The purpose of Step 2 is to create a task, simulation, or situation that will allow learners to demonstrate the knowledge, skills,

and attitudes that they have acquired. Ideas for these tasks may come from newspapers, popular books, or interviews with professionals as reported in the media.

The tasks should center on issues, concepts, or problems that are important to your context area. In other words, they should be the same with the issues, concepts, and problems that important people who are working in the field faces everyday.

 Examples:

An oil tanker runs aground and creates an environmental crisis. A drought occurs in an underdeveloped country causing famine. A technological breakthrough presents a moral dilemma.

Here are some questions to get you started on Step 2:

What

does the doing of mathematics, history, science, art, writing, and so forth look and feel like to professionals who make their living working in those fields in the real world? What are the projects and tasks performed by those professionals that can be adapted to school instruction? What are the roles-or habits of mind- that those professional acquire that learners can re-create in the classroom.

WHAT CAN YOU NOTICE ABOUT THOSE QUESTIONS?

The questions presents CHALLENGES!

The questions presents challenges. The task that you can create by adopting those questions may involve: Debates Mock trials Presentations to a city commission Re-enactments of historical events Science experiments Job responsibilities -travel agent -weather forecaster -park ranger

 While

your tasks should be complex, the final product should be clear. Learners should not have to ask questions whether they are finished, or if they have provided what you want. They should, however, have to think long and hard about how to complete the tasks.

 The

type of task you choose should be complex enough and rich enough in detail to allow you to draw conclusions about transfer and generalizations to other tasks for an entire course of study that assess the essential performance outcomes you wish your learners to achieve.

 Performance

test, however are designed to allow learners to demonstrate learning through a variety of modalities.this will be more time consuming than a multiple-choice test but will provide unique information about you learners achievement untapped by other assessment method.

 It

should involve more than simple tasks for which there is one solution.

 The

learner should be required to use cognitive strategies to arrive at a solution rather than depend on coaching at various points in the assessment process.