Validity of performance assessment in mathematics for early adolescents.

Reports validity evidence for a large-scale and "low-stakes" performance assessment involving 905 Grade 8 students. A subsample of 198 students was used to study the relationship of performance measures with conventional achievement and affective measures. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 8 math performance tasks were unidimensional. Generalizability and dependability coefficients were .72 and .68, respectively. Also provided is other empirical validity evidence. Performance scores produced large and significant correlations with the achievement variables. Gender differences were significant for the total performance score as well as for the 2 components: concepts, procedures, and relationships, and applications and problem solving. Results are related to theory and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)