Mathematics Performance Assessment: Discovering Why Some Items or Rubrics Don’t Measure Up

Abstract

This study examines the quality of mathematics performance assessment items and scoring rubrics at the middle school level. A total of 53 items on an assessment instrument aligned with key features of mathematics reform such as problem solving, reasoning, and communication were analyzed to identify features of the items and rubrics that tended to be related to how well an item functioned on the assessment instrument. A qualitative analysis of student responses to three items was undertaken to further explore the problematic features. Based on the results of both analyses, scoring rubrics were revised so as to produce a more valid assessment of students’ knowledge of mathematical concepts. The findings suggested five major issues important in the development and use of performance assessments in classrooms: the creation of well-defined criteria that accurately assess understanding of mathematical concepts, the consistency in applying rubric criteria across items, the range of points in the rubric, the mathematical richness of items, and the importance of having sample scored student responses that appropriately illustrate each score level in the rubric.