The performance assessment tasks that students encounter on MSPAP are designed to present meaningful and authentic (i.e., real-world) activities requiring the application of identified learner outcomes in a variety of settings and situations. Student responses can be scored for more than one content area. For example, students might be asked to compare Jack London's short story, “To Build a Fire” and a Scientific American article on “Hypothermia.” In a series of performance-based activities, students might identify key concepts and themes, describe the scientific accuracy of London's story, and complete an extended essay comparing the fiction and non-fiction accounts.

In constructing a performance task similar to those encountered by students on MSPAP, teachers might consider the following guiding questions:

• Are the tasks worth mastering?

• Are the tasks presented within a meaningful context?

• Do the tasks require an integrated performance?

• Are the tasks valid and reflective of identified outcomes?

Do the tasks require students' application of a variety of higher-order thinking skills in response to activities requiring:

• A path of action allowing for alternatives and choices?

• Intellectual complexity and self-regulated thinking?

• Multiple solutions to problems and decisions?

• Ongoing judgments and interpretations?

• The integration of multiple content domains and outcomes?

	What process do I use to design a performance assessment task?
	Use this link to see a step-by-step procedure for designing performance assessment tasks. Each step includes quiding questions for teachers to think about as they work through this process.

	How are performance assessment tasks scored?
	This link provides an overview of process used in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program for scoring student responses. Included in this link are sample rubrics, rules, and keys, accompanied by an explanation of how each is used.

CLICK HERE for some staff development ideas to assist staff in designing and using performance tasks and rubrics, rules, and keys related to the modified holistic scoring process for limited and extended constructed responses. Additionally, you can find ideas for training students to self-monitor and self-evaluate their own progress using State scoring tools.

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