Read All About It!" (see Table 1) provides multiple avenues for teachers to
differentiate instruction for students with varying academic differences while at the same time
addressing the same content standards with each student. To allow for differences in student
interests, both assessments provided the opportunity for students to choose a particular war that
is of interest to them, as well as an editorial role that is best aligned with their abilities in
creating a newspaper. For example, a student with honed skills in editing existing work may have
chosen the role of editor, while a student who struggles with grammar and punctuation may
have written initial drafts.

For students who are more advanced than their peers in their understanding of history and in
their critical and higher-order thinking skills, prompt 2 could be administered (see Figure 2).
While both tasks address the same standards, prompt 2 differs from the prompt presented in
Figure 1 in several ways:

1. Students are to consider at least two wars instead of one as requested in prompt 1;

2. For the two selected wars, students are to compare and contrast the causes of the wars,
identifying important issues involved. Students are also required to provide justification for the
identified causes and issues;

3. Students are to consider how the perceptions of the wars reflected the values and beliefs of
the countries involved;

4. Students are to describe the patterns in the peace process, determining if conflict can be
settled "fairly"; and

5. Students are to examine the overall results of the wars, focusing on important conclusions
about war in general that can be drawn.

A variety of resource materials can be made available to address varying student readiness
levels in both assessment prompts. For example, by providing a variety of levels of research
materials, teachers can encourage more advanced students to rely on primary sources for the
majority of their research or make use of higher level materials, such as high school- or collegelevel texts, if appropriate. Teachers can also provide check points or assign specific deadlines for
various components of the assessment for those who may need additional direction and
organizational support. These particular assessments also allow for both individual student
accountability, as well as group accountability. Each student is responsible for an individual
research and writing component; as a group, students are accountable for their collaboration in
producing a high-quality newspaper. Regardless of student readiness level or interest, the
assessments focus on assessing student understanding of themes in history, as well as standards
that are the responsibility of all students to know, understand, and be able to do.

Summary

Although teachers face many educational stresses in the classroom, performance assessment is
one viable option to assist them in addressing the academic diversity found in their students,
while staying focused on state-mandated content standards. When appropriately constructed,
performance assessments can ensure that students know what to expect, encounter learning
that they come to value as useful because of its real-life applications, and achieve the goal of
making connections among the disciplines (Moon & Callahan, 2001). In addition, performance
assessment can assist a teacher in presenting challenge to highly able learners while providing
the necessary structure for struggling learners all within a heterogeneous classroom.

We must begin to prepare teachers to create classrooms that reflect our emerging knowledge of
sound instruction and assessment, with both taking into account the academic diversity in
learners that compose today's classrooms. The use of well-developed performance assessments
as the basis for instruction and as one means of assessing learners is a step in this direction. GCT

Table 1

Individual

World News

Component

Historical

All examples and references to events are

Research

historically accurate. The reader is well

informed about the wars that you describe.
You show evidence of thorough research.
You rely mainly on primary sources.

Integration

The elements of war (cause/effect,

of the Elements
of War

alliances, perceptions of war, the peace

process) are included in your writings and

illustrations. Facts are specific, adding
depth and insight to the articles. Big
concepts, universals, and timeless ideas are
presented, providing the reader with a
clear understanding of the complexities of
war in the 20th century.

Format

You choose what seems to be the perfect

format. The reader is enlightened by your
writings/illustrations and comes away with
a thorough understanding of war. The
writing and drawing are highly appropriate
for each type of article submitted.

Style

Ideas are presented concisely, yet elegantly.

Main ideas are supported by rich details,
which flesh out the message. Information
is carefully woven together; writings and
drawings are complex. The selection of
words or illustrations fits with the subject
matter and the reading audience.

Group

World News

Component

GroupWork
Skills

Group members participate equally,

allowing each individual to perform his or
her assigned duty. Conversations involve
compromise and agreement. When disagreement
occurs, each person actively listens
to the others and opinions are shared

without ridicule or judgment. Group

members assist others when needed, and
superior effort is shown by all throughout
the assignment.

Overall Product: Your newspaper provides a comprehensive

Newspaper

look at each of the elements of war.

Headlines are specifically related to the
content of the articles and draw the reader
in. Graphics match the stories and even
enhance their message. Correct grammar
and spelling are used. The paper is clearly
and attractively laid out. The finished
product looks professional.

