Performance tasks (PTs) within the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) framework are designed to assess students' ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world problems.
Here's a breakdown of the key elements of a great performance task:
Complexity and depth: PTs require students to engage in higher-order thinking, integrating multiple skills and knowledge areas. They often involve tasks like research, analysis, and synthesis.
Real world context: Tasks are set in authentic scenarios, asking students to solve problems or create products that mirror real-life challenges.
Extended response: Unlike traditional multiple-choice questions, PTs involve open-ended responses that allow students to demonstrate their reasoning and problem-solving processes.
Scaffolding: Tasks include multiple parts, with initial questions building toward more complex tasks. This scaffolding helps guide students through the assessment.
Assessment of multiple standards: PTs often align with several educational standards, assessing a range of skills from critical thinking to collaboration.
Rubric-based evaluation: Responses are scored using detailed rubrics that measure various competencies, providing a comprehensive overview of student performance.
To use the Performance Task Tool
Go to Tools > Performance Task > Generate.
Write in your prompts and upload any supporting documentation you may have. Click Generate.
The performance task document will appear in a text editor. Tailor it however you like: highlight text and apply new AI Tools or press the backslash (/) key (on a blank line) to open the options menu.
The document will auto-save as you go. When you’re done, you can share it through a link, export it as a PDF, or export it to a Google Doc or Google Classroom.
Use your AI-generated performance tasks as a first draft. Review and customize to make sure it's exactly what your classroom needs.
AI Tools
To edit the text using AI, highlight text in the document and choose "AI Tools" in the toolbar at the top. You can change the tone, translate, simplify, and more.
Options menu
Type the backslash key on a new line to open the options menu. You can generate AI text or images, charts, tables, bullets/numbers, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find a performance task I’ve made?
Performance tasks you’ve created can be found and edited by going to Tools > Performance Task > [Number] documents.
How do I share the performance task document with someone?
When the document is open in the text editor, choose Share to copy the link and send it to anybody (most teachers use email). The link leads to a version that can’t be edited by the recipient. You can also use the Export button to share via Google Docs or PDF.
Tip: You’ll need to make sure the document is closed on your end. Otherwise, the link won’t work.