Creating high-quality authentic performance tasks that are well-aligned to important learning goals is not easy. In this webinar, Jay McTighe will introduce Task Frames—basic structures to guide the design of performance tasks. He will present a collection of task frames for various disciplines, as well as frames that can target trans-disciplinary competencies found in a Portrait of a Graduate (e.g., critical and creative thinking, multi-media communication, responsible citizenship). He will show how the frames can be used to construct recurring tasks that are repeated across the grades in increasingly sophisticated forms. Finally, he will illustrate ways that the frames can be differentiated and personalized for students.
Guiding Questions:
- How can Task Frames help create high-quality, authentic performance tasks?
- How can Task Frames support trans-disciplinary competencies and skills development?
- How can Task Frames be differentiated and used across grade levels?
Registration for the full series is $100 for ALI Alumni and $130 for all others. Registration for an individual session is $45 for ALI Alumni and $60 for all others.
Presenter: Jay McTighe—McTighe & Associates
Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. Prior to this position, Jay was involved with school improvement projects at the Maryland State Department of Education where he helped lead Maryland’s standards-based reforms, including the development of performance-based statewide assessments. He also directed the development of the Instructional Framework, a multimedia database on teaching. Well known for his work with thinking skills, Jay has coordinated statewide efforts to develop instructional strategies, curriculum models, and assessment procedures for improving the quality of student thinking. In addition to his work at the state level, Jay has experience at the district level in Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a classroom teacher, resource specialist, and program coordinator. He also directed a state residential enrichment program for gifted and talented students.
Jay is an accomplished author, having co-authored 18 books, including the award-winning and best-selling Understanding by Design series with Grant Wiggins. His books have been translated into fourteen languages. Jay has also written more than 60 articles and book chapters, and been published in leading journals, including Educational Leadership (ASCD) and Education Week.
Jay has an extensive background in professional development and is a regular speaker at national, state, and district conferences and workshops. He has conducted workshops in 48 states within the United States, in 7 Canadian provinces, and internationally to educators in 41 countries on six continents.
Jay received his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, earned his Master’s degree from the University of Maryland, and completed post-graduate studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He was selected to participate in the Educational Policy Fellowship Program through the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C., and served as a member of the National Assessment Forum, a coalition of education and civil rights organizations advocating reforms in national, state, and local assessment policies and practices. He was recently named a 2025 Impact Award Winner by ASCD-ISTE.
