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Assessing Student Performance

How would you answer the following questions:

  • Does my instruction make a difference in students' job performance?

  • How much have students' knowledge and skill changed as a result of being in my courses?

  • What could I show to parents, administrators, guidance, business representatives, and legislators to prove that students have benefited from being in my courses and that they are able to apply the information I've presented?

One tool that has found favor with educators in recent years that can help you show that students are advancing and benefiting from your instruction is performance assessment.

Sample Rubric  (Oral Presentation)

Available Rubrics

Rubric Guidelines (PDF)

     Types of Assessment

     Performance Assessment and Rubrics

     Types of Rubrics

     How to Create Rubrics

     Implementing Rubrics

Assessing student performance is no easy task.  It’s extremely difficult to remove the individual subjectivity and evaluator bias.  Traditional assessment tools using typical
1–5 scales offer minimal guidance.  What’s a “4” mean?  How does a “4” for this student compare with a “4” given a second student? 

Even more challenging, how can we use different evaluators to assess groups of students.  Think about competitive events where your students are “judged” by different business-people.  Is it fair to rank students on the basis of scores provided by different evaluators?  (Hint:  Obviously it’s not.)  Do so-called statistical adjustments make it OK to compare one judge’s “4” with another’s?  (Hint:  Statisticians will say “definitely not.”)

What to do?  Current instructional (assessment) methodology suggests that the most appropriate (and valid, reliable) assessments are done on the basis of sophisticated
rubrics that clearly describe in detail the desired behavior.

MarkED/Career Paths has prepared a series of research-based rubrics that are designed
to minimize the subjectivity and bias inherent in most realistic assessment.  Each rubric includes both the assessment tool itself and one or more scenarios that can be used to set up the skill demonstration.

Currently available rubrics include those addressing:

(For purchase information, please visit our shopping center at www.Mark-ED.org)

  • Conducting an Environmental Scan Rubric…MSC-04-018-W (available March, 2005)

  • Creating a Presentation Software Package
    for Sales Presentations Rubric...MSC-01-010-W

  • Database Development Rubric...MSC-00-010-W

  • Desktop Publishing Rubric...MSC-00-011-W

  • Designing a Web Site Rubric...MSC-01-011-W

  • Developing a Project Plan Rubric…MSC-04-019-W (available March, 2005)

  • Employment Seeking Rubric...MSC-00-005-W

  • Executing Targeted E-Mails Rubric...MSC-01-012-W

  • Handling Difficult Customers Rubric...MSC-01-013-W

  • Maintaining/Updating a Web Site Rubric...MSC-01-014-W

  • Marketing Plan Rubric...MSC-00-007-W

  • Meeting Planning Rubric...MSC-00-009-W

  • Negotiating With Others Rubric…MSC-04-020-W (available March, 2005)

  • Networking With Others Rubric…MSC-04-021-W (available March, 2005)

  • Oral Presentation Rubric...MSC-00-006-W

  • Participating as a Team Member Rubric...MSC-01-015-W

  • Professional Selling Rubric...MSC-00-004-W

  • Promotional Plan Rubric...MSC-00-008-W

  • Searching the Internet Rubric…MSC-04-022 (available March, 2005)

  • Using Time-Management Principles Rubric...MSC-01-016-W

  • Writing Promotional Messages Rubric...MSC-01-017-W

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