how to start a performance task essay

Performance Evaluation Essay

Performance evaluation essay generator.

Have you ever wondered how to evaluate someone to see if they are still up to their worth? For students and employees, a performance evaluation may sound terrifying but it is actually far from it. A performance evaluation is used to see and to target out the person’s difficulty and to make it all the better. In this article, we have 3+ performance evaluation essay examples in PDF. Some samples you may download to use. Check it out now.

3+ Performance Evaluation Essay Examples

1. performance evaluation essay template.

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2. Business Performance Evaluation Essay

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3. Work-Based Performance Evaluation Essay

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4. Performance Evaluation Narrative Essay

Definition of Performance

To execute something . To be able to act out what is being given as a form of a task. The promise of doing an action.

Definition of Evaluation

Evaluation as defined is to determine whether the individual’s worth and significance is still followed by a certain criteria. The use of an evaluation is to understand and correct an individual shortcomings and prevent any other issues that may undermine the individuals’ significance.

Definition of Evaluation Essay

An evaluation essay is also called a report essay or a critical essay. This essay is the type that may lead to an argument between the writer and their audience. This is also the essay that needs critical and analytical thinking. The writer must also provide evidence and extensive research to support the case or the topic they choose to write about. These evidences are based on facts.

Definition of Performance Evaluation Essay

The process of evaluating students or employees. To show them their weaknesses and address them in a polite and professional manner. To target the issues and resolve them to get a better outcome.

Tips for Writing Evaluation Essays

Here are some useful tips to help you write an evaluation essay.

• Choose your Topic: Like in any other essay writing, choose the topic you wish to discuss. Once you have done that, do your research and give out some evidence to support your topic.
• Write the Statement: The most important part of your essay is always your statement. This is where the narrative comes in. Write about your topic, discuss in your narrative about your chosen topic, as well as the key points. 
• Search for Supporting Evidence: When writing this type of essay, evidence is key. Do your research, look for information that supports your evaluation. 
• Make a Copy: Make a copy of your essay. Whether it is a draft or your final paper. This way, you can compare and find some loopholes in your document and change that.
• Review, Rewrite, Revise: Review your work. Look for some grammatical errors that you may have forgotten and rewrite them. Check your spelling and correct punctuation marks. Revise the parts that need revising.

What makes a good performance evaluation essay?

A performance essay must have the following information. The narrative, the methods and the objectives. It must also follow a format and a rubrics for it to be considered a performance essay.

Is there an easier way to conduct a performance evaluation?

You may use an essay type to conduct your evaluation or you may use a table type to conduct. All these would still depend on the rubrics that you made to evaluate your employees’ performances .

Is rubrics necessary to evaluate my employees’ performance?

A rubrics is simply there as a guide to evaluate but if you choose to use another, that is fine as well.

A performance evaluation essay should start and end with the target topic of what the author intends to write about. The extensive research and evidence should also be present as this is the type of essay where hard facts are based on. Assumptions of any sort should be avoided.  As this is seen as something to evaluate students or employees welfare, it should be used as such. The rubrics for the essay is merely a guide and should not be used as a means of judging a person’s actions nor a person’s shortcomings. With that being said, following the tips and the examples as guides for your evaluation essay writing should be easy.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Analyze your academic performance over the past semester in a Performance Evaluation Essay.

Discuss the outcomes of a recent project or assignment in your Performance Evaluation Essay.

Tips for Writing a Strong Self-Evaluation (With Examples)

It’s no secret that nobody really loves the self-assessment performance review process. Singing our own praises may make our toes curl — and acknowledging where we’ve made mistakes in the past can feel uncomfortable or embarrassing.

So it seems like little wonder, then, that according to 2019 research by Gallup , 86% of employees say that they don’t find performance reviews helpful for driving improvement. Getting this part of the performance review right requires introspection, a non-judgmental attitude, and asking yourself the right questions to guide self-evaluation. 

To get things started, use our tips in this article to help guide your reflection process. Then, follow up with our Self-Evaluation Template to help you structure your written evaluation.

Key Takeaways:

• Your self-assessment is a chance to be your own advocate.
• Track achievements year round to make the process easier.
• Include specific examples of any skills learned or goals met.
• If you’re stuck on what to write, consult manager and peer feedback.

What is a Self-Assessment Performance Review?

The self-assessment performance review is a key part of the performance management process. It’s a chance for self-reflection on your job performance, including your core strengths and areas for improvement. It also paints a picture for your manager of how you view yourself in relation to your team and the company as a whole, and surfaces any career aspirations or growth needs.

Self-assessment performance appraisals help employees see how their work contributes to the organization and their overall career aspirations, making them far more motivated to do their best work. They’re linked to increased employee performance, higher levels of job satisfaction, and improved employee engagement.

Benefits of employee self-evaluation include:

• Set goals more effectively: A 2020 study on managerial feedback found that focusing on future actions, rather than dwelling on past events, leads to better performance. When we evaluate our overall performance in the context of our professional development and progression, it helps us pinpoint the skill sets we need in the future.
• Eliminate performance review bias: A 2019 study on 30 years of performance management research found that when employees participate in the performance management process, it leads to greater satisfaction in the outcome. Employees were more likely to say the process felt fair and unbiased, because their participation created a two-way, collaborative process.
• Improve employee confidence: Our self-efficacy — or beliefs about how likely we are to succeed in a particular topic or learning opportunity — play an important role in how we perform. A 2021 study based on classroom learning found that when students reviewed their own performance, it boosted their confidence.
• Increase team alignment: Viewing your own performance in the context of how it contributes to your team’s overall goals helps highlight areas of misalignment in terms of processes or communication — meaning you can improve how your team works together. 

What to Reflect On Before Writing an Employee Self-Assessment

Jumping into a self-evaluation might feel a little daunting. Taking a moment to do an informal review of your performance, progress, and goals can help you collect your thoughts when it’s time to write the real thing.

In the spirit of continuous feedback and the performance review process , consider your metrics of success for your own performance — whether that’s a quantitative measure like KPIs and OKRs, or more qualitative, such as your emotions and feelings about the last year.

Make sure you write down specific examples of any skills learned, goals met, or targets hit, so that you’re well-prepared for the next performance review cycle.

Here are our five best practices to get this process right.

1. Identify how you really feel. 

Start by figuring out how you actually feel about your overall performance without the pressure of presenting these thoughts in a professional context. 

Try taking some notes or consulting a trusted friend or peer about how you feel you’ve performed over the last quarter or year. Acknowledge the full spectrum of your experiences, including any specific examples you might feel hesitant to highlight in your formal performance review.

Coming up with an unfiltered version will help you understand how your perspective comes across, and you can always make edits once you start writing.‍

2. Review your goals.

Setting goals — and feeling motivated to achieve them — is the cornerstone of doing your best work. Review how you performed against your most recent goals. Did you meet, exceed, or struggle to meet expectations?

