Another Look at Performance Assessments

Just returned from Providence where I spent two days learning about Rhode Island's diploma system, which includes a number of performance-based assessment requirements. Today at Portsmouth High School I saw students present their senior projects to groups of teachers, classmates, and outside community judges. Beginning this year, to graduate, all 200+ seniors at Portsmouth are required to complete a year-long senior project, consisting of the "4Ps" -- a research paper, a tangible product, a process portfolio, and today's oral presentation. Students select their projects, submit a letter of intent, and work closely with a school or community mentor. And, the projects really are diverse. The first student I saw today presented the stage set she'd designed for the school production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Another student's project consisted of running a marathon and fundraising to support leukemia research.

The students were, of course, outstanding. But, what surprised me most were my conversations with the principal, teachers, and state officials about the cultural changes that were emerging from the senior project requirement. Roy Seitsinger, Director of RI High School Redesign, was emphatic that this work was "about transformative cultural change."

Portsmouth Principal Littlefield welcomed us by noting that the past two days he'd felt an "energy he has not seen in this building." And, he compared the buzz and excitement/anxiousness around senior projects with the lethargy that plagued last year's senior class. Numerous teachers echoed his observation of increased student engagement. At the symposium I attended the day before, teachers from Coventry High School, also in Rhode Island, talked about how implementing a portfolio requirement had made teachers' work more transparent. Their work was "no longer self-contained" because each and every teacher saw other teachers' signatures on student work in portfolios. And, this transparency had led to a level of peer pressure for rigor among teachers when assigning and grading student tasks. Likewise, I saw dozens of community members, parents, and business volunteers at Portsmouth serving as presentation judges. The students' senior projects provided a vehicle through which the entire school community engaged together--especially faculty. And, they also provided an opportunity to engage the surrounding community as mentors and judges.

Of course, performance assessments are not new. And, issues of reliability, validity, and seriousness plagued many states' efforts in the 1990s (see Jay Mathew's article in Education Next for a quick history lesson). These are important issues and you'll see much more about accountability and student assessment from Education Sector over the next year. (FYI, Rhode Island students also participate in the standardized New England Common Assessment Program, but as of now it is not a high stakes test.)

But, my main takeaway is that it's just as important, if not more, for us to think about how these reforms can drive other critical goals such as student engagement. And, as technology helps to broaden access to digital portfolios and presentations, public transparency and direct feedback and involvement in students' work products can provide powerful mechanisms for new conceptions of accountability. I'm certain I'm not the only parent that would use these tools extensively to help select a high school for my child.

If you'd like to see what a performance exhibition looks like, the Coalition of Essential Schools is sponsoring a Webcast presentation on Friday, May 30th, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also check out Portsmouth High's senior project handbook and videos of student presentations.