Example Technology Performance Assessment Task

Task 4	An Electronic Graph
Grade	4
Content Area(s)	Math
Unit Title/Theme	Central Tendency, Organizing and Displaying Data
Task Developer/Author	Leslie Read

1. Setting the Context

This assessment task was designed to follow a fourth grade math unit on central tendency and data collection and organization. Students would also have had initial exposure to some measures of central tendency in their third grade math curriculum. The fourth grade math unit occurs over three weeks and focuses on maximum, minimum, range, mode, mean, median, line plots, sets of data, frequency charts, bar graphs and pictographs, and interpretation of data. This task will serve as the summative assessment of both the student’s math concept knowledge and his or her technological abilities with databases, spreadsheets, and graphing.

2. Grade Expectations/Standards

Technology

*IT1-Basic Operations & Concepts

-Navigating between open windows

-Locating files and folders using the Find command

*IT3-Productivity Tools

-Entering data into and manipulating an existing database by browsing, sorting,

and searching/finding/querying

-Entering data into a spreadsheet template

-Explaining the relationship between data and visual representation

-Creating a graphical representation of numerical data

Content

* M4:23- Interprets a given representation (line plots, tables, bar graphs, pictographs, or circle graphs) to answer questions related to the data, to analyze the data to formulate or justify conclusions, to make predictions or to solve problems.

* M4:24- Analyzes patterns, trends, distributions in data in a variety of contexts by determining or using measures of central tendency (median, mode, range).

*M4:25- Organizes and displays data using line plots, bar graphs, tally charts, and frequency charts or tables to answer questions related to the data, to analyze the data to formulate or justify conclusions, or to make predictions.

*M4:28- In response to a teacher or student generated question or hypothesis, collects appropriate data, organizes the data, displays/represents data, analyzes the data to draw conclusions about the question or hypothesis being tested.

3. The Performance Task

Students will demonstrate an understanding of central tendency, data collection, organization and interpretation through the use of a database, spreadsheet, and graphing tool.

Goal: To collect, organize, and interpret meaningful data about 24-hours in the life of a 4^th grader

Role: The student is the data collector, interpreter and presenter.

Audience: peers and instructor

Situation: A local sport and hobby shop’s sales are decreasing. The shop’s owners have asked our fourth grade class to collect, organize, and interpret data on how a typical fourth grade student spends their day. The shop hopes to use this information to customize their ordering process to better meet the needs of the local community and thus boost their sales.

Product/Performance: Electronic graph made from survey results.

4. Activities

Day 1:

As a class students will create survey questions around how fourth grade students spend 24 hours of their time. Before creating the survey questions and collecting data the class will hypothesize how they think fourth grade students spend their time.

Based upon this list of fourth grade daily activities, the class with create survey questions about how much time a student spends at each activity (for example: How much time do you spend doing homework each day?, How much time do you spend eating each day?) As homework the students will complete the survey based upon their own activities during the next 24 hours using the survey questions and interview at least one other fourth grade student as well.

Day 2:

Once the data is collected, the class will create a database, with the teacher leading the process, to record each activity and the time spent at that activity. The students are not expected to create a database at the fourth grade level, so the teacher will lead the process using a projection system and the students will assist. The activities will serve as the fields and each student will represent one record.

Day 3 and 4

(Assessment component) Each student will enter his/her data into the class database. After all of the data is entered, each student will generate one or two hypotheses that they want to explore within the database (for example, do boys or girls spend more time each day doing homework?).

In addition to searching the database for answers to their own hypotheses the teacher will also provide each child with a list of search questions to search for within the database. (Assessment component) Students will browse, sort, and search this database, based on teacher and student generated questions. Some questions will be single criteria questions and others will be multiple criteria search questions.

To assess the Math Grade Expectations addressed, students will be asked to respond to written questions during this database searching phase of the task. Students will find the maximum, minimum, range, mean, median, and mode of different sets of data within the database. They will also be asked to collect data from the database through the sorting mode to compile a tally chart. This worksheet with be collected and assessed using the math content rubric.