For each goal, evaluate yourself based on the following questions:

• Why did you meet — or struggle to meet — this goal?
• When you didn’t meet a goal, what blockers made progress difficult?
• Was this goal clear, specific, and challenging enough? Why?
• Thinking about the goals you struggled to meet, what could you improve on to meet goals like this in future?
• Thinking about the goals you achieved, how can you build on this success to set a new goal?

As you reflect on goal progress, use your objectives and key results (OKRs) to provide a framework for your self-assessment, adding details and examples from the past year that contextualize your progress or challenges.

3. Review your manager’s feedback. 

Your performance review is an opportunity to check in with your manager about your progress and have a dialogue on what’s next. But it’s also an opportunity for you to provide additional context on anything that might have improved or hindered your performance and goal accomplishment. 

Look at recent one-on-ones or manager feedback from previous check-ins for guidance. What did your manager highlight or praise? Was there any constructive feedback on your performance?

Make sure you reference your accomplishments in your review and highlight what you did well. For areas that need improvement, provide additional context for any questions you think your manager might ask, and share any details about how you approached a project or situation that shed light on its outcome. Reflect on how you grew, and your plans to continue improving. 

4. ‍ Review notes from peers and coworkers. 

Peer feedback isn’t just great for professional development and surfacing new performance perspectives — it’s also vital for fostering the environment needed for great teamwork. In fact, one 2015 study on employee recognition found that praise from team members can have twice the impact on your wellbeing at work compared with manager feedback.

Evaluating feedback from peers can help you see how you’ve supported your team’s overall goals, as well as highlighting your progress on any non-technical skills — like problem-solving or communication — that build a more complete picture of your progress in the last year. Look through any past performance reviews, emails, personal messages, team meeting slide decks, or your company’s Praise Wall to collate a balanced view of how your peers see you.

Evaluate your progress by considering the following questions:

• How have you helped team members and peers deliver on their goals?
• Were there any specific instances or projects where team members praised your contributions?
• How have you followed through on team expectations?
• How would you rate your teamwork and collaboration skills?

Find more question examples in our Peer Review Template .

Writing Your Performance Review Self-Assessment

Once you’re ready to write your self-appraisal, you’ll want to collate everything you’ve noted during the reflection process, and start crafting your highlight reel that outlines all of your accomplishments since your last review.

To get started, use your job description as a guide. Evaluate how you meet each of the core competencies and skill sets, pointing to specific examples when you demonstrated each. While you write, work through the following topics:

• Role in the wider team: How does your work connect to the bigger picture? What kind of teammate are you?
• Unique selling point: What do you contribute that sets you apart? How is your team unable to function without you?
• Key results: Review any OKRs. What key results did or didn’t you achieve? Why or why not?
• Areas for improvement: Things can change for the better after a performance evaluation. What does that look like for you?

Examples of How to Talk about Your Accomplishments in Your Self-Assessment

Many folks worry about sounding braggy in a self-review. And while it might feel uncomfortable to sing your own praises, try writing it like you’re advocating for someone else to show what you’re capable of.

Talk about the cause and effect of your actions on projects, and make sure to reference praise you’ve gotten from others. Include business outcomes, quotes from happy customers, and any tangible data. Talk assertively about your accomplishments like they’re facts.

Try using these self-evaluation examples to help you guide your review.

‍Goal Accomplishment

• “I set an OKR this year to grow our social channels 20%, but I exceeded that goal by growing them 40%.” 
• “My contribution to project X has helped increase customer NPS 10x.” 
• “Project Y has streamlined our process and saved time across teams.” 
• “Project Z will bring in more and better-qualified leads.” 
• “I accomplished a personal developmental goal to learn a new skill by working alongside peers in a different department.”

Project Management

• “I demonstrate strong time management skills when hitting project deadlines.”
• “I communicate project updates with all team members and relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.”
• “When running project X, I was effective at delegating tasks and following up on work to make sure our team stayed on deadline.”
• “I am effective at taking ownership of new projects and managing their successful completion.”

Team Support and Enablement

• “I always review my team member’s work within 24 hours of being asked.” 
• “Because of my feedback on this project, XYZ was completed faster.” 
• “I supported the success of our customer conference by being a speaker, and received praise from our VP of Marketing.”
• “I go above and beyond to make sure our team operates at its best, and I regularly provide help and support to team members when working on a collective goal.”

Non-Technical Skills

• “My problem-solving skills helped overcome a key strategic challenge in a recent project.”
• “Because of my effective decision-making skills, we were able to complete project XYZ in a timely manner.”
• “I regularly contribute my ideas and perspectives in team meetings to help boost our team’s output and goal accomplishment.”
• “I’m successful at staying on top of my to-do list, and regularly communicate progress with team members on shared projects.”

Ongoing Contributions

• “I maintain and moderate a critical daily community discussion channel.” 
• “I reach out to prospects early in the morning, since they’re in a different time zone than I am.”
• “I send out a weekly update to the entire organization about my project or function.”
• “I helped launch and manage a new Employee Resource Group that supports our LGBTQ+ employees.”

Examples of How to Talk About Areas of Improvement

It can be hard to talk about your mistakes or recognize room for improvement in aspects of your work. For this reason, tone is particularly important when it comes to this portion of your self-assessment.

When talking about any areas for improvement, focus on honesty, and try not to be defensive, minimize errors, or blame others in your self-evaluation. Remember that everything you say is from your own perspective, so it’s a good practice to phrase things accordingly, such as “I found out I benefit from x”, or “I found I work best in x conditions”. 

Reflecting on where you need to improve can also be a perfect opportunity to talk about how you want to grow in your career or improve in your job. When talking about mistakes or known problems during the review period, stay positive and emphasize the solution and next steps. You want to position yourself as a problem-solver with self-awareness.

For example, perhaps you weren’t prepared to take on a task because you weren’t trained. Propose enrolling in a class to help you step up your career development and take on more responsibilities.

When reflecting on your areas for improvement, try emulating the following examples:

• “I can sometimes struggle to take the lead in project management scenarios. I’d really like to take on some leadership skills classes to help me develop.”
• “I find it hard to share my ideas with team members on how to approach a project or piece of work, because I get overwhelmed when talking in a larger group. This year, I’d really like to learn how to develop my confidence with some mentoring.”
• “I made a scheduling mistake that contributed to a delay on our team’s recent project. I learned better time management skills as a result and have a plan to manage these situations better in future.”
• “I struggle with my presentation skills in front of a large audience. Is there someone in our wider team I can learn from?”

Crafting a Roadmap for Future Progression

Your self-assessment is a chance to be your own biggest advocate. As you work through the review process, try not to look at it as exposing your weaknesses, past failures, or mistakes. Instead, look at it as an opportunity, with your manager’s help, to take ownership of your career path, celebrate your wins, and unravel any niggling issues.

Working through this collaborative process should feel like a conversation with your manager that gives you a roadmap to help you perform at your very best in the future. For more support, download our Self-Evaluation Template . 

