The 21st Century Context for
Standards-Focused
Project Based
Learning
Create a Balanced Assessment
Plan
Stage 2
Balanced Assessment Plan
• Formative assessments that allow
you to give feedback as the project
progresses – Classroom
Assessments for Learning
• Classroom Assessments of
Learning that provide students with
a culminating appraisal of their
performance
Align products with Outcomes.
Planning effective assessments
requires that you work backwards to
align the product or performances
for the project with the outcomes.
Align Products with Outcomes
This requires:
 Identifying culminating products for
the project
 Using multiple products and providing
feedback to students
 Using artifacts – evidence of the
process of student thinking – to
assess learning skills or habits of
mind
Establish Performance Criteria
• How well do the students know the
content?
• What is their skill level?
• How well did they apply their
knowledge and skills as they
prepared their product?
How will products allow students to
demonstrate their learning?
If the project asks students to
demonstrate proficiency in three
areas, each outcome must be
assessed and included in one or
more of the components of the
products for the project.
For example,
You have identified:
• Four (4) content objectives
• Three (3)learning skills objectives
• Two (2) technology tool objectives
You may first decide the products
students will produce:
• Exhibition
• Research paper
• Journal
Culminating Products
• Research papers
• Report to school staff or authentic
audience
• Multimedia shows
• Presentations at school-wide
assemblies
• Exhibitions in the school or
community
• Websites
• Public service announcements
Advantages to using exhibitions
• Participant involvement in
establishment of criteria
• Demonstration of progress toward
different goals or criteria
• Teamwork that provides emotional
support and feedback
• Exercises in meta-cognitive training
• Students as knowledgeable
practitioners
• Multiple assessors
A systematic set of checkpoints
for project products will not
only help keep students on
schedule, but it will also help
them refine and improve their
work.
Examples of multiple products
•
•
•
•
•
•
Proposals
Outlines
Plans
Blueprints
Drafts
Edited drafts
revised drafts
• models
• Product critiques
• Videos
• Final versions of
papers
• Field guides
• Biographies
• Websites
Artifacts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Notes
Journal entries
E-mail/Telephone records
Records of conversations, decisions,
revisions
Interviews using a structured set of
questions developed by the students
Short reflective paragraphs describing
the progress of a project
Task chart
Project Team Contract
Meeting notes
Know What to Assess
• Unpack the content standards and
objectives
– Series of specific statements of what
needs to be learned
– Think about unpacking the task(s)
– Define the “habits of mind” or learning
skills and technology tools by specific
statements or indicators
ASSESSMENT PRACTICES
 ACADEMIC
RIGOR
 ADULT RELATIONSHIPS
 AUTHENTICITY
 ACTIVE EXPLORATION
 APPLIED LEARNING
 ASSESSMENT PRACTICES
Exhibitions of work
Variety of
assessment tools
Professional
standards of
performance
Student involvement
in creating criteria
for project (rubric)
TRADITIONAL ASSIGNMENT
RESEARCH PAPER
Required Elements:
Select a disease to study
 Go to library and do
research
 Write ten pages
 Use proper essay form
 Include a bibliography

PBL ASSIGNMENT
HEALTH PROJECT
Required Elements:
 Develop family medical histories
 Write proposal to study health issue of
personal or community interest
 Keep research log, including citations
 Produce a newsletter
 Develop lesson plans and materials for
underserved population
 Present to real audience
TRANSFORMING PRACTICE
Traditional Assignment
PBL Assignment
 Student works alone
 Student works alone
 Context is school
and in teams
 Context is family and
community
 Assessment by real
audience and teacher
 Assessment by
teacher only
WHY ASSESS?
What role does assessment
play in project-based
teaching and learning?
PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT
 Help students become aware of areas of need
 Formative -- help students along the way, ongoing
 Proof of learning, growth
 Feedback helps create better product/project
 Opportunity to test depth of understanding
 Helps to define lesson design and performance
 Helps teachers determine what to reteach
 Allows for natural adult connections
 Helps to share the workload
 Checkpoint for integration
DESIGN FOR ASSESSMENT
Traditional Approach:
CONTENT
PLAN
INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION
PLAN
ASSESSMENT
ASSESS
Outcome-Based Approach:
OUTCOME
PLAN
ASSESSMENT
PLAN
INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION
ASSESS
BALANCED ASSESSMENT
 COLLECT EVIDENCE AT VARIOUS
STAGES OF THE WORK
 USE A VARIETY OF METHODS:
 Tests
 Product assessments
 Performance assessments
 Self-Reports
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
In-Process Feedback: WHEN? WHO?
Key considerations:
 Frequency, Timing, & Who Gives
Feedback
START
END
Curricular Priorities and Assessment
Methods

Traditional quizzes
and tests (selected response)…….

Quizzes and tests
(constructed response)…….

Performance tasks and projects…

Performance tasks and projects
(complex, open-ended, authentic)……...
PBL FRAMEWORK
PROJECT
ASSESSMENT
& EVALUATION
CURRICULUM
DESIGN
Stage 3
RESOURCES & CONSTRAINTS
The Rigor/Relevance
Framework
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
E
T
A
X
O
N
O
M
Y
Evaluation
6
Synthesis
5
Analysis
4
Application
3
Understandin 2
g
Awareness 1
C
Assimilation
D
Adaptation
A
Acquisition
B
Application
1
Knowledge
2
Apply in
discipline
APPLICATION MODEL
3
Apply
across
disciplines
4
Apply to
real world
predictable
situations
5
Apply to realworld
unpredictable
situations