Dive Brief:
- Some schools use performance assessments like capstone projects or portfolios to decide whether students have mastered the skills they need to graduate, and a handful of states are considering allowing this method as an alternative to standardized testing.
- According to The Hechinger Report, students who fail exit tests in Maryland can qualify for graduation by completing a project that demonstrates their skills instead, and Pennsylvania, New York and New Hampshire are all considering some type of performance assessment model.
- Critics say grading student mastery by assessing projects or portfolios is too time-consuming and subject to teacher biases, while others say performance assessments better prepare students for college and career and are worth the time.
Dive Insight:
The Hechinger Report writes that performance assessments so far have been used as an option for struggling students who cannot pass traditional standardized tests. This has fostered a level of stigma about performance assessments as being less rigorous, though students who complete them can say studying for a standardized test may have been easier to do.
Standardized tests have long been criticized as discriminating against certain types of learners, especially those who do not speak English fluently, black and Latino students, and even female test-takers. Critics say performance is more about a student’s preparation to take the test than his or her content mastery. The Every Student Succeeds Act has given states more flexibility to experiment with new testing programs, and a seven-state pilot is expected to include some investigation of performance assessments. The pilot itself was based on New Hampshire’s work in this area.