Related content

Anniversary Reviews vs. Focal Reviews: How to Time Employee Evaluations

How to Combat Bias With Calibrated Performance Review Questions

5 Best Practices to Increase Your Performance Review Participation Rates

EL Education Curriculum

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• ELA 2019 G6:M3:U3:L10

Prepare for Performance Task: Analyze a Model and Select a Text

In this lesson, daily learning targets, ongoing assessment.

• Technology and Multimedia

Supporting English Language Learners

Materials from previous lessons, new materials, closing & assessments, you are here:.

• ELA 2019 Grade 6
• ELA 2019 G6:M3
• ELA 2019 G6:M3:U3

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Focus Standards:  These are the standards the instruction addresses.

• RI.6.1, RI.6.6, SL.6.2

Supporting Standards:  These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

• RL.6.10, RI.6.10, SL.6.6, L.6.6
• I can paraphrase the key ideas and demonstrate understanding of the perspective being conveyed in the model performance task recording. (SL.6.2)
• I can analyze a model for characteristics of an effective performance task.
• Opening A: Entrance Ticket
• Work Time A: Analyze a Model Performance Task Recording (RI.6.1, RI.6.6, SL.6.2, SL.6.6, L.6.6)
• Work Time B: Select a text (RL.6.10, RI.6.10)

• Determine the way in which the model recording will be shared with students during Work Time A. Access the model recording via http://eled.org/6m3-modelperformancetask . Speakers or another external audio system can be used to project the model recording to the whole class. If adjustments to the model are desired or necessary, consider re-recording the model in your own voice and sharing this with students. This may also serve as a way to screen available technological options before determining what is best for students to use when developing their own recordings.
• Create a sign-up sheet, or some other recording form, to keep track of the texts students have selected during Work Time B. Some students may want to choose the same text; determine whether it is preferred for students to each have different texts or if it is OK that they repeat.
• Due to time constraints, students should be encouraged to make their text selection during Work Time B. Provide computers or tablets for students to move on to the next step—gathering some brief biographical details about the author of their selected text to include in the Preface: Background and Context section of the Performance Task Recording Planner. Consider gathering this information in advance and giving it to students in bulleted format for them to write in their own words.
• Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson (see Materials list).
• Prepare copies of handouts for students, including entrance ticket (see Materials list).
• Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

• Work Time A: The model recording may be accessed via http://eled.org/6m3-modelperformancetask
• Work Time B: Set up computers or tablets with access to the internet for students who are ready to begin gathering brief biographical context for their chosen performance task reading.

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.A.4, 6.I.B.5, 6.I.B.7, 6.I.B.8, and 6.I.B.12

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

• To support ELLs, this lesson prepares students for the performance task of Lesson 13. First, an entrance ticket invites students to paraphrase the instructions for the performance task, giving ELLs a chance to self-assess their own understanding of the task and allowing an opportunity for teacher intervention, as needed. Then, students carefully analyze a model performance task recording, familiarizing themselves with the Performance Task Recording Planner and with the expectations for the recording.
• ELLs may find it challenging to select an appropriate text from the Performance Task Recording: Text List . Available texts vary in terms of language complexity, and it may be challenging for some ELLs to quickly gauge whether a text is at their level. Consider screening the texts ahead of time and providing students a shorter list to select from or annotating the pieces with brief descriptions. This may help students select appropriate texts more quickly.
• Performance Task anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
• Performance Task Recording: Text List (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lessons 8–9, Closing and Assessment A)
• Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 10 (example for teacher reference)
• Model Recording (see Technology and Multimedia)
• Analyze Model Performance Task Recording note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
• Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 10 (one per student)
• Audio Museum: Performance Task directions (one per student)
• Performance Task Recording Planner (one per student)
• Analyze Model Performance Task Recording note-catcher (one per student)
• Model Performance Task Recording Planner (one per student)
• Computer or tablet with access to the internet (several per class)

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

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Exam: Performance Task 2: Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation

5 min read • november 23, 2021

Steven Kucklick

Performance Task 2 Overview

PT 2 may seem more intimidating than PT1, especially since you have to do it all yourself. But, don't let the 2000 word paper 👀 or the eight minute presentation scare you off!

Image Courtesy of Giphy

In a lot of ways, PT 2 should be more familiar to you. Here, you are writing ✍️ a traditional argumentative research paper and then presenting on it. It's pretty much that simple.

Where things can get kind of intimidating is the implementation of the stimulus materials .

These are a collection of articles, poems, videos, songs, or really anything in between, that are meant to guide 👨‍💼 students towards a particular topic.

Using this topics students will brainstorm their own research question and and construct an argumentative paper.

The presentation is simply a place where you can explain your argument and the evidence you chose while demonstrating your knowledge of your thesis ✍️.

Let's work through each section of PT 2 and look at how best to approach it.

Stimulus Packet

Each year the College Board release a set of Stimulus Materials to act as guide 👨‍💼 for students as they choose their topic. Each source that the College Board provides in this packet is based around a large central theme that students should use as a guide while they choose their topic.

Before we get any further, let's look at the 👉  Stimulus Packet from 2019 .

Here we can see that we have 7 different sources. This will be true (as of now) in all stimulus packets.

We can also the variety in sources that College Board provides. We have everything from academic journals to a Bob Dylan song 🎵.

Typically, in Stimulus Packets there will be a peer reviewed article, a historical source , an opinionated argumentative source , a piece of media, and some collections of poetry, music, or fiction.

The great thing about the Stimulus Packet is that you are allowed to go through it with your class and your teacher. As you analyze each source think about the central theme across all sources. In the Stimulus Packet I linked, the central theme is 'change.'

Remember, this theme will be broad, but you should start thinking about topics that fit 👉 👈 within it.

Stimulus Packet is not just there to serve as the topic for PT 2, you will also need to incorporate at least one of the sources in your actual written paper.

Because of this, you should also look for a topic that will fit well with some of the sources. Because the sources are so diverse, you shouldn't have too hard of time finding a topic that interests you while still incorporating a source.

Now that we have our big theme, we can move on to topic selection!

Picking your Topic

Now to the most important part of PT2.... picking your topic 😍! Again, you should be brainstorming around the larger topic from the Stimulus Packet and one of the sources within it.

I would recommend doing this with a classmate 👨‍🏫. Having someone you can bounce ideas off of can be really helpful. I would strongly encourage not doing the same topic as classmate so that you don't run into plagiarism issues.

As you're brainstorming topics it's important to remember not to go too big or too small. You should be broad enough that you have enough evidence to use, but specific enough that you don't have too much to talk 🗣️ about.

Don't be afraid to pursue multiple topics and do some preliminary research. Sticking to one topic early can often lead to stress if you can find enough evidence or the right evidence for you.

You should also feel comfortable changing your topic slightly as you do research. As much as your topic should influence your research, your research should also influence your topic.

Individual Written Argument

Now that we've settled on a topic and we've found good evidence, we can start writing ✍️!!

The Individual Written Argument (IWA) is essentially a standard argumentative research paper where you are arguing for a thesis using claims and evidence.

