Using Performance Assessments in Secondary Education to Avoid AI Concerns

By Christina Lemon

One year when I was teaching, a student managed to acquire a photo of an answer key during semester finals. Through Snapchat, that answer key quickly circulated through the student body and teachers had less than 24 hours to decide what to do. They were torn about giving the test, knowing they couldn’t rely on the accuracy of the results. Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms like ChatGPT have only intensified this challenge. Now, students can effortlessly generate essays, complete with proper citations, in a matter of minutes. In a landscape where answers are easily accessible, educators face a daunting task in evaluating what students truly know and can do. Standards-based performance assessments could be one solution to this AI challenge.

Performance assessments offer non-traditional ways of evaluating students’ understanding, skills, and abilities through projects, presentations, portfolios, and performances. Unlike standardized tests, performance assessments allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and competencies in real-world contexts while focusing on the higher-level application of knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills. All of this means it’s next to impossible to cheat on a performance assessment! In fact, performance assessments are considered such a valuable measure of student learning, the Colorado Department of Education declared “collaboratively developed, standards-based performance assessment” as an option for demonstrating post-secondary workforce readiness under the recently implemented Colorado Graduation Guidelines.

Performance assessments offer non-traditional ways of evaluating students’ understanding, skills, and abilities through projects, presentations, portfolios, and performances.

When planning a performance assessment, there are four significant components to consider.

1. Identify the purpose of the assessment, including:
   • what type of assessment is given (i.e., interim, formative, summative),
   • the population taking the assessment (i.e., freshmen World History students),
   • the reason for the assessment (i.e., to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to the identified topic), and
   • the designated timeframe for the assessment (i.e., during the 2^nd quarter).
2. Identify the standards and skills to be assessed. These will become your performance indicators (and your rubrics to measure performance).
3. Design the task. Make sure it is an authentic and real-world task that also allows for some student choice.
4. Plan cycles of feedback throughout. Be sure to include checkpoints at regular intervals during the time leading up to the assessment to provide students with feedback and the opportunity to adjust their thinking. Include feedback from students throughout (formative peer feedback), and from parents and stakeholders (authentic audiences, school and district leaders, your Board of Education, and parents) in the final assessment.

Here’s an example of a performance assessment used with ninth graders in a World History course who were studying global development. Working in teams of 3-4, students used The World Population Data Sheet,  Freedom House resources (including the World Freedom Map and extensive resources on countries and territories), UN Sustainable Development Goals, and other data tools and resources to better understand the challenges of living in the developing world. Using this collectively built understanding, teams selected a developing country of interest and did a deeper dive of research using the UN Sustainable Development Goals to evaluate their chosen country’s development. During this phase, each student contributed to their team’s Country Brief, which was the research and writing assessment for the project. Then, as a whole class, students investigated the power of microloans. Each team then compiled a “pitch presentation” to fund a real microloan within their selected country that supported a Sustainable Development Goal. Our class hosted an evening symposium and invited members of the local community, education stakeholders, friends, and family to attend and listen to the students’ pitches. If attendees were persuaded by the presentations, they could donate to the cause through KIVA, an online microlending platform. Through students’ efforts, hundreds of dollars went to fund microloans. This quarter-long learning experience was a powerful class favorite, because they saw the evidence of their efforts.

Performance-based projects and assessments like this shift what learning looks like throughout the quarter. Less time is devoted to whole-class, direct instruction. Instead, students engage in rigorous, on-demand mini-lessons based on their research. During class time, teams work on research and attend frequent meetings with their teacher to track their progress. Throughout the project, students participate in cycles of self-assessment and peer feedback using the rubrics designed for the final assessment. This deepens their understanding of the performance measures and everything students work on contributes to the success of their final project. Finally, since students are producing products for the public, there is a deeper investment in the quality of their work.

Getting Started

If planning a large performance assessment project seems daunting, consider these suggestions:

1. Check out this free training module provided by REL Northeast, which includes detailed information about each of the four components outlined above and includes resources to guide your work
2. Ready-made performance tasks are available through many free, online sources. Select an existing assessment to try with your students before committing to building one from scratch.
3. Not all performance assessments need to be summative. Test smaller, bite-sized assessments as you get started. For example, give your students the opportunity to design their own argument. Use class time for students to verbally deliver of a piece of their argument as a formative performance assessment on a single standard, like introducing counterclaims. (2020 Academic Standards; CO Reading, Writing, and Communicating; 6.1.a.ii.)
4. Instead of writing your own, use existing scoring rubrics when you start using performance assessment. Here are just a few of many examples:
   • CO Essential Skills
   • Rhode Island Cross-Curricular Proficiencies
   • Rhode Island Social Studies Proficiencies and Performance Indicators (organized by grade band)
5. Enlist the support of a trusted colleague as a thought partner.
6. Performance assessments are meant to be iterative. This means they don’t need to be perfect the first time. As educators we strive to do our best always. But commit to taking a risk and to model the messy process of learning for your students.

While performance assessment can be a heavy lift, I promise it’s worth the return in investment. Your students could experience higher levels of engagement, more authentic and longer-lasting learning, and will be practicing life-skills like collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. Also, you can gain a greater sense of what your students really know and can do.

Christina Lemon, Ed.D., a consultant at McREL, serves as the Region 12 Comprehensive Center’s co-lead for Colorado. Additionally, Dr. Lemon delivers high-quality professional learning and capacity building for McREL clients in the field. Prior to joining McREL, she spent 15 years working in Colorado K–12 education as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, professional development instructor, and innovation leader. Dr. Lemon earned a B.A. in Social Sciences, an M.A. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Regis University, and an M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education.