Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Throughout this course, we have looked at a variety of assessments, from formal to informal, standardized to teacher-designed, and observations to rubrics. All of these assessments play a role in understanding the strengths and needs of the children with whom you are working. In this discussion, we will look at another category of assessments called performance based assessments. As is discussed in the video Assessing 21st Century Skills assessment should be responsive, flexible, and integrated (Singh, 2013). Performance-based assessment aligns well with these ideas.

To prepare for this discussion, watch the video below
Assessing 21st Century Skills (Links to an external site.), read the article What is Performance Based Assessment? (Links to an external site.), and read Chapter 9 in your course text, Assessment in Early Childhood Education.

Using the video
Assessing 21st Century Skills (Links to an external site.), the article What is Performance Based Assessment? (Links to an external site.), and Chapter 9 in your course text, Assessment in Early Childhood Education, address the following in your initial response:

• Explain, as a leader, your views of how performance-based assessment should be incorporated as part of your assessment plan when working with young children.
• Defend your views by examining what the research says about using performance-based assessments. Make sure to use the article, the video, your text, or an additional scholarly or credible source for support.
• Discuss, based on your views, your plan for how you will implement performance-based assessments in your work with young children. Make sure to include the role that learning standards will play in your plan.
• Analyze how performance-based assessment is unique when it comes to meeting the needs of 21st-century learners.