Your entire IWA sort of rests on your thesis 👀 so it's important get that written first and foremost. The traditional three pronged thesis is of course acceptable, but not required. What should be true is that your thesis needs to outline your entire argument. I should know exactly what you are going to argue just by reading your thesis .

Once you begin writing you are essentially just writing a standard argumentative research paper , even if it is the longest paper you've written.

Here are some things to keep in mind 🤔 while you write:

• The evidence is there to support your claims, just like the claims are there to support your argument. All of these elements need to work together. Don't just make your paper a book report on your evidence. 📕
• Line of reasoning is also crucial for a successful paper. Organize your claims and your evidence in a way that makes sense to the reader. Check out the Big Idea 2 guide to review line of reasoning . 🤨
• Don't ramble! 2000 words seems like a lot, but you have a lot to talk about! Be thoughtful with your words. ✍️
• I would aim for about 15 to 20 pieces of unique evidence when you go into writing. If you use less, you use less! It's better to be over prepared than under. 💻

Individual Multimedia Presentation

Finally we've made it... the Individual Multimedia Presentation 🗣️! Your IMP will be very similar to the Team Multimedia Presentation. However, instead of arguing for your solution to the problem, you will be arguing your thesis .

A good way to think about this is that you will be translating your paper into an eight minute presentation. You need to explain the importance of your argument while connecting your claims with your evidence 🤝.

You should also take some time to explain the different perspectives of your evidence.

You will also be asked to answer two questions. This is your  Oral Defense  section. These question will ask you to reflect on the research process and how you could extend on your topic.

As always, these questions are available to you. You can find them on page 63 of the  Course and Exam Description.

In Conclusion...

Wrapping things up I want to remind you not to get too stressed out. PT 2 can easily feel very overwhelming, but if you chunk things up and plan, you will be great!

As always the  rubrics  are your friend! Make sure to read them to understand exactly how to get all the points you need.

Key Terms to Review ( 14 )

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
• The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

• Historical, geographical, or social context
• An outline of the debate you’re addressing
• A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
• Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Cite this Scribbr article

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Instructor Resources (available upon sign-in)

Performance assessment: persuasive essay, persuasive essay introduction.

This module will ask you to practice the stages of the writing process. You will develop an essay to be finalized by the end of this module.

The term “college student” corrals a wide range of types of students in a single term. It stands to reason that different groups of people have different motivations for entering higher education, different goals while they are there, and different definitions of success once they graduate.

For this essay, you will select a specific category of college students, define a practice that could lead to enhanced success for that category, and argue for the adoption of that practice.

The thesis for this essay will persuade readers in the target audience to adopt the practice you’ve identified, in order to help them achieve better outcomes while in college. The thesis will be supported in the body of the essay with evidence demonstrating why this practice will increase success and how it can be implemented.

Assignment Details

The final essay will be 750-1000 words long. It will include a thesis statement that is supported by evidence. It will be well-organized, and display evidence of careful application of the writing process.

In order to successfully complete this assessment, a submitted essay must reach “Meets or Exceeds Expectations” in all categories.

• Performance Assessment: Persuasive Essay. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Making in the Middle

Making as a Performance Task

Science Scope—March 2019 (Volume 42, Issue 7)

By Kira Lowery, Shelly Rodriguez, and Patrick R. Benfield

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A performance task is one that asks students to do or create something that shows evidence of what they have learned. This type of assessment gives students the opportunity to display their understanding outside of the traditional multiple choice test or essay. Rigorous performance tasks are those that call for the application of knowledge and skills, are open-ended, provide authentic contexts, and show evidence of understanding ( McTighe 2015 ).

The tenets underlying an authentic performance task align with those at the foundation of maker-centered learning. Making is a process of building and creating that allows for students to express themselves through the creation of meaningful products that are shared with a larger community ( Rodriguez et al. 2018 ). Both performance tasks and making rest on the notion of students doing and creating as a way to learn, apply, and demonstrate knowledge. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has acknowledged the potential of making to foster innovation, increase student retention, and broaden participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education ( NSF 2017 ). Making helps students develop a “maker mindset” ( Martin 2015 ), which promotes playfulness, resilience, collaboration, and reflection. The process of making also promotes 21st-century skills such as problem-solving, design thinking, and the integration of technology. When used as a performance task, making can help teachers gauge students’ understanding of disciplinary core ideas and proficiency with science and engineering process skills.

This article describes how a maker-centered unit project, called Cells and Me, was used as a performance task to gauge student understanding of cell organelles. Instead of enacting our traditional unit on cells, our students spent time researching organelles; making unique, interactive 3-D models; and presenting these models to a group of elementary students. By formulating the unit into an extended maker project, we hoped that students would take ownership of their learning and become experts through the process of creation and presentation. To make the project meaningful and authentic, we decided to have students make an exhibit for younger children and incorporate a technology component. This maker-centered unit project took nine days to complete, the same amount of time given to our customary cell unit.

Engagement: An introduction to tools and materials (55 min.)

For the engagement, we had students experiment with Makey Makey and Scratch as a way to expose them to coding and increase their comfort with trial and error. Makey Makey (see Resources ) is a small electronics board that, when connected to a computer, enables users to add hand-made external components in lieu of specific keyboard keys. Scratch (see Resources ) is a free, blockbased programming enviroment and online site where people can create their own digital stories, programs, or games. When combined, the Makey Makey can be used to trigger events created in the Scratch program. Some examples of these two technologies working together can be found online (see Resources ).

To build interest, students were divided into teams of two and presented the challenge of designing a musical instrument using Scratch, four pieces of celery, and a Makey Makey. Students worked together to explore and build their instruments (see Figure 1 ). This was an open-ended exploration; however, students were given the hint that the Makey Makey connects objects to the computer. Although many of our students had prior experience with Scratch, we provided scaffolding when needed and students used each other as a resource. To help students who were not as acquainted with Scratch, we directed them to the online tutorials found on the Scratch website (see Resources ). We also provided one-on-one help to show students the basics of Scratch, how to drag and drop commands, where to find functions, and how to upload graphics or audio files. Eventually, each team was able to connect the celery to the Makey Makey and use Scratch’s media to program different sounds to test their celery. As an extension, teams that finished early used MP3 converters to upload songs to Scratch so that each celery could play a different song. Some students also experimented with other conductive materials to make musical instruments from objects around the room.

Exploration: Research and construction (six 55-min. class periods)

Next, students were challenged to use this technology to create an interactive 3-D model to promote the importance of cells for fifth-grade students at NYOS Charter School’s elementary campus in Austin, Texas. Students were encouraged to make their 3-D models interactive by using Scratch and Makey Makey (see Figure 2 ). Students were provided with suggestions for interactive projects, such as animated books, video games, and touch-screen models. Each student team used the Scratch and Makey Makey technologies in a different way. Some used the technologies to make an interactive legend that accompanied their cell model, whereas other groups made the model itself interactive using touch-to-trigger narration or other elements of their Scratch program. A rubric ( Figure 3 ) was provided to outline required content and project elements. Student teams were also provided with a group contract to outline roles and provide descriptions of their duties (see Online Supplemental Materials ). Starting an open-ended maker-centered project with a rubric and group contract helps students organize their work and holds students accountable for equal contribution.

