WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Log In

We share evidence-based K-12 learning strategies that empower you to improve education.

Featured:

More School Time, Well Spent, Boosts Academic Achievement and Engagement at Edwards Middle School

high school girls in a step dancing class

Featured:

Five Keys to Successful Social and Emotional Learning

Featured:

How to Thank a Teacher

Blogs on Performance Assessment

More Blogs on Performance AssessmentRSS

The Dark History of the Multiple-Choice Test

Ainissa RamirezMay 20, 2013

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Performance Assessment, Standardized Testing, All Grades, History

I don’t need to tell you, but the United States is one of the most tested countries in the world, and the weapon of choice is the multiple-choice test. While many scorn them because they don't allow an opportunity for learning, multiple-choice tests have become a staple in the U.S. -- from college admissions to the popular television program Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Multiple-choice questions are an accepted institution. Yet we know little about where they come from. When researching materials for my book, Save Our Science, I stumbled across their not-so-nice origins.

The Arbitrary Albatross: Standardized Testing and Teacher Evaluation

Aaron PribbleMay 15, 2013

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Education Reform, Performance Assessment, Standardized Testing, All Grades

On Chicago's streets and Hollywood's silver screens, education reform has been cast as a false dilemma between students and teachers. Reputable actresses and liberal mayors have both fallen prey. At the center of this drama lie teacher evaluations. A linchpin of the debate, they weigh especially heavily around the necks of educators like me.

What the NFL Scouting Combine Can Teach Us About Teacher Evaluation

José VilsonApril 26, 2013

Tags Education Reform, Performance Assessment, Professional Development, Teacher Development

Last week, the National Football League released its schedule for the 2013-14 season, to the joy of die-hard pigskin fans and the chagrin of the rest of America trying to watch their Sunday evening programming. For the last month and a half, teams had been carefully analyzing the results of the NFL scouting combine to see which players best match their system and show the most promise for their future success. (Quick note: the combine is a weeklong display of different workouts and challenges that may demonstrate prospective players' mental and physical abilities.)

Beyond the Edge of the Curriculum Map

Terry HeickFebruary 11, 2013

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Curriculum, Education Reform, Game-Based Learning, Performance Assessment, Place-Based Learning

In 2013, sandbox video games have changed gaming more than a little. Players can now define their own terms for success, and the evolution of certain gamification elements makes this more than a fantasy in the minds of the players. There really are multiple measures of success.

Deeper Learning: Authentic Student Assessment

Bob LenzJanuary 9, 2013

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Performance Assessment, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Is it possible to systemically embed deeper learning outcomes for students?

Teaching Presentation Skills with Ignite

Andrew MillerDecember 28, 2012

Tags Performance Assessment, Student Engagement, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

I know that, in my project-based learning classroom, students did presentations all the time for a variety of purposes. One of the key components of a PBL project is the 21st-century skill of presentation or communication. We know that this presentation can take on any number of shapes, from something formal to a podcast or even a poster session. I always struggled with getting quality presentations from my students. I used a variety of teaching techniques and examples, but there is one that I know can really help improve presentation skills: Ignite!

How Common Assessments Boost Accountability

Bob LenzDecember 20, 2012

Tags Formative Assessment, Performance Assessment, All Grades

In my last post, I discussed how schools and systems can use a different and more powerful type of accountability to drive intrinsic motivation for high performance by students and teachers. (This is opposed to an accountability system of rewards and punishment.) By making student work and teacher practice public and transparent, we can improve student learning faster and with more sustainability. Also in that post, I highlighted public exhibitions of work and instructional rounds as two "accountability" tools used by Envision Schools.

Deeper Learning: Performance Assessment and Authentic Audience

Shawn CornallyDecember 20, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Performance Assessment, Student Engagement

In a conversation with a veteran educator -- a man with years of experience teaching English and acting as a headmaster -- I was confronted with a prejudice so ingrained in my teaching that I was almost embarrassed to admit it.

He said, "You know, when I ask a student to write a paper and turn it in to me, that's ridiculous; I'm the worst audience they could have."

I was intrigued.

How Authentic Assessment Heightens Accountability in Our Schools

Bob LenzDecember 5, 2012

Tags Performance Assessment, All Grades

How do we foster intrinsic motivation, for both teachers and students, to work towards high performance? Can we create a system of accountability that will drive this performance? At Envision Education, we answer with a resounding, yes. However, our accountability is not driven by a system of rewards and punishments; it is driven by an authentic system of accountability driven by making the work of students, teachers, and the school public.

Rethinking Assessment

Will RichardsonNovember 1, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Performance Assessment, Standardized Testing, Technology Integration, High (9-12)

With few exceptions, all the things our children are using to connect and learn outside the classroom -- social media, cell phones, Internet connections -- are banned inside classrooms. In my kids' case (and they have more access than many), school is the only place in their lives where they can't use the technology they carry around in their pockets and backpacks to answer questions.

The only place. Why is that?