Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers Perceptions of Performance-Based, Authentic, and Individualized Food Lab Skill Assessments

Plan BNutrition and Culinary Arts is a cornerstone content area of Family and Consumer Sciences(FACS) coursework. Students demonstrate culinary skills in food labs and are assessed on their performance under constraints of time allotted to the course, budgets, and the course objectives. This study surveyed four FACS educators in two Minnesota school districts to explore their perceptions on performance based skill assessments in courses designed in alignment with state and national FACS standards. In these classes, teachers conduct observations and skill assessments to determine student mastery. A survey participant supported standards based grading as an appropriate method of assessment because the method provides clear expectations for learners, but a barrier to standards based grading is the time required to provide authentic learning scenarios while preventing food waste and allowing for reassessment in subsequent labs. Participants suggested an ideal lab setting more kitchen space, fewer students per group, and fewer students per class would allow teachers to fully assess each student’s skill development. Participants identified barriers to ideal labs that included lack of support and financial restrictions preventing smaller class sizes or larger kitchens. The study concludes an organized food lab is essential in creating authentic learning opportunities and recommends increased funding for FACS programs could provide better facilities and reduce class size, thus improving the learning experience for students