For this project, students chose unique roles and provided descriptions of their duties, as well as a plan about how to handle any disagreements or conflicts. These plans were provided to instructors for approval. Most student groups used the divide-and-conquer approach to set up their roles. For example, many groups chose one member to be the lead coder and one to be the lead builder. However, some students took a different approach and chose roles such as “creative manager” and “logistics manager” so that each student contributed equally to each portion of the project, but with different ideas for input. The creative manager, for example, chose to focus on how to make the project fun and engaging, whereas the logistics manager ensured that all the requirements were being met and that the curriculum was presented accurately.

Once students established roles, they brainstormed ideas for their project and the class developed a list of materials for the teachers to provide (see Figure 4 ). Student teams had the option of bringing in additional materials. Once initial ideas for their model were approved, students began their research. All members of the team were responsible for research. Each student curated information for at least five organelles and created a short description that would be used in their group model. Students learned about each organelle’s contribution to maintaining cell function and its role in supporting the organism as a whole. For example, students researched the cell membrane’s function in monitoring the entry and exit of substances in the cell. Students were also responsible for explaining and demonstrating the difference between cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Students were provided with a handout (see Figure 5 ) and multiple resources (see Resources ) to support this work.

Upon the completion of their research, students were allowed to begin making. During the building stage, teacher assistance was given when students were handling materials that could be harmful. For example, some students used a box cutter to cut foam, cardboard, and plastic bins. We made sure to review the correct procedure and provide assistance when groups were using these tools. Cutting foam also generates debris, so students used protective glasses when working with this material. Other students used borax cleaning detergent to make over-activated slime. The slime was then used to represent organelles such as cytoplasm and vacuoles. Because borax can cause irritation to skin, students were required to wear goggles and gloves when working with this material.

Because the project had few restrictions, models evolved based on how students chose to present the information. Some groups decided to make games using Scratch. One group had a main character, a wizard, traveling through and exploring various parts of the cell. Another group made a virtual classroom and had an animated teacher explain the organelles and their functions. Some students chose to record their explanations and have them play when a particular organelle on their model was touched, whereas other groups chose to have text displayed on the screen of their computers when their model was activated.

Explanation: Gallery walk (55 min.)

After the models were created, a gallery walk served as a practice run for the upcoming publication party during which students would present to fifth graders from the school. During the gallery walk, each student explained concepts related to cellular structure and function. Using their interactive 3-D models, students described how the organelles work together to keep the cell functioning and alive. Students were required to identify each organelle’s main function and validate why they chose to represent each organelle with various materials. Students also had to explain respiration and photosynthesis and connect each process to the cell model. During this time, half of the class presented while the other students observed and wrote feedback. In this way, students engaged in peer-to-peer review and teams were able to use this task to refine their explanations and models.

Elaboration: Publication party (55 min.)

During the publication party, students used their models to teach younger children about the importance of cells. The main purpose of the party was to allow students to communicate the content to others. For this activity, the cell models were set up around the room, and younger students rotated to visit the different exhibits. The publication party was also open to teachers from various grade levels. All attendees were able to explore the models and ask presenters questions. Each audience member had a feedback form to take notes on (see Online Supplemental Materials ). This form also asked the audience members to identify something they learned and something they still had questions about, and included a place to note questions they had for the presenters. At the end of the party, students reflected on their experience. They used this time to discuss improvements, what they had learned through the process, and think about their teamwork and collaboration efforts.

Evaluation through performance tasks

This maker-centered project provided multiple opportunities for assessment through performance tasks. During research and construction, students were asked to describe organelles, compare and contrast organelles, and draw connections between cellular structure and function. When circulating, the teacher asked questions such as, “How does what you are making show the structure of the organelle?” or “What is the function of this organelle and how does its structure help it perform?” Student responses provided insight into their thinking. For example, one group chose to represent chloroplasts with pasta. When asked about the purpose of using this material, students explained that they realized the double membrane could be represented by grooves in pasta and decided they could make many thylakoids encased in shells. This description revealed their recognition of a connection between cellular structure and function.

Teachers also used an assessment checklist (see Figure 6 ) to capture student understanding and guide future questions. They noted whether a student struggled to validate project choices or could not identify the function of the organelle he or she was building. Teachers would then discuss misconceptions with the student, give more time for research, and reassess. This process allowed for immediate and recursive feedback for students.

Additionally, students had to complete journal entries and maintain a Google document to record their progress. Students were prompted to reflect on both the content and process of making their model.

Through formative assessment, we observed students drawing original analogies between everyday objects and organelles as they reflected on which materials were best suited for their model. We also observed students asking themselves questions that they thought the elementary children would want to know. This pushed them to develop more complete and relevant explanations than they might have otherwise.

During the gallery walk, student presentations were assessed using the rubric received at the beginning of the project. The rubric looked for the explanation of each organelle’s function. It also required students to make the project personal and show how they had integrated technology. During this time, instructors used the same assessment checklist used previously to add information as students were able to demonstrate additional understanding.

As the final performance task, the publication party proved effective in showing what students had learned. As students showcased their 3-D interactive cell models, they used academic vocabulary and made the extra effort needed to explain concepts in ways the younger group could understand. This process pushed our students to present core ideas in everyday language rather than relying on textbook definitions. The publication party showed that students were confident with the content and proud of their creations, and it provided a final opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and skills. In comparison to previous years, the Cells and Me project led to a higher percentage of students who were able to identify the importance of each organelle. Students were able to make deeper connections about the jobs of organelles and how they work together to keep a whole organism alive.

Making allows students to build and present a unique artifact of their own design. Tools such as Makey Makey and Scratch can support this type of creativity in the classroom. Although Scratch is free, Makey Makeys cost approximately $50 each. There is also a less expensive counterpart available, the Makey Makey Go, that is significantly cheaper at $20 each. Crowdfunding sites, such as DonorsChoose.org, can be a way of acquiring a class set. Depending on your budget, you can provide each group with a Makey Makey of its own or share them between groups such that each group uses them to test and showcase their interactive designs as needed. Makey Makeys are a versatile tool that make a good addition to any science equipment inventory. Both the Makey Makey and Scratch websites have nice tutorials, sample projects, and resources for educators (see Resources ).

Making gives students agency in their learning as they make creative choices, and it serves as an authentic performance task. Students can be assessed formatively as they build and create, and assessed summatively as they present their creations to others. Because making is a student-centered activity, teachers can act as facilitators who observe and provide differentiated feedback. Unlike with paper-and-pencil tests, this feedback can be given in real time such that it can be used by students to improve their work. By using the authentic assessment opportunities provided by making, we may foster an environment where students are open to feedback, have a positive relationship with assessment, and are more willing to take risks in the classroom.

