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 Curriculum/Instruction

Local Alternative Assessment (LAA) and Performance-Based Assessment (PBA)

Frequently Asked Questions



What are Local Alternative Assessments (LAAs)?


LAAs are the combination of formal and informal assessments delivered as part of regular classroom instruction throughout the school year.  Within BCPS, LAAs are used to fulfill state requirements for annual performance and progress monitoring in the following grade level content areas:


Grade 3 Science

Grade 3 Social Studies

Grade 5 Writing

Grade 6 U.S. History I

Grade 7 U.S. History II





What are Performance-Based Assessments (PBAs)?


Within Local Alternative Assessments, student progress and achievement is assessed and monitored through a variety of assessments throughout the year, this includes the use of performance-basedassessments (PBAs). When students complete a PBA, they perform a task or create a product that is scoredusing a rubric. When students complete a PBA, they use the knowledge and skills they have acquired andshow what they can do with the knowledge and skills. Performance-Based Assessments present opportunities for students to demonstrate acquisition of the “Five C’s” – critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and citizenship – described in the Board of Education Profile of a Virginia Graduate.  Performance assessment can be summative or formative in nature.





Why do students complete LAAs and PBAs?


The 2014 General Assembly eliminated Standards of Learning assessments in Grade 3 History,Grade 3 Science, Grade 5 Writing, United States History to 1865, and United States History:1865 to the Present. The Assembly’s action required local school divisions to continue to teachthe content and to measure student achievement with local alternative assessments, includingperformance assessments. The move to PBAs focuses on student-centered learning by:


*  Allowing students to demonstrate learning in more creative and engaging ways

*  Approaching assessment as part of the learning process, rather than a separate, one-time event

*  Allowing teachers to have more in-depth information about student growth

*  Supporting student growth in skills aligned with workforce needs and postsecondary success







What do students and their families need to know about LAAs and PBAs?


*  LAAs measure student growth on grade level content standards within the classroom throughout the school year.

*  Families do not receive a numerical score for LAAs, as they do for SOL tests.

*  Student progress and performance based on the LAA including PBAs is communicated by the teacher/school.

*  Students participate in PBAs as part of the Local Alternative Assessment for a specific grade level content area.





How can families support their children concerning PBAs?


There are many ways to support your children with their PBAs.

*  Encourage your children to be creative and to share their thoughts about what they are creating.

*  Remind your children that PBAs are a chance for them to show what they are able to do with their knowledge and skills.

*  PBAs are scored using a common rubric that describes your children’s demonstrated knowledge and skills.Encourage your children to use the rubric as a tool to guide their work.