Performance Tasks and Rubrics for Middle School Mathematics: Meeting Rigorous Standards and Assessments (Math Performance Tasks)

The book provides an excellent overview of the rationale for, and the strengths and limitations of, the use of performance tasks to assess student achievement and progress in mathematics. [The authors] offer a user-friendly, field-tested process for developing performance tasks and rubrics, along with practical advice for evaluating student work, selecting anchors, and establishing performance standards. Finally, the sample tasks, rubrics and student work samples provide tried and true resources for immediate use, while serving as models to guide development of additional tasks and scoring tools. --From the Foreword by Jay McTighe, Educational Author and Consultant

In this series, the authors offer a sharply focused description of performance assessments for teaching and learning mathematics. The structure and content of the books is very strong, centering on the specifics of task development, rubric refinement and integration of the methodology into instruction. Our challenge is to help teachers develop the assessment literacy needed to manage assessment effectively day to day in the classroom. This series helps us meet that challenge. --Rick Stiggins, Assessment Consultant, Portland, Oregon

The second edition of the Danielson series on performance tasks and rubrics brings clarity to the complex but important responsibility of creating and using authentic assessments in the classroom. Advocating the complementary roles both of traditional tests and performance tasks in a balanced assessment system, Danielson and her colleagues provide practical guidelines for and useful examples of performance tasks in K-12 mathematics. Their focus on the rigorous yet fair and engaging assessment of authentic performance tasks is as timely as it is timeless to teaching. --Chris Gareis and Leslie Grant, authors of Teacher-Made Assessments: How to Connect Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Learning (2nd ed.)

This book would be a great resource for any math teacher or group of teachers looking to work on improving their assessments and thereby improving the instruction leading up to these assessments.

-Jan Roberts, Middleweb.com