Berwald, J., J.F. Bolzan, and P.J. Craig. 2012. Life iScience . New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Education.

Amoeba Sisters— www.youtube.com/user/AmoebaSisters Biology 4 Kids— www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_main.html BBC Cells— www.bbc.com/education/subjects/zrkw2hv Khan Academy— www.khanacademy.org Makey Makey— https://makeymakey.com Nucleus Medical Media Cell Structure— www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUJD5NEXC8 Scratch— https://scratch.mit.edu Scratch and Makey Makey examples— https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/224424

Martin L. 2015. The promise of the maker movement for education . Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research 5 (1): 30–39. .

McTighe J. 2015. What is a performance task?  

National Science Foundation (NSF). 2017. The National Science Foundation and making . 

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states . Washington, DC: National Academies Press. .

Rodriguez S., Harron J., Fletcher S., and Spock H. 2018. Elements of making: A framework to support making in the science classroom. The Science Teacher 85 (2): 24–30.

Engineering Teaching Strategies Middle School

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How to Write a Self Evaluation (With Examples)

First step, be honest about your hits and misses.

Self evaluations are performance assessments that bring you and your manager together to rate your performance over a given time span (quarterly, semi-annually, annually) either using a scale (one to 10 or one to five) or by answering open-ended questions. You complete the evaluation and so does your manager. During the performance review , the two of you compare notes to arrive at a final evaluation.

What Is a Self Evaluation?

Self evaluations are performance assessments that both employees and managers complete. They can be done quarterly, semi-annually or annually, and range from open-ended questions discussed to ratings given on a numeric scale.

Writing about yourself, especially if those words are going to be part of your permanent work record, can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, self evaluations give you a voice in your performance review , and they’re opportunities to outline your career goals and get help in reaching them.

Below, we’ll examine self evaluation benefits, tips and examples, plus how both employees and managers can complete them successfully.

More on Self Evaluations Self-Evaluations Make Stronger Leaders. Here’s How to Write One.

Benefits of Self Evaluations 

1. help employees and managers prepare for performance reviews.

Completing a self evaluation can help guide the eventual performance-review conversation in a structured, but meaningful, way. It also helps both parties get an idea of what needs to be discussed during a performance review, so neither feels caught off guard by the conversation.

2. Give Employees an Opportunity to Reflect on Their Progress

Since self evaluations are inherently reflective, they allow employees to identify and examine their strengths and weaknesses. This helps employees both know their worth to an organization and what they still have left to learn. 

“Self evaluations enable employees to see their work in its entirety,” Jill Bowman, director of people at fintech company Octane , said. “They ensure that employees reflect on their high points throughout the entire year and to assess their progress towards achieving predetermined objectives and goals.”

3. Help Managers Track Employee Accomplishments

Employee self assessments help managers more accurately remember each employee’s accomplishments. “As many managers often have numerous direct reports, it provides a useful summary of the achievements of each member,” Bowman said.

4. Improve Employee Satisfaction

Academic literature indicates that employees are more satisfied with evaluations that involve two-way communication and encourage a conversation between manager and employee, according to Thomas Begley, professor of management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute . 

The thing is, employees have to trust that the process is fair, Begley added. If they believe it is, and they’re treated fairly and respectfully during the process, employees react positively to self evaluations.

5. Can Decrease Employee Turnover

Some companies see tangible results from self evaluations. For example, Smarty , an address-verification company, enjoys low staff turnover, said Rob Green, chief revenue officer. The self-evaluation method, coupled with a strong focus on a communication-based corporate culture, has resulted in a 97 percent retention rate, Green told Built In.

Related 6 Ways to Be More Confident in Performance Reviews

How to Write a Self Evaluation

The ability to write a self evaluation is a critical career skill.

“Self evaluations give you a platform to influence your manager and in many cases, reframe the nature of the relationship with your manager,” Richard Hawkes, CEO and founder of Growth River , a leadership and management consulting company, said. “And all results in business happen in the context of relationships.”

Below are some tips on how to complete a self evaluation.

1. Track Your Work and Accomplishments

Daily or weekly tracking of your work can help you keep track of your progress and also prevent last-minute “what on earth did I do the last six months?” panic at performance evaluation time, said Peter Griscom, CEO at Tradefluence . “Strip down the questions to two or three, and just ask yourself, ‘How well did I communicate today?’ ‘How well did I solve problems today?’ ‘What have I achieved today?’” Griscom said. “Get in the habit of writing those things out and keeping track and over time.”

2. Answer Honestly  

For his first self evaluation, Griscom remembers wondering how to best answer the questions. After he asked his manager for guidance, Griscom answered the questions as accurately as he could. “What came out of it was really valuable, because it gave me a chance to reflect on my own achievements and think about where I can improve,” he said. “It forced me to do the thinking instead of just accepting feedback.”

3. Highlight Your Achievements

If your boss has a handful of direct reports, chances are good they haven’t noticed each of your shining moments during a review period. This is your chance to spotlight yourself. Quotas exceeded, projects finished ahead of schedule, fruitful mentoring relationships, processes streamlined — whatever you’ve done, share it, and don’t be shy about it, said Alexandra Phillips , a leadership and management coach. Women, especially, tend not to share achievements and accomplishments as loudly or often as they should. “Make sure your manager has a good sense of where you’ve had those wins, large and small, because sometimes they can fly under the radar,” Phillips added.

4. Admit Weaknesses and How You Have Grown 

If you’ve made a whopper mistake since your past review, mention it — and be sure to discuss what you’ve learned from it. Chances are good your manager knows you made a mistake, and bringing it up gives you the opportunity to provide more context to the situation.

5. Acknowledge Areas of Improvement

Be prepared for your manager to point out a few areas for improvement. This is where career growth happens. “If you want something,” whether it’s a promotion or move to another department, “you need to know how to get there,” said Phillips.

Related What Are Short-Term Career Goals? (With 12 Examples)

Self Evaluation Examples and Templates Answers

Still not sure what to do when you put pen to paper? Here are six open-ended self evaluation sample questions from the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as example answers you can use to prepare for your own self evaluation.

1. Job Performance Examples

List your most significant accomplishments or contributions since last year. How do these achievements align with the goals/objectives outlined in your last review?

How to answer with positive results: In the past year, I successfully led our team in finishing [project A]. I was instrumental in finding solutions to several project challenges, among them [X, Y and Z]. When Tom left the company unexpectedly, I was able to cover his basic tasks until a replacement was hired, thus keeping our team on track to meet KPIs. 

I feel the above accomplishments demonstrate that I have taken more of a leadership role in our department, a move that we discussed during my last performance review.

How to answer with ways to improve: Although I didn’t meet all of my goals in the last year, I am working on improving this by changing my workflow and holding myself accountable. I am currently working to meet my goals by doing [X, Y and Z] and I plan to have [project A] completed by [steps here]. I believe that I will be able to correct my performance through these actionable steps.  

