With funding and technical assistance from the Laboratory, the team studied the research on alternative assessments, examined performance-based assessment tasks from other states, and tried out some tasks with their students. As the students looked for the distinguishing features of sunfish, catfish, bass, crappie, shad, carp, and drum, they learned about scientific classification methods. The assessment task pictures four different kinds of fish. Students are asked to name each type of fish, describe in writing how they reached their conclusions, and compare the key characteristics of the different varieties. Trainers give teachers the Sorting Fish task, along with a dozen examples of student responses, and ask them to categorize the student papers by quality.
Teachers learn how to develop and apply scoring criteria and judge how much students have learned.
Laboratories are also helping teachers and schools apply technology to the school improvement process. Projects are underway to demonstrate effective integration of various technologies into teaching and learning and provide advice to educators about choosing the right technology. Laboratory technology efforts have also greatly expanded access to research-based information on school reform. Pathways organizes research-based information and education resources from across the Internet in a succinct and friendly format. Pathways authors and researchers, who are experts in a range of educational fields, work closely with classroom teachers and state education agency staff to ensure that Pathways topics respond to critical needs of practitioners.