1 Develop guidelines for the assessor to follow when assessing a performance

Professor Robinson explained to David that the final paper was an opportunity for the students in the class to demonstrate what they’d learned over the course of the semester. Although she was not requiring that students submit a draft of their paper, she offered to assess David’s draft as way to give him the feedback he needed. David explained that he was dreading the paper and felt that his grades on the previous assignments pretty much meant that he was going to blow the paper too. He wanted to figure out what he could do to turn things around, if it wasn’t too late. Professor Robinson assured him that it’s only ever "too late" when we stop caring whether we improve or not. The purpose of her assessment of David’s final paper draft would be to give David clear and helpful feedback so that he knew exactly what to do in order to create a high quality final paper.

She suggested that the best way for her to assess his draft would be for David to turn in an outline, a list of the sources he’s using, and the first two pages of his 10-page paper. He should plan to have these things ready for her at least a week before the final paper was due. She offered to make margin notes on his outline and sample pages, and to provide David with a one-page SII Assessment that included Strengths, areas for Improvement, and an Insight into their use of the assessment process.

David was thrilled with what Professor Robinson offered and agreed that he could really use that kind of feedback.

2 Design the methods used for the assessment

Because Professor Robinson was assessing a partial paper, rather than a complete one, she suggested that they create a criteria list based upon what she would be able to assess most successfully. Obviously, she wouldn’t be working with David’s conclusion, or the complete body of his paper. She suggested the following list of criteria:

• Clarity of Content: The concepts are articulated clearly and each idea is substantiated.

• Thesis Statement: The argument or purpose of the paper is clearly stated.

• Logical Development: The flow of the thesis builds on evidence towards a meaningful conclusion.

• Mechanics of Writing: The format, presentation, and style of writing match the expectations of the intended audience; the writing is accurate, appropriately structured, and grammatically correct.

David was in complete agreement; these were some of the areas he’d had problems with on other assignments. David wondered, though, how Professor Robinson could measure something like whether his thesis statement was clearly stated—this aspect of determining the quality of writing had always seemed rather mysterious to him. Professor Robinson surprised him by handing him four note cards. Each card listed one criterion and five attributes. Even more amazing was that each attribute listed five levels of performance.

     "So THAT’S how you do it! I always wondered," David exclaimed.

They agreed that these would be the criteria and attributes they would use. Professor Robinson let David keep the cards she’d given him; she kept a stack of them in a drawer for precisely these kinds of occasions.

3 Collect  information during the performance

David met with Professor Robinson during her office hours, a full eight days before his final paper was due. He gave her a folder containing the first five pages of his draft, his outline, and source list. She and David agreed that he would stop by her office the next afternoon to pick up the folder and her written assessment. Professor Robinson suggested that he spend an evening reviewing the assessment and that they meet again in two days to discuss any questions David might have about the assessment. David agreed and thanked her for her time.

David practically ran to Professor Robinson’s office to pick up his assessment the next afternoon. He was only able to wait long enough to get outside the building before he sat on the steps and pulled the assessment report out of the folder...

"Strength #1: Your thesis is strong with thorough supporting evidence, a high degree of clarity and a well laid out plan. . . .

"Insight: I can tell that you used at least two of the criteria cards I gave you. You’ve demonstrated to me that sharing the criteria and attributes of high quality writing with the class before they ever start writing is probably a good idea. This would also enable the class to assess each other’s writing that much more specifically. David, thank you for drawing that to my attention; I really learned something from this assessment opportunity. --Prof. R.J"