AI-Integrated Performance Tasks Across Grade Levels and Subjects
After my last article on Relevant Assessments in the AI Age, I received a lot of emails from folks asking what these types of performance tasks might look like in their classroom.
Here are some examples of how relevant, AI-integrated performance tasks might look across K–12. I used ChatGPT and Perplexity to brainstorm ideas, flesh out the assessment focus, and connect to relevant standards. Each task is designed to highlight process, iteration, and authentic application. The goal is for students to use AI as a tool in learning, not a shortcut to avoid the learning.
Elementary (Grades 3–5): Inquiry + Storytelling
Task: Design a Class Guide to Our Local Community
Prompt: “How might we create a guide for new families moving into our town so they feel welcome and know where to go?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to brainstorm questions for interviews (with local business owners, teachers, or family members), or to help outline sections of the guide.
Student Role: Collect real stories, draw illustrations, take photos, and combine with AI-supported text.
Assessment Focus: Reflection on choices (“Why did you include this?”), iteration (drafting/revising their section), and audience impact (sharing the guide with the school or town).
Standards:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4 – Report on a topic in an organized manner using facts and details.
NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1 – Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or want, including criteria and constraints.
Elementary (Grades 3–5): Science + Curiosity
Task: Build a Digital Field Guide to Local Wildlife
Prompt: “How might we create a digital field guide that helps kids in our school learn about the animals and plants in our neighborhood?”
AI Use: Students can ask AI to help categorize animals by habitat, draft kid-friendly descriptions, or generate sample quiz questions about each species.
Student Role: Take photos during nature walks, write observations in their own words, and decide what information belongs in the guide.
Assessment Focus: Evidence of observation skills, reflection on how AI information compares to real-world findings, and ability to explain their choices in making the guide accessible to peers.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.7 – Conduct short research projects that build knowledge.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8 – Gather information from print/digital sources; take notes.
NGSS 4-LS1-1 – Construct an argument that plants/animals have internal/external structures that function to support survival, growth, and reproduction.
NGSS 5-PS3-1 – Use models to describe how energy in animals’ food originates from the sun.
Elementary (Grades 4–5): Math + Real-World Application
Task: Plan a School Fundraiser Budget
Prompt: “If our class wanted to raise money for a cause, how could we plan a fundraiser that makes sense financially?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to model sample budgets, brainstorm fundraiser ideas, and calculate estimated costs and profits.
Student Role: Gather real cost data (materials, space, marketing), compare with AI’s estimates, and decide on the most realistic plan.
Assessment Focus: Student ability to explain math calculations, reflect on differences between AI predictions and real costs, and iterate on their fundraising proposal.
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.4 – Fluently add/subtract multi-digit numbers.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.2 – Solve word problems involving money and measurement.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 – Model with mathematics.
NGSS 3-5-ETS1-2 – Generate and compare solutions to a problem using criteria.
Middle School (Grades 6–8): Problem-Solving + Design
Task: Reimagine a Historical Event Using Modern Tools
Prompt: “If leaders during the American Revolution had access to today’s technology, how might events have unfolded differently?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to generate “what if” scenarios, create mock social media posts, or design persuasive speeches from historical figures.
Student Role: Evaluate AI’s suggestions, fact-check for historical accuracy, and decide what ideas to keep or reject.
Assessment Focus: Process journals showing decision-making, group collaboration, and ability to distinguish between historical fact and AI-generated speculation.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2 – Determine central ideas of a primary/secondary source.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts in history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1 – Engage in collaborative discussions.
Middle School (Grades 6–8): ELA + Creative Writing
Task: Rewrite a Scene with a Twist
Prompt: “Take a scene from the novel we’re reading. How might it change if the point of view or setting were different?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to generate alternate openings or sample rewrites in different genres (e.g., sci-fi, mystery, comedy).
Student Role: Write their own rewritten scene, blending AI inspiration with original choices. Share with peers to compare interpretations.
Assessment Focus: Evidence of creativity, ability to explain how perspective/setting shifts meaning, distinction between AI-generated text and student-authored work, and reflection on their stylistic decisions.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6 – Analyze how POV creates effects such as suspense or humor.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.3 – Write narratives with effective technique and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5 – Strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, rewriting.
Middle School (Grades 6–8): Media Literacy + Communication
Task: Fact-Check the Internet
Prompt: “How can we help our community tell the difference between real and fake information online?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to identify common misinformation patterns, summarize fact-checking steps, or generate sample social media posts.
Student Role: Choose real-world claims (health, sports, history, etc.), investigate their accuracy using trusted sources, and create short fact-check videos or infographics.
Assessment Focus: Documentation of fact-checking process, ability to explain why certain sources are credible, and reflection on how AI supported, but did not replace their analysis.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.8 – Trace/evaluate arguments and claims in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8 – Gather relevant info from multiple sources; assess credibility.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.5 – Integrate multimedia/visual displays into presentations.
Middle School (Grades 7–8): STEM + Design Thinking
Task: Prototype a Sustainable Product
Prompt: “What kind of product could we design that solves a problem in our school while being eco-friendly?”
AI Use: Students can brainstorm potential solutions, compare sustainability strategies, or generate simple design sketches.
Student Role: Research actual materials, build physical or digital prototypes, and test the feasibility of their designs.
Assessment Focus: Student reasoning for material choices, iteration process (how their design changed after feedback), and ethical reflection on sustainability.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine ideas and convey information.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 – Model with mathematics (costs, materials, feasibility).
NGSS MS-ETS1-2 – Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process.
NGSS MS-ETS1-3 – Analyze data to determine similarities/differences among solutions.
