The primary purpose of the exemplars is to provide resources for staff development. It is suggested that you use these exemplars in conjunction with the nine public release tasks from the 1992 and 1993 MSPAP, as well as those that will be released in the future. Although these exemplars have undergone limited field testing, they are not necessarily appropriate for use in all classrooms or for all students at the designated grade levels. Teachers must make instructional decisions regarding the relevance of a particular exemplar, where it fits into local school system curriculum and how it matches the developmental levels of the students they teach.

The format for the exemplars is designed to serve two major functions: to support the MSPAP format, and to create a flexible framework for a variety of teaching styles, approaches and methodologies. It is not intended as an exclusive model of performance- based instruction or assessment.

The exemplars in this packet include three instructional tasks and one assessment task. It is important to note some differences and similarities between instructional tasks and assessment tasks. Instructional tasks may vary significantly in the nature of teacher involvement required as a task progresses. The teacher may be actively directing class, group or individual instruction throughout, as in the seventh grade task, “A Sea of Troubles”. Or, the teacher may serve as a facilitator/coach, as in the eighth grade task, “What’s the Object?” In all instructional tasks the teacher is the decision-maker for determining student needs and for reteaching and revision as appropriate for an individual student or group of students. Assessment tasks, however, require little or no teacher involvement during student completion of activities. These tasks are meant to evaluate mastery of particular outcomes, not to instruct. Other significant differences between instructional tasks and assessment tasks can include time allotments for completion of activities, types of cooperative learning that can be used and the range of learning experiences, resources and materials that can be provided. One example of time allotment differences is apparent when comparing the instructional task, “The Top Ten,” which includes an option requiring instructional time over an entire year, with the eighth grade assessment, “America Goes to the Fair,” a seventy-five minute task.

The most significant similarities are that all tasks focus on Maryland Learning Outcomes, emphasize understanding by engaging students in thoughtful application of knowledge, processes and skills, and result in student products and performances. “Performance-Based School Improvement Exemplars, Social Studies, Grades 6-8,” is part of the set of social studies exemplars prepared for publication, and is being released along with exemplars for grades K-3 and 4-5. Teachers may wish to contact the social studies supervisor or teachers in other grades to obtain copies of these tasks. Examining exemplars written for different grade levels would provide an opportunity to analyze a broader range of strategies and methodologies appropriate for performance-based instruction in social studies.

Exemplars in mathematics and science grades K-3 are also being released, along with instructional exemplars in science, grades 2, 4 and 7, developed for HyperCard. Exemplars in mathematics and science grades 4-5 and 6-8 were released in February, 1995. The next phase of the project will focus on Reading and Writing exemplars, with a planned release date in the spring of 1996.