Describe areas you feel require improvement in terms of your professional capabilities. List the steps you plan to take and/or the resources you need to accomplish this.

I feel I could do better at moving projects off my desk and on to the next person without overthinking them or sweating details that are not mine to sweat; in this regard I could trust my teammates more. I plan to enlist your help with this and ask for a weekly 15-minute one-on-one meeting to do so.  

Identify two career goals for the coming year and indicate how you plan to accomplish them.

One is a promotion to senior project manager, which I plan to reach by continuing to show leadership skills on the team. Another is that I’d like to be seen as a real resource for the organization, and plan to volunteer for the committee to update the standards and practices handbook.  

2. Leadership Examples

Since the last appraisal period, have you successfully performed any new tasks or additional duties outside the scope of your regular responsibilities? If so, please specify.

How to answer with positive results: Yes. I have established mentoring relationships with one of the younger members of our team, as well as with a more seasoned person in another department. I have also successfully taken over the monthly all-hands meeting in our team, trimming meeting time to 30 minutes from an hour and establishing clear agendas and expectations for each meeting. Again, I feel these align with my goal to become more of a leader.

How to answer with ways to improve: Since the last review period, I focused my efforts on improving my communication with our team, meeting my goals consistently and fostering relationships with leaders in other departments. Over the next six months, I plan on breaking out of my comfort zone by accomplishing [X, Y and Z].  

What activities have you initiated, or actively participated in, to encourage camaraderie and teamwork within your group and/or office? What was the result?

How to answer with positive results: I launched the “No More Panicked Mondays” program to help on-site and remote colleagues make Mondays more productive. The initiative includes segmenting the day into 25-minute parts to answer emails, get caught up on direct messages, sketch out to-do lists and otherwise plan for the week ahead. NMPM also includes a 15-minute “Weekend Update” around lunch time, during which staff shares weekend activities. Attendance was slow at first but has picked up to nearly 90 percent participation. The result overall for the initiative is more of the team signs on to direct messages earlier in the day, on average 9:15 a.m. instead of the previous 10 a.m., and anecdotally, the team seems more enthusiastic about the week. I plan to conduct a survey later this month to get team input on how we can change up the initiative.

How to answer with ways to improve: Although I haven’t had the chance to lead any new initiatives since I got hired, I recently had an idea for [A] and wanted to run it by you. Do you think this would be beneficial to our team? I would love to take charge of a program like this.  

3. Professional Development Examples

Describe your professional development activities since last year, such as offsite seminars/classes (specify if self-directed or required by your supervisor), onsite training, peer training, management coaching or mentoring, on-the-job experience, exposure to challenging projects, other—please describe.

How to answer with positive results: I completed a class on SEO best practices and shared what I learned from the seminar during a lunch-and-learn with my teammates. I took on a pro-bono website development project for a local nonprofit, which gave me a new look at website challenges for different types of organizations. I also, as mentioned above, started two new mentoring relationships.

How to answer with ways to improve: This is something I have been thinking about but would like a little guidance with. I would love to hear what others have done in the past to help me find my footing. I am eager to learn more about [A] and [B] and would like to hear your thoughts on which courses or seminars you might recommend. 

Related How to Find the Right Mentor — and How to Be One

Types of Self Evaluations

Self evaluations can include rating scale questions, open-ended questions or a hybrid of both. Each approach has its own set of pros and cons to consider.

1. Rating Self Evaluation

Rating scale self evaluations give a list of statements where employees are asked to rate themselves on a scale of one to five or one to ten (generally the higher the number, the more favorable the rating). 

For example, in Smarty’s self evaluations, it uses a tool called 3A+. This one calls for employees and managers to sit down and complete the evaluation together, at the same time. Employees rate themselves from 3, 2 or 1 (three being the best) on their capability in their role; A, B or C on their helpfulness to others, and plus or minus on their “diligence and focus” in their role. Managers rate the employees using the same scale. A “perfect” score would be 3A+, while an underperforming employee would rate 2B-.

At the performance evaluation meeting, managers and employees compare their ratings, and employees ask for feedback on how they can improve.

But rating systems can have their challenges that are often rooted in bias . For example, women are more likely to rate themselves lower than men. People from individualistic cultures, which emphasize individuals over community, will rate themselves higher than people from collectivist cultures, which place a premium on the group rather than the individual.

2. Open-Ended Question Self Evaluation

Open-ended questions ask employees to list their accomplishments, setbacks and goals in writing. The goal of open-ended questions is to get employees thinking deeply about their work and where they need to improve. 

Open-ended questions allow employees a true voice in the process, whereas “self ratings” can sometimes be unfair , Fresia Jackson, lead research people scientist at Culture Amp , said. 

With open-ended questions, employees tend to be more forgiving with themselves, which can be both good and bad. Whatever result open ended questions bring about, they typically offer more fodder for discussion between employees and managers.

3. Hybrid Self Evaluation

Hybrid self evaluations combine both rating questions and open-ended questions, where employees assess their skills and accomplishments by using a number scale and by answering in writing. This type of self evaluation lets employees provide quantitative and qualitative answers for a more holistic reflection. 

Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance Reviews

If you’ve never done a self evaluation, or if you just need a refresher before your next performance review, looking over some examples of self evaluation questions — like the ones below — can be a helpful starting point.

Common Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance Reviews

• What are you most proud of?
• What would you do differently?
• How have you carried out the company’s mission statement?
• Where would you like to be a year from now?
• List your skills and positive attributes.
• List your accomplishments, especially those that impacted others or moved you toward goals.
• Think about your mistakes and what you’ve learned from them.
• What are your opportunities to grow through advancement and/or learning?
• How do the above tie to your professional goals?

Self-Evaluation Questions for Career Planning and Growth

• What are you interested in working on?
• What are you working on now?
• What do you want to learn more about?
• How can I as your manager better support you?
• What can the company do to support your journey?
• How can the immediate team support you?
• What can you do to better support the team and the company? 

Self-Evaluation Questions for Performance and Career Goals

• How did you perform in relation to your goals?
• What level of positive impact did your performance have on the team?
• Did your performance have a positive impact on the business?
• What was your level of collaboration with other departments?
• What corporate value do you bring to life?
• What corporate value do you most struggle to align with?
• Summarize your strengths.
• Summarize your development areas.
• Summarize your performance/achievements during this year.
• How would you rate your overall performance this year? 

Related How to Set Professional Goals

How Should Managers Approach Self Evaluations?

It’s clear here that self evaluations, as a type of performance review, are more employee- than manager-driven. That said, managers are a key ingredient in this process, and the way managers handle self evaluations determines much about how useful they are and how well employees respond to them. To make sure they’re as effective as possible, consider these suggestions.

Train Managers on How to Use Evaluations

“If you don’t, there’s no point in doing them, because the manager is going to be the one driving the conversations,” Elisabeth Duncan, vice president of human resources at Evive, said. “Without training, the [evaluations] will be a checkbox and not meaningful.”

