ESC connecting Central Ohio districts with Harvard's Virtual Performance Assessment Pilot Project

Video games are not just for entertainment anymore.

Through a partnership between the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Ohio students will get a chance to use a video game-like program to explore the world of science.

“It has a look and feel of video games, but we’re designing educational experiences. It also aligns with the technology schools use,” said Jody Clarke-Midura who leads the program at Harvard.

The Virtual Performance Assessment could act as a supplement to eighth grade state science assessments, which typically use multiple-choice tests, Clarke-Midura said.

“We assess knowledge of the scientific method in the form of a multiplication test. Students may not understand what that means,” Clarke-Midura said. “In the real world, you don’t have four choices to solve a problem. We put the kids in a real situation and look at how they solve the problem.”

The ESC of Central Ohio is one of eight partners nationally and the only educational service agency in the Midwest associated with the Virtual Performance Assessment. The ESC will serve as the primary communication liaison between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and any participating Ohio schools.

Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the Harvard project aims to develop and study the feasibility of using VPA technology as a platform for assessing middle school students’ curiosity toward science.

Similar to Second Life, the Virtual Performance Assessment allows students to manipulate an avatar, or a video game character, to explore a three dimensional world, where the student can collect data, simulate tests and draw conclusions – all in the name of science.

“We’re just trying to think of the future of assessment. People are starting to move online,” Clarke-Midura said. “People always talk about teaching to the test. But if you change the assessment, the test becomes more complex.”

As Ohio considers an online performance-based assessment system, teachers could soon be expected to adjust to new forms of assessment, said Teresa Dempsey, director of professional development for the ESC.

With a focus on scientific inquiry, this innovative assessment opportunity is open to seventh, eighth or ninth grade teachers to administer to their students.

“This pilot seemed like a great opportunity for Ohio teachers to dip their toe in the water to get a feel for what may be a similar online assessment model to what they might be experiencing in a few years,” said Dempsey, following a recent session of the Learning Leaders Network, where the project was presented. “There’s no cost involved and it’s an incredible opportunity to be a research participant with an internationally esteemed university.

“I also felt the project related well to other ESC initiatives such as the Ohio Innovative Learning Environments Conference and Project-based Learning. VPA is another facet of innovative instructional practice.”

More and more these days, we hear that kids literally have to “power down” when they come to school because they just aren’t engaged. Based on the proto-types we’ve observed, students will be meaningfully engaged and challenged, applying their understanding of the scientific process.

“Assessment doesn’t have to be a bore,” Dempsey said.

Aside from the project being a tool for assessment, Clarke-Midura said she hopes it sparks interest in science.

“Science is so interesting,” Clarke-Midura said. “With TV shows like CSI, I’m hoping that interest will start trickling into schools. Science is innovation.”

For more information on the Virtual Performance Assessment, visit http://vpa.gse.harvard.edu/school-partners/ohio-teacher-survey/ or contact Tom Reed, executive director of achievement and leadership, at tom.reed@escco.org or 614.542.4120.