ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book concerns the classroom use of performance assessment, and the evaluation of student work in response to performance tasks. In this book, performance assessment means any assessment of student learning that requires the evaluation of student writing, products, or behavior. Classroom-based performance assessment includes all such assessment that occurs in the classroom for formative or summative purposes and is evaluated by teachers as distinct from large-scale, state-wide testing programs. There are different types of classroom assessment. The major types are formative assessments and summative assessments either of which can include performance assessments resulting in various products and behavior. As such, it should be designed to be of optimal usefulness to its different audiences: teachers, students, and parents. The criteria for evaluating performance are important; teachers use their professional judgment in establishing such criteria and defining levels of performance.