Day 5 and 6

After each child has searched the class database using the questions, each child will select two questions that he/she would like to draw generalizations and conclusions about around the life of fourth graders in our school. (Assessment component) Based upon these two questions the student will use a teacher made spreadsheet template to graph their results. (Assessment component) The task requires that the student be able to locate the spreadsheet through the use of the Find command. (Assessment component) Students will need to navigate between windows to paste their graphs into a word processing documents for printing purposes. (Assessment component) Students can create bar graphs or pictographs. The graphs will be used to present their recommendations/conclusions/generalizations to the class.

Day 7

(Assessment component) After the graphs are created and printed (one graph for each question selected) the students will create a poster to use as a tool for the class presentation.

Day 8 and 9

(Assessment component) During the presentation the students will share their findings and conclusions around the strengths and weaknesses of our fourth graders’ lifestyles. They need to explain the relationship between the data and the visual representation. They also need to discuss how their actual findings compared to their hypotheses (prove or disprove).

Differentiation component that could be used during the unit:

Throughout the three week math unit prior to the performance task student learning is differentiated through the use of math exit tickets which are created by the teacher. Exit tickets are slips of paper with 1 to 2 questions which cover the content taught in a particular day. An exit ticket is given at the end of each lesson to determine student understanding and to help plan instruction for the next day. The exit tickets are also used to create small groups and mini-lessons to build conceptual knowledge in math as necessary throughout the unit.

5. Materials and Resources

*database software

*spreadsheet and graphing software

* access to multiple computers (possibly three or more computers in the class for a station approach or use a computer lab or wireless pod)

*poster paper

*printer

*database search question sheet (developed based on fields students determine)

*survey questions for collecting data

*projection system for class creation of database

6. Criteria/Rubric

Math Content Rubric

GEs Assessed	Beginning	Almost There	Meets the Standard
M4:24- Analyzes patterns, trends, distributions in data in a variety of contexts by determining or using measures of central tendency (median, mode, range).	2 or less of the six central tendency search questions were answered correctly.	3 or 4 of the six central tendency search questions were answered correctly.	5 or 6 out of the six central tendency search questions were answered correctly (questions are teacher created based on data collected).
M4:25- Organizes and displays data using line plots, bar graphs, tally charts, and frequency charts or tables	Graph doesn’t contain labels or a title. Data is not represented correctly at all.	Graph contains either an accurate title or labels. Data is represented correctly on one axis. Student used the tally chart, but incorrectly tallied the data.	Graph contains an accurate title and labels. Data is represented correctly. Student correctly utilized a tally chart to organize data on the search question sheet.
M4:28- In response to a teacher or student generated question or hypothesis, collects appropriate data, organizes the data, displays/represents data, analyzes the data to draw conclusions about the question or hypothesis being tested. M4:23- Interprets a given representation (line plots, tables, bar graphs, pictographs, or circle graphs) to answer questions related to the data, to analyze the data to formulate or justify conclusions, to make predictions or to solve problems.	The student was unable to accurately draw conclusions based on the graphs or neither of the conclusions provided were justified by the data. The student did not accurately explain how either of his/her hypotheses related to the graphs.	One of the conclusions drawn for each of the two graphs was not supported by the data. The student was unable to justify one of his/her conclusions about fourth graders. The student accurately explained how one of his/her two hypotheses was proven or discredited.	One conclusion was accurately drawn for each of the two graphs. The student explained how the data is represented in the graph and how the graph justifies his/her conclusions about fourth graders’ lifestyles. The student accurately explained how his/her hypotheses were proven or discredited.

Technology Task Rubric

Grade Expectation	Introduced	With Assistance	Met the Standard
Basic Operations
Navigating between open windows
Locating files and folders using the Find command.
Social, Ethical & Human Issues
Not Assessed
Productivity Tools
Entering data into and manipulating an existing data base by browsing, sorting and searching/ finding/querying.
Entering data into a spreadsheet template.
Explaining the relationship between data and visual representation (graph).
Creating a graphical representation of numerical data (e.g., bar line, and pie).
Communication
Not Assessed
Research, Problem Solving & Decision Making
Not Assessed

7. Checklist

To assess the students ability to meet the IT1 GE, use the technology rubric above and observe the students working on the computer as they navigate between open windows and locate the spreadsheet file using the Find command.