Beyond the Bubble Test

Performance assessment is a hot topic in school systems, and educators continue to analyze its costs, benefits, and feasibility as a replacement for high-stakes testing. Until now, researchers and policymakers have had to dig to find out what we know and what we still have to learn about performance assessment. Beyond the Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st Century Learning synthesizes the latest findings in the field, and not a moment too soon. Statistics indicate that the United States is in danger of falling behind if it fails to adapt to our changing world. The memory and recall strategies of traditional testing are no longer adequate to equip our students with the skills they need to excel in the global economy. Instead teachers need to engage students in deeper learning, assessing their ability to use higher-order skills. Skills like synthesizing information, understanding evidence, and critical problem-solving are not achieved when we teach to multiple-choice exams. Examples in Beyond the Bubble Test paint a useful picture of how schools can begin to supplement traditional tests with something that works better. This book provides new perspectives on current performance assessment research, plus an incisive look at what s possible at the local and state levels. Linda Darling-Hammond, with a team of leading scholars, bring together lessons learned, new directions, and solid recommendations into a single, readily accessible compendium. Beyond the Bubble Test situates the current debate on performance assessment within the context of testing in the United States. This comprehensive resource also looks beyond our U.S. borders to Singapore, Hong Kong, and other places whose reform-mindedness can serve as an example to us.

Performance assessment is a hot topic in school systems, andeducators continue to analyze its costs, benefits, and feasibilityas a replacement for high-stakes testing. Until now, researchersand policymakers have had to dig to find out what we know and whatwe still have to learn about performance assessment. Beyondthe Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st CenturyLearning synthesizes the latest findings in the field, andnot a moment too soon.Statistics indicate that the United States is in danger offalling behind if it fails to adapt to our changing world. Thememory and recall strategies of traditional testing are no longeradequate to equip our students with the skills they need to excelin the global economy. Instead teachers need to engage students indeeper learning, assessing their ability to use higher-orderskills.Skills like synthesizing information, understanding evidenceand critical problem-solving are not achieved when we teach tomultiple-choice exams. Examples in Beyond the BubbleTest paint a useful picture of how schools can begin tosupplement traditional tests with something that works better. Thisbook provides new perspectives on current performance assessmentresearch, plus an incisive look at what's possible at thelocal and state levels.Linda Darling-Hammond, with a team of leading scholars, bringtogether lessons learned, new directions, and solid recommendationsinto a single, readily accessible compendium. Beyond theBubble Test situates the current debate on performanceassessment within the context of testing in the United States. Thiscomprehensive resource also looks beyond our U.S. borders toSingapore, Hong Kong, and other places whose reform-mindedness canserve as an example to us.

Acknowledgments viiThe Authors ix1 Introduction: The Rationale and Context for Performance Assessment 1Linda Darling-HammondPart one : Through a Looking Glass: Performance Assessment Past, Present, and Future 152 Looking Back: Performance Assessment in an Era of Standards-Based Educational Accountability 17Brian Stecher3 Where We Are Now: Lessons Learned and Emerging Directions 53Raymond Pecheone and Stuart Kahl with the Assistance of Jillian Chingos and Ann Jaquith4. Reaching Out: International Benchmarks for Performance Assessment 93Linda Darling-Hammond with the Assistance of Laura WentworthPart two : Advances in Performance Assessment: Assessing and Supporting Learning 1315 Performance Assessment: The State of the Art 133Suzanne Lane6 Adapting Performance Assessments for English Language Learners 185Jamal Abedi7 Supporting Teacher Learning through Performance Assessment 207Linda Darling-Hammond and Beverly FalkPart three : Policy and Performance Assessment: Developing Systems That Can Work 2378 A New Conceptual Framework for Cost Analysis 239Lawrence O. Picus, Frank Adamson, William Montague, and Margaret Owens9 Investing in Assessments of Deeper Learning: The Costs and Benefits of Tests That Help Students Learn 259Barry Topol, John Olson, Ed Roeber, Linda Darling-Hammond, and Frank Adamson10 Building Systems of Assessment for Deeper Learning 277David T. Conley and Linda Darling-Hammond11 Concluding Thoughts: Creating Next-Generation Assessments That Last 311Linda Darling-Hammond, Frank Adamson, and Thomas TochAppendix A: State Performance Tasks 323Appendix B: New Approaches to Performance Assessment 353Appendix C: A Framework for Measuring the Costs, Expenditures, and Benefits of Performance Assessment 363Appendix D: Spending for Interim Testing at the Local District Level 377Notes 383References 387Name Index 423Subject Index 429