I have used all kinds of assessment
tools throughout my teaching career. Since I'm a science
teacher, and we teach courses with a lot of lab time
and student projects, I am used to developing assessments
that involve student group work, and long-term projects.
In project-based learning, the focus of the assessment
is on process and products, demonstrations of understanding,
and tangible accomplishments over time…It takes
a lot of teacher time up front, BEFORE students even
begin working, but it makes the process work smoothly
and it embeds the assessment into the daily work of
the students. For the research project that my students
were working on, with a final product of a Power Point
report accompanied by an oral report, I developed a
detailed rubric that students received before they even
began their research. I also monitored their daily progress,
so they have a component of their personal on-task time
that contributes to their final grade. Thus, their individual
grade is a blend of the final product, their individual
contribution to the oral report, and their daily grades
from their observed time on task.
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Some examples
from iEARN teachers
of using final project products as an assessment tool
Water Habitat Project assessed
using the Teaching
for Understanding Framework 
on Harvard University website.
WRITE to Care Framework: Writing and Reading
Integrating Technology into Education to Make A Difference
in Our World. By Kristi Rennebohm Franz, Sunnyside Elementary
School, USA. WRITE to Care Framework
-Literacy Educational Standards.
YouthCaN
is a project in which students
plan, implement , and coordinate an annual event in April,
which brings together youth of the world to share how they
are using technology in environmental projects. Conferences are held in New York City and other parts of the world.
There
are several magazines edited and published by students that
all possess an authentic global audience:
A
Vision is a literary magazine that uses art and creative writing to demonstrate
that despite linguistic, cultural, ethnic and racial differences,
teenagers around the world share the same hopes, fears, interests
and concerns.
Some projects create a product to share or sell.
 Dolls
for Computers aims to teach and encourage school aged children to pursue
a higher standard of living through creative endeavors, doing
so specifically by creating dolls which in turn are sold and
the profits reinvested in their school.
Some projects culminate in student created web pages, including The Bullying Project , an international project to help others around the world
cope with being bullied and teased.
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