Individual

Regional News

Component

Historical

Examples and references to major events are

Research

historically accurate. Minor details are

inaccurate, but they do not prevent the reader
from overall understanding of the wars you
describe. You use a variety of primary and
secondary sources for your research.

Integration

Elements of war (cause/effect, alliances,

of the Elements
of War

perceptions of war, the peace process) ate

touched on throughout, although not at

great length or depth. Your writings and
illustrations include connections to a big
concept or timeless idea, showing an
understanding of the complexity of war.
You provide the reader with a general sense

of war and its impact on the 20th century.

Format

You choose formats for your articles that

convey the intent of your message. The
reader is able to get important basic
information about the war. The writing and
drawing are acceptable for each type of
article submitted.

Style

Ideas are clearly presented and supported.

Minor details are missing that would better
clarify the issues involved or details that
are not important to the story are
included, obscuring the main message.
The selection of words or illustrations fits
with the subject matter and the reading
audience.

Group
Component

GroupWork
Skills

Regional News

Group members participate equally. Each

person performs his or her assigned duty
well, although group distractions make
successful individual performance difficult.
Conversations involve compromise
and agreement, but disagreements ate not
settled in a timely manner. Group members
attempt to assist others when needed.
Effort, though inconsistent in intensity, is
shown throughout the assignment.

Overall Product: Your newspaper provides information

Newspaper

about the major elements of war.

Headlines and graphics are appropriate
and clearly related to the content of the
articles. Correct grammar and spelling are
used, with the exception of minor errors,
which do not impede understanding. The
paper is laid out in a neat and easy to read
format.

Individual

Local News

Component

Historical

Examples and references to events are

Research

inaccurate. The reader is misinformed

about the wars you describe. Your research
is superficial and does not make use of
primary sources.

Integration

You do not include all the elements of war

of the Elements
of War

(cause/effect, alliances, perceptions of war,

the peace process). No connections are

made to a big concept or timeless idea to
show understanding of the complexity of
war. Lack of appropriate detail makes it
difficult for the reader to understand war
and irs impact on the 20th century.

Format

You choose formats for your articles that

are inappropriate or do not clearly convey
your information. The reader is confused,
rather than enlightened by the articles.
The writing and drawing are unacceptable
for each type of article submitted.

Style

Assumptions are made about what the

reader knows, impeding understanding.
Important details are left out, confusing the
reader. Writing or drawing is overly simplistic
and causes the reader to miss the main
message. The overuse or inappropriate use of
words or illustrations prevents the reader
from understanding the subject matter.

Group

Local News

Component

GroupWork
Skills

Your group has unequal participation.

Individuals are unable to perform their
assigned duty well, due to extreme
distractions from the group as a whole.
Conversations do not involve compromise;
they are filled with judgmental comments
and many people talking at the
same time. Disagreements persist throughout
the assignment and make it difficult to
achieve the objective. Effort is inconsistent
or nonexistent.

Overall Product: Your newspaper fails to include information

Newspaper

about each of the major elements of

war. Headlines and graphics confuse
rather than inform the reader. Incorrect
grammar and spelling distract the reader.
Work is messy. The paper is not laid out
in a logical manner.

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Callahan, C. M., Tomlinson, C. A., Moon, T. R., Brighton, C. M., & Hertberg, H. (in press). Feasibility
of high-end learning in the diverse middle school Manuscript submitted for publication.

Golub, J. (1993). The voices we hear. English Leadership Quarterly, 15, 2-5.

Gordon, E. W., & Bonilla-Bowman, C. (1996). Can performance-based assessment contribute to

the achievement of educational equity? In J. B. Baron & D. P. Wolf (Eds.), Performance-based
student assessment: Challenges and possibilities, (pp. 32-51). Chicago: National Society for the
Study of Education.

Moon, T. R., & Callahan, C. M. (2001). Classroom performance assessment: What should it look
like in a standards-based classroom? National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Bulletin, 85, 48-57.

National Council for Social Studies (NCSS). (1991). Testing and evaluation of social studies
students. Social Education, 55, 284-286.

Parker, W. (1991). Reviewing the social studies curriculum. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tonya R. Moon, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Curry School of Education at the University
of Virginia and a principal investigator for the National Research Center on the Gifted and
Talented. She may be reached at Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet St.
S, P.O. Box 400277, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4277; e-mail: trm2k@virginia.edu.

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