Using Performance Assessments to Support Student Learning in Los Angeles Unified School District. Performance Assessment Case Study Series
Author: Saunders, Marisa
Date: 2020-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Performance Based Assessment,Portfolio Assessment,High School Seniors,Urban Schools,School Districts,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Educational Environment,Outcomes of Education

In Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles Unified), high school seniors who attend a Linked Learning pathway--an industry-themed school or small learning community within a school--complete a portfolio and defense. Linked Learning is an approach to education, delivered in an industry-aligned &quot;pathway,&quot; that aims to increase the relevance of education by bringing together strong academics, career and technical education, real-world learning experiences, and integrated student supports. The district adopted the Linked Learning approach in 2010, and Los Angeles Unified's Linked Learning Office has set a goal for its Linked Learning graduates, articulated through a graduate profile: They will be able to reach proficiency in content knowledge and build their critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and digital skills. The district's Linked Learning Office uses the portfolio and defense to assess how proficient its graduates are at meeting these goals, which also serve as a natural complement to this emphasis on authentic, integrated learning. The Los Angeles Unified case study is based on the analysis of a range of data sources, including documents, interviews with school- and district-level personnel, focus groups with teachers and students, observations of student performance assessments, and observations of professional learning opportunities for teachers. The study provides an in-depth description of how Los Angeles Unified has attempted to advance implementation of the portfolio and defense. The authors identified four lessons learned from Los Angeles Unified's performance assessment that are based on these findings. These lessons include: (1) Districts can establish an opt-in system for performance assessments, as well as strong onboarding, to help cultivate school-level ownership; (2) Districts can balance structured supports with flexibility that allows sites to make the performance assessment work their own; (3) Districts can establish school structures and spaces that build relationships among students and staff; and (4) Alignment of performance assessments and the broader instructional and curricular climate and practices of the district is critical. This report is part of a series of three case studies examining the key district-, school-, and classroom-level conditions necessary to support high-quality performance assessment practices. All three districts (Los Angeles, Oakland [ED610903], and Pasadena [ED610902]) actively participate in the California Performance Assessment Collaborative (CPAC), a community of educators, researchers, and technical assistance providers who are working to study and advance the use of performance assessments throughout the state. A cross-case study that accompanies this report provides insights across all three case study districts, as well as recommendations for district policymakers interested in implementing well-designed performance assessments within their own context. [For the cross-case study, see ED610900.]