Performance assessments are an integral part of exemplary science curricula. Designed to provide opportunities for students to use their knowledge in problem situations, performance evaluations are helpful in assessing how students apply what they know, and how they demonstrate the abilities and skills necessary to do scientific inquiry. They also allow students who may have difficulty writing to show their understanding and skills. Teachers observe the students performing the task, and then judge the quality of the students' work based on an agreed-upon set of criteria or a rubric.
The observation and the scoring of students' performance assessments can be time consuming, but they do provide a unique view of student thinking that is rich and authentic. For this reason, a few states include hands-on performance assessment items on their high school science tests. The following examples are drawn from the states of Vermont and Connecticut.
Conduct a Crater Experiment
Compare Density of Objects and Liquids
However, most states have opted not to include hands-on activities as part of their state tests. They have included items that are real-world based, but are presented in written form. While not actually performance assessments, these items do require students to either go through a process or think about what they would do in order to solve a novel problem. The three examples below come from the states of Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Predict and Explain Results of a Lab Demonstration
Analyze the Decaffeinating Process
Determine the Age of a Rock Layer
While most states do not have a hands-on testing component at the high
school level, some states have enacted additional graduation requirements
in addition to passing the high school science assessment or state exam.
New York State, for example, has created a prerequisite for admission
to the Regents Exam. Students must have completed a minimum of 1200 minutes
of hands-on laboratory experience with satisfactory reports on file, with
a recommendation of a at least 280 minutes per week of class and laboratory
time.
