Performance Assessment: Mississippi at the Cusp.

This paper documents student, teacher, and administrator attitudes toward the initiation of performance-based tests on a statewide level in Mississippi. The initial study surveyed approximately 620 test participants in grades 1 through 10 during the period between the fall test administration and the receipt of the test 1.sults in January. The teacher survey (n=58) indicated that teachers saw the tests as more difficult than did students, but their overall perceptions were more positive. Administrators from 11 of 14 schools returned their surveys, and their responses were generally positive. The ongoing study, conducted by educators, examines the direction Mississippi appears to be taking. Vital to the preparedness of the state's teachers for performance assessment is a return to the classroom as students. Increased access to graduate educational literature, keeping up to date with current learning theories, and interactive work with peers will assure that performance-based assessment will have a bright future in Mississippi. An attachment describes the participant study in detail. (Contains 5 references in the overview, 15 in the attached report, and 2 figures.) (SLD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************