PALS: Performance Assessment for Language Students

Introduction to PALS

Defining performance standards is an essential component of an instructional program. They give teachers, students, and parents a measurable level of performance as a goal of the program. Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) teachers have been developing a performance assessment program since 1995. As it has been developed, teachers and students have field tested the rubrics and modified them to reflect the language development of students within an academic setting. The assessment tasks, both formative and summative, and accompanying rubrics are laid out in a program called PALS: Performance Assessment for Language Students. The program also includes conversion charts for turning the score on a performance task into a corresponding grade.

We invite teachers, students, and parents to become familiar with the rubrics and to use them as they deem appropriate. For language professionals outside of Fairfax County, we also invite your use, and request only that you cite Fairfax County as the source.

Rubrics

The Six Steps for Improving Proficiency