Common Task Resources
Sample Tasks and Guides for their Appropriate Use

Common tasks are structured opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge through written products and/or oral presentations. Common tasks allow students to prove that they have achieved deep content knowledge and thereby demonstrate their proficiency. Because of their flexible yet rigorous nature, they are an important tool in school-wide diploma assessments and may be used in end-of-course examinations or serve as components of a student's graduation portfolio or as preparation for a student's graduation exhibition.

The Rhode Island Skills Commission here provides schools with resources to help them appropriately use common tasks in their classrooms and as part of school-wide diploma assessments. These resources include:

• A bank of field-tested English/Language Arts(ELA) and mathematics tasks for classroom use:      ELA      Math
• A detailed Resource Guide  that explains how to use common tasks appropriately
• CIM Manual: an introduction to the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM), which can serve as a school-wide diploma assessment

For more information about common tasks, professional development opportunities in support of their use, and information about offering the CIM to students in your school, contact the Rhode Island Skills Commission at 222-8416 or e-mail:

Rick Richards at rick.richards@ride.ri.gov
Colleen Callahan at riftcol@aol.com