Evaluating Student Work from Performance Assessments to Guide NGSS Teaching and Learning: Course 4

This course supports teams of educators in learning SNAP's process of developing multidimensional rubrics for science performance assessments. Participants are led step-by-step through the development of educative rubrics designed to give teachers and students the information needed for equitable instructional practices that support students’ 3-dimensional learning. Participants will learn strategies for using the rubric as a resource for science classrooms that use effective and efficient techniques to integrate assessments seamlessly into the instructional sequence. The unique structure of these rubrics is designed to support classrooms in shifting from a punitive approach to assessment to using challenging and meaningful performance tasks to improve students’ 3D reasoning, engagement, and to frame students as agents of their own learning. The course has a hybrid structure that blends independent learning from the instructional videos, collaborative work in teams, and peer teams that meet for feedback and to reflect on patterns across classes and grades to improve 3D learning across a school or district.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the key elements of a quality rubric for NGSS performance assessments
• Develop a 3-dimensional rubric
• Use a rubric to provide effective feedback and grades to students
• Use a rubric to inform instructional decisions to improve students’ 3-dimensional learning
• Use a rubric to cultivate a positive classroom culture around assessment
• Use trends from student work to inform collaborative school or district-wide planning to improve 3D learning