The High Performance Toolbox : Succeeding with Performance Tasks, Projects and Assessments

Use this practical , school tested book to develop performance units and assessments that are worthwhile and challenging. Maximize student assessment results and reach the highest standards with the most complete "how to" resource of its kind. Achieve success with performance tasks and assessments across disciplines and grade levels. This easy-to-use guidebook provides the tools you need to successfully design, adapt, evaluate, refine or implement performance tasks and assessments. Take advantage of the step-by-step guides, easy-to-use designers and organizers, and extensive resource lists that are helping educators around the world.

Benefit From: * Practical, teacher-tested strategies and guidelines for developing classroom & system performance tasks * Step-by-step guidelines for developing effective rubrics * Easy-to-use tools for evaluating tasks, assessments, and rubrics * Templates to help align curriculum, instruction, & assessment * Guides & templates to support uniform assessment procedures * Resource lists of over

150 performance task ideas 120 usable performance contexts 190 formats for student products and performances 30 universal concepts and themes 80 assessment prompts for self-assessment & reflection 265 performance roles & audiences 80 critical tips for earning stakeholder support 150 additional resources * Clarification of multiple forms of assessment essential for thorough and effective assessment of student learning * A thesaurus of qualitative and quantitative terms for rubrics * Timesaving performance management & grading forms * Easy-to-use templates for planning performance scaffolding * A glossary of terms in easy-to-understand language

Introducing Spence Rogers

Spence began his career in education over 25 years ago. Most of his efforts during this time were focused on teaching high school math, but he also served as a math department chairperson, a math curriculum coordinator, a staff-development resource teacher, a college math instructor, and more recently as a consultant to schools, districts, boards, and states.

In his role as a teacher, Spence received numerous awards that include recognition by two Arizona governors and certification on four occasions as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics.

Spence now is the director of Peak Learning Systems and works with schools and districts in Japan, Canada, Puerto Rico, and across the United States. He is best known for his work in the area of building high performance classrooms through improving and aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices at both the classroom and district levels. In addition, he provides effective staff-development in the area of enhancing student motivation. Spence is consistently recognized for his abilities to make what he teaches practical while helping others build on their strengths.

With his colleagues, Spence is the co-author of 2 books that are highly praised by both classroom teachers and experts in the field for their practicality and adherence to research and best known practices. His book Motivation & Learning is an easy to use resource designed to help teachers at all levels build challenging and motivating learning environments. It combines an easy to understand model with over 600 practical quick tips and strategies for immediate classroom use. His second book, The High Performance Toolbox, is a practical guidebook for successfully designing and implementing rigorous and standards-based performance tasks, projects, assessments and evaluations.

In addition to conducting staff-development workshops, Spence presents keynote addresses and both general and breakout application sessions at over a dozen major educational conferences each year. He also is a featured consultant with the National School Conference Institutes' Satellite Staff-Development Telecasts in the area of Increasing Motivation, Learning, and Performance Quality.

On a more personal side, Spence is a grandfather and lives in the Rocky Mountains near Evergreen, Colorado at over 8200 feet where he enjoys skiing and hiking with his family. Education B.S. (Math) and M.N.S. (Math and Natural Science) Arizona State University. Professional Memberships ASCD, Colorado ASCD, Partners for Quality Learning, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, American Association of Educators in Private Practice, National Staff Development Council, American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Honors * Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics - four time state level recipient. * Certified by the Arizona Governor for Excellence in teaching mathematics for four years. Classroom Experience Eighteen years teaching mathematics ranging from Advanced Placement Calculus to remedial mathematics at Apollo High School, Glendale Community College, and Arizona State University. Education Reform Leadership * Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator for the Glendale Union High School District (1985-1986). * Mathematics Department Chairperson, Apollo High School, Glendale Union High School District (1976-1990). * Educational Consultant for schools, districts, boards, states, and provinces across the United States, Canada, and the U.S. Department of Defense in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership. * Co-Outcome-Based Coordinator, Glendale Union High School District (1986-1990). * Co-founder, Associate Director, and consultant with The High Success Network (1991-1994). * Co-founder, Director, and consultant with Peak Learning Systems of Evergreen, Colorado (1994 to present).