High School (Grades 11–12): Civic Engagement + Persuasion
Task: Design a Campaign for Change
Prompt: “What’s one issue in our school or community that needs change, and how might we design a campaign to address it?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to draft sample campaign slogans, generate persuasive strategies (the English teacher in me loved talking about ethos, pathos and logos), or simulate audience responses.
Student Role: Conduct real surveys, analyze community feedback, and build an actionable campaign (social media, posters, presentations).
Assessment Focus: Quality of argument, ability to use AI transparently, evidence of revision based on peer/community input, and effectiveness of campaign delivery.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1 – Write arguments to support claims with valid reasoning.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5 – Make presentations using digital media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6 – Use technology (including the internet) to produce/publish writing.
High School (Grades 9–12): Authentic Application + Critical Thinking
Task: Address a Local or Global Challenge
Prompt: “Choose a challenge your community (or the world) is facing. How might we design a solution that is realistic, ethical, and impactful?”
AI Use: Students use AI for market research, data analysis, or drafting possible solutions. They might even simulate stakeholder feedback using AI personas.
Student Role: Conduct interviews, gather real data, and refine solutions through iterative cycles. Present proposals to an authentic audience (local leaders, parent council, or peers).
Assessment Focus: Documentation of process, clarity of reasoning, ethical use of AI (what was AI-generated vs. student-created), and quality of presentation to an authentic audience.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7 – Conduct sustained research projects to solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 – Present information clearly, concisely, and logically.
NGSS HS-ETS1-2 – Design a solution to a complex problem by breaking it down.
NGSS HS-ETS1-3 – Evaluate solutions based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs.
High School (Grades 9–12): Math + Real-World Modeling
Task: Modeling the Cost of College (or Career Path)
Prompt: “How might we use math to predict the long-term costs and benefits of different post–high school paths (college, trade school, immediate career)?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to help generate sample data sets, outline comparison models, or simulate different financial scenarios (such as debt repayment, salary growth).
Student Role: Collect real tuition costs, average salaries, and living expenses; build functions or graphs to compare outcomes; and analyze trade-offs over time.
Assessment Focus: Accuracy of mathematical modeling, ability to explain assumptions, iteration of models based on peer/teacher feedback, and reflection on how AI-supported data differs from student-sourced research.
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF.LE.A.1 – Distinguish between linear, exponential, and quadratic models.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.C.7 – Interpret slope/intercept of a linear model in context.
CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2 – Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
NGSS HS-ETS1-4 – Use a model to predict impacts of solutions considering constraints.
High School (Grades 9–12): ELA + Critical Analysis
Task: AI-Assisted Literary Debate
Prompt: “Choose a theme from a novel we’ve read (examples might be power, identity, justice). How can you argue both for and against the author’s treatment of this theme?”
AI Use: Students can use AI to generate counterarguments, draft possible debate points, or surface relevant quotations from the text.
Student Role: Analyze the novel directly, decide which AI-generated arguments are strong or weak, and prepare to engage in a live debate or written counterpoint essay.
Assessment Focus: Depth of textual analysis, ability to evaluate AI’s suggestions critically, evidence of revision in argument structure, and clarity in presenting multiple perspectives.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 – Determine themes or central ideas and analyze their development.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1 – Write arguments to support claims in analysis of literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 – Initiate and participate in collaborative discussions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 – Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence.
Assessment Criteria for AI-Integrated Performance Tasks
Assessment Criteria is the missing piece that makes the tasks actionable for teachers. If the performance tasks are the what, then the criteria and rubrics are the how we evaluate. In the AI age, criteria should balance content mastery, process, ethical tool use, and reflection.
Instead of handing students a finished rubric, co-create the criteria. For example, show them the “Ethical AI Use” row and ask, “What would it look like to use AI responsibly in this project? What’s the difference between ‘exemplary’ and ‘developing’ use?” This builds buy-in and ensures students understand expectations.
Obviously this looks different with the various ages, but it is good start. I also always love the G.R.I.T. Rubric developed by San Francisco College Track as one of my favorites for students to self-assess during the learning process.
1. Content & Accuracy
Elementary: Student explanations are factually correct, age-appropriate, and demonstrate understanding.
Middle School: Work shows accurate use of evidence (historical, scientific, or literary), with appropriate fact-checking of AI-generated information.
High School: Analysis or solution is grounded in accurate data, nuanced interpretation, and critical evaluation of sources (including AI outputs).
2. Process & Iteration
Evidence of drafts, revisions, or prototypes.
Student demonstrates how feedback (peer, teacher, or AI-generated suggestions) shaped their work.
Work improves across iterations, showing growth.
3. Creativity & Problem-Solving
Student applies knowledge in original ways (e.g., reframing a historical event, designing a product, or creating a campaign).
Solutions are practical, imaginative, or push beyond “copy/paste” AI output.
Multiple perspectives are explored before settling on a decision.
4. Ethical & Purposeful AI Use
AI is used transparently (student can explain what was AI-generated vs. their own contribution).
Student demonstrates discernment: fact-checking, revising, or rejecting poor AI suggestions.
Student reflects on how AI helped and where it fell short.
5. Communication & Presentation
Work is shared in a clear, compelling way (oral, written, visual, or digital).
Student considers audience (peers, community, authentic stakeholders).
Student uses visuals, storytelling, or design effectively to enhance meaning.
Why This Framework Matters
Across these grade levels and various subjects, the shift is consistent:
AI is not the star, it’s a support.
Students remain accountable for the thinking, the decisions, and the reflection.
The task stays rooted in the real world, not in artificial school hoops.
When performance tasks are rethought in this way, they don’t just measure learning, they become the learning. Now we can assess the process, and not only the final product.
Because in a world where the product has never been easier to create, it is the process, and reflection on that learning, that matters.
