Examples: Tasks: Special Education (public transportation) (Authentic Assessment Toolbox)

In this unit, a variety of in-class assignments, role-playing activities and real-life experiences will be used to assess the students’ mastery of the standards. The tasks in this unit will be used along with the chapter on utilizing public transportation in the Life School 2000: Community Resources curriculum published by Globe Fearon. The assignments and criteria are written in language so the students can use them.

Standard 1: The student will be able to arrange public transportation on Dial-a-Ride

On the computer, type a list of what you need to do and the words you would say when calling Dial-a-Ride. Your list will be graded on the following criteria:

Criteria	Yes	No
Dial-a-Ride's phone number
My name
What time I need picked up
Where I am now
Where I need to go

Use the calling list you made to practice your Dial-a-Ride call with a partner. When you feel ready, role play a call without using your calling list. Your partner will check off the information you do and don’t include. Your partner will also score you on if you are speaking loudly and clearly enough.

What my partner needed to do and say

Criteria	Yes	No
Entered 1-800-
My name is...
I need picked up at (TIME)
I am at (ADDRESS)
I need to go to (LOCATION)

The student makes an actual call to Dial-a-Ride and is assessed by a teacher or aide using the same rubrics for Task B. The second rubric on how the student sounded includes two unmarked columns for teacher/aide use: Usually (after Always) and Rarely (after Sometimes).

Standard 2: The student will ride a Dial-a-Ride bus to a desired destination.
In teaching the skills necessary for this standard, two main components will be emphasized:

After completion of the “Bus Schedules” worksheet in the Community Resources
curriculum, and discussion of being in place and on time for Dial-a-Ride, the teacher will present up to ten scenarios such as:

“You called for a Dial-a-Ride bus to pick you up at your house at 2:30.
At 2:25 you are up in the bathroom styling your hair.”
“You asked Dial-a-Ride to pick you up at Walmart at 5:15.
At 5:10 you are sitting on the bench in front of Walmart.”
“Dial-a-Ride is supposed to pick you up at McDonald’s at 12:00.
At 11:55 you are inside McDonald’s standing in line to order your lunch.”

The students will be asked to assess their performance in each one of these imaginary situations using a simple rubric:

Task B:Teacher Role Play

After completion of the “Boarding the Right Bus” and “Riding the Bus” worksheets
from the Community Resources curriculum, and discussion of what appropriate bus riding behavior looks and sounds like, the teacher and aide will role-play bus riding scenarios. They will model both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. The students will evaluate the bus riding behavior using the criteria listed below, and then discusses what was done right and wrong.

Bus Riding Behavior

After observing and critiquing several role plays by the teacher and aide, the
student pairs will role play and model appropriate bus riding behavior. They will be
evaluated by the teacher and other students using the same rubric for Task B.

The student takes a Dial-a-Ride bus to a community location, accompanied by a
teacher or aide. The teacher/aide will evaluate the student’s performance using the
rubrics designed for Tasks A and B.

Standard 3: Given a schedule, the student will determine which Metra train to take to a given location.

In order to teach the students how to use a Metra train schedule, the teacher will ask them what questions they will need to ask themselves when trying to find the train they need to take for a particular trip. Through teacher prompting and the asking leading questions, the resulting list should look something like this:

What day am I going? ______________________________
Where am I leaving from? ______________________________
Where am I going to? ______________________________
What time do I want to get there? ______________________________
What scheduled arrival is closest to that?______________________________
What time does that train leave my station?____________________________
I will take the ______________train from _____________________________________, which gets into_________________________________________ at ________________.

The students will be asked to type this list on the computer and copies will be made for class use.

The teacher will assign a variety of proposed trips. The students will be given copies of their checklists to find the best train to take and to record their answers as they go through the
planning process. The checklist will be used by the teacher as a simple yes/no rubric to determine if they have followed the steps, and where they may need help or review.

The students will work in pairs and assign each other a trip to take. They will use their checklists to record their answers, and check their partner’s answers.

The teacher will present the steps to riding the train, and will create a list with the class. Buying tickets at the station and the on the train will be discussed. “Polite rider” behavior outlined in the bus riding exercises will also be reviewed. The resulting list/rubric will look like this:

If station ticket window is OPEN

Steps	OK!	Asked for help	Only with prompt
Waits in line at ticket window
"I want to go to..."
Pays with enough money
Waits at platform behind yellow line
Boards train, finds open seat
Presents ticket to conductor
Is a polite rider
Gets off at destination

If station ticket window is CLOSED

Steps	OK!	Asked for help	Only with prompt
Waits at platform behind yellow line
Boards train, finds open seat
Tells conductor "I want to go to..."
Pays with enough money
Is a polite rider
Gets off at destination

A blank rubric format will be on the students’ computer disks. In computer class, the
teacher will ask the students to review the steps with her. The students will type in the steps as they are reviewed. Each student will print 5 copies. This rubric will be used by both students and teachers in Tasks B, C, and D.

The teacher will hang signs in room with areas designated Ticket Window (with an OPEN or CLOSED sign), Platform (with a taped line on the floor) and Train. The teacher and aide will role play different ticket-buying and train-riding situations. The students will use the rubric to evaluate teacher/aide performance, and suggest correction where necessary.

Using the same arrangement as Task B, the students will now model the steps to buying a ticket and riding the train. Teacher and other students will evaluate and offer suggestions if needed.

The student(s) will use the schedule to plan a train trip to a given location. The student(s) will go through the ticket buying process and ride the train to the appointed location accompanied by a teacher or aide. Student performance will be evaluated using the rubric from Task A, and the teacher/aide will review their performance with them.