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Student project and teachers showcase performance-based assessments at Cloud Peak Elementary
Summary
Cloud Peak Elementary highlighted a fifth-grade project and staff showed how performance-based assessments, rubrics and student interviews are being used to measure individual learning; teachers said AI tools helped refine rubrics and exemplars in a pilot.
Cloud Peak Elementary presented a student project and a multi-part performance-based assessment teachers say helps teachers measure individual student growth.
At the board meeting teacher Billy Farris described the student showcase and the classroom assessment, saying, "As a teacher, you're looking at bang for your buck, a project like that, you're knocking it out of the park," and explained how the project connects math and English language arts standards to an extended enrichment opportunity.
Dr. Amy Pearson, a colleague on the project team, said the project's structure—photo journals, field walks, student interviews and a rubric—lets teachers identify each student's learning gaps and growth. "When you give your kids, and allow this time and space to do these types of projects, the learning is so much deeper, and it sticks with the kiddos," she said.
Presenters said the project, run for several years as a bridge-design performance task, has been refined to include individual performance assessments and a rubric. They described a three-phase approach (project design, performance assessment, deeper application) and said they are expanding training and a second cohort of teachers to spread the practice districtwide.
Teachers also described a small experiment using AI to review or critique rubrics and generate student exemplars. One presenter said they were skeptical at first but that AI provided useful feedback to clarify criteria and produce student exemplars used in class discussion and self-assessment.
Board members asked whether the approach can be scaled and how it fits with state testing schedules; presenters said teacher training (PLC work) and time are the main barriers but argued the approach can complement existing assessments by producing deeper evidence of student proficiency.
The student portion included a short demonstration by a fifth-grade presenter who introduced his project and explained how he used statistics to rank players for his baseball-themed assignment. Teachers said they will continue the project in phases across more grade levels.
The board praised the classroom work and discussed next steps for teacher training and cohort expansion.
