Performance Based Assessment Tasks (PBATs)

Overview:

Each student will need to have one successful PBAT paper and presentation in each of these 4 subject areas: English (literary analysis), math (problem solving), science (scientific experiment) and social studies (research).  Students have been developing the skills for this work throughout their LACS classes.  The PBATS are intended to have all graduates show a high quality of work, thinking and understanding that they achieved in high school.  Juniors will typically repurpose a previous research project, science experiment, math PSO, and literary essay that they did in a class by deepening them in preparation for the oral presentation.  Their papers and presentations will be evaluated by LACS teachers and other evaluators using rubrics developed by the New York State Performance Standards Consortium. The Consortium is made up of 28 public schools that, like LACS, have waivers for the Regents Exams.  If any juniors are not successful in any of their PBATs this year they will get support in completing them next year.

Our Pedagogy:

While the PBATS are a state requirement and we need to implement them in order to maintain our waiver for the NY State Regents Exams, at LACS we are looking to the PBATs as an opportunity to grow our experience and leadership in alternative education and authentic assessment.  We have chosen to construct our PBATS as a high visibility forum for public demonstrations of student learning.  We envision that LACS’s approach to PBATs will help us to more fully implement the Coalition of Essential Schools principles of Student as Worker and Demonstrations of Mastery.  At the conclusion of the PBATs in June, we will evaluate the different approaches to presenting the PBATS and make suggestions for next year.  

The Oral Presentations:

The New York State Education Department requires that we give each junior or senior an “On Demand” task to assess their understanding of their PBAT papers.  Once a student has completed a successful PBAT paper, they will be eligible to give their presentation.  Each PBAT will be presented to evaluators who have read that paper and, in most cases, a small group of LACS students who choose to attend the PBAT presentation.  Juniors will have the opportunity to request a more private presentation. 

For questions about PBATs email csperry@icsd.k12.ny.us

For more information see performanceassessment.org 

For information on PBAT Rubrics, go to performanceassessment.org/prubrics