October 1, 1993

Dilemmas and Issues for Teachers Developing Performance Assessments in Mathematics

Authors:
Roberta J. Flexer and Eileen A. Gerstner
This report examines some of the dilemmas and issues that arose during the first two terms of work with teachers participating in a mathematics performance assessment development program. Additionally, the authors report on changes in teachers’ instruction and assessment as a result of the project. During the study, many dilemmas and issues arose that were unique to each of the three schools studied, but the most challenging problems across all schools were the teachers’ focus on what was important to teach, and therefore assess; and how children could learn what was taught–all within the constraints of limited teacher time. As expected, preliminary results of the project were mixed, but hopeful. Researchers believe that future development and implementation of performance assessments in these classrooms hinge on teachers’ beliefs in these assessments as useful and practical tools.
Flexer, R. J., & Gerstner, E. A. (1993). Dilemmas and issues for teachers developing performance assessments in mathematics (CSE Report 364). Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).|Flexer, R. J., & Gerstner, E. A. (1993). Dilemmas and issues for teachers developing performance assessments in mathematics (CSE Report 364). Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
This is a staging environment