Don’t Use Ratings Formulaically

The results of self evaluations that employ a scale (say, one to five) can vary wildly, as one manager’s three is another manager’s five. Use the scale to identify and address discrepancies between the manager’s and employee’s answers, not to decide on raises or promotions across the company.

Hold Self Evaluations Often

They work best as career-development tools if they’re held semi-annually, quarterly or even more often. “It’s about an ongoing, consistent conversation,” Duncan said.

Tailor Them For Each Department

Competencies in sales very likely differ from competencies in tech, marketing and other departments. Competencies for junior-level employees probably differ wildly from those for senior managers. Self evaluations tailored to different employee populations will be more effective, and fairer.

Stress That the Rating Is Just the Start

The rating or the open-ended questions are the beginning of the evaluation process; they are not the process itself. “These are tools to trigger a conversation,” Duncan said.

Overall, think of self evaluations as a way to engage with your manager and your work in a way that furthers your career. Embrace the self evaluation and get good at writing them. In no time at all, you’ll find that they can be a productive way to reflect on yourself and your skillset.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a self evaluation.

A self evaluation is a personal assessment used for employees to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and overall progress during an allotted time on the job.

Self evaluations are often completed quarterly, semi-annually or annually, and can include numbered rating questions or open-ended written questions.

How do you write a good self evaluation?

An effective self evaluation is one where you highlight your achievements and instances of growth as well as areas for improvement during your given period of time at work. Tracking specific accomplishments and metrics can be especially helpful for writing a good self evaluation.

Jessica Powers contributed reporting to this story.

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Prep your students for the Narrative Writing Performance Task for ELA (SBAC & CAASPP). Note: This generator is aimed at grade 6-11, but it works for other grades also. Student read three sources and answer lead-up questions before they write a narrative essay in the CAASPP ELA Performance Test format. Run the full lesson or just the performance task as a quick practice. After submitting their responses, students receive feedback and a grade based on the CAASPP writing rubric (up to 10 points). To create the lesson you select: - Topic: Can be something the students are interested in or content/standards from other subjects, e.g. Science, Social Studies etc - Grade level

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Table of contents, exploring effective performance task examples.

• 8 May, 2024

Introduction to Performance Based Assessment

Performance based assessment is a valuable approach in education that goes beyond traditional methods of evaluating student learning. It provides a more comprehensive and authentic measurement of students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. This section will delve into understanding performance tasks and highlight the importance of performance assessment.

Understanding Performance Tasks

Performance tasks are assessments that require students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by completing real-world tasks or projects. Unlike traditional assessments that rely on multiple-choice questions or written exams, performance tasks allow students to apply their learning in practical and meaningful ways.

These tasks often require students to solve problems, analyze information, conduct experiments, create products, or deliver presentations. By engaging in these hands-on activities, students can showcase their understanding, critical thinking abilities, and creativity. Performance tasks provide a more accurate representation of students’ abilities and allow for a deeper understanding of their strengths and areas for growth.

Importance of Performance Assessment

Performance assessment plays a crucial role in evaluating students’ learning outcomes and informing instructional practices. Here are some key reasons why performance assessment is important:

Authentic Assessment : Performance tasks provide a more authentic assessment of students’ abilities as they mirror real-world scenarios and tasks. This authenticity allows students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in a context that closely resembles what they will encounter in their future endeavors.

Holistic Evaluation : Performance tasks enable educators to assess multiple dimensions of student learning, including content knowledge, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and collaboration. This holistic evaluation provides a more comprehensive understanding of students’ overall performance.

Higher-order Thinking Skills : Performance tasks emphasize higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. These skills are essential for success in the 21st century, where students need to apply their knowledge to real-world situations and think critically to solve complex problems.

Engagement and Motivation : Performance tasks often require active participation and engagement from students. By working on meaningful and relevant tasks, students are more likely to be motivated and invested in their learning. This can lead to increased retention of knowledge and deeper understanding of concepts.

By incorporating performance based assessment into educational practices, educators can gain a more comprehensive picture of students’ abilities, foster deeper learning, and prepare students for success in the real world. In the upcoming sections, we will explore different types of performance tasks and provide examples to illustrate their application in various subjects.

Types of Performance Tasks

Performance tasks are a valuable form of performance assessment in education that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in real-world contexts. They provide a more authentic and holistic view of a student’s capabilities compared to traditional tests and exams. In this section, we will explore three common types of performance tasks: project-based assessments, portfolio assessments, and presentation assessments.

Project-Based Assessments

Project-based assessments require students to complete a hands-on project that demonstrates their understanding and application of key concepts. These projects can be interdisciplinary and allow students to showcase their creativity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking abilities. Examples of project-based assessments include:

• Designing and building a model of a sustainable city to showcase knowledge of urban planning, environmental science, and engineering.
• Creating a multimedia presentation on a historical event, incorporating research, analysis, and communication skills.

Project-based assessments often involve multiple steps, from planning and research to execution and presentation. They provide students with an opportunity to engage in meaningful and relevant tasks, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Portfolio Assessments

Portfolio assessments involve the collection and evaluation of a student’s work over a period of time. Students compile samples of their best work, which may include essays, projects, artwork, or other artifacts that demonstrate their growth and proficiency in specific areas. These portfolios serve as a reflection of a student’s progress and allow for self-assessment. Examples of portfolio assessments include:

• A writing portfolio showcasing a student’s growth in writing skills over the course of a semester or academic year.
• An art portfolio displaying a student’s development of artistic techniques and creativity.

Portfolio assessments provide a comprehensive view of a student’s abilities and growth over time. They offer opportunities for self-reflection and self-assessment, as well as the chance for educators to provide meaningful feedback.

Presentation Assessments

Presentation assessments require students to deliver a formal presentation or demonstration of their knowledge and skills. Students must effectively communicate their ideas, engage their audience, and showcase their understanding of the subject matter. Examples of presentation assessments include:

• Delivering a persuasive speech on a social issue, incorporating research, evidence, and persuasive techniques.
• Presenting a science experiment and explaining the scientific principles behind it.

Presentation assessments not only assess a student’s knowledge and understanding but also focus on their communication and presentation skills. They promote effective communication, public speaking abilities, and the ability to synthesize and present information in a clear and engaging manner.

By incorporating these various types of performance tasks into the curriculum, educators can create a more engaging and authentic learning experience for students. It allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways, preparing them for real-world challenges. To explore more examples of performance-based assessment, refer to our article on performance-based assessment examples .

Examples of Performance Tasks

Performance tasks provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in real-world contexts. Here are three examples of performance tasks across different subject areas:

Science Performance Task Example

Title: Investigating Water Quality in Local Streams

Description: In this science performance task, students will be tasked with investigating the water quality of local streams in their community. They will design and conduct experiments, collect and analyze water samples, and interpret the data to evaluate the overall health of the streams. Students will also identify potential sources of pollution and propose strategies for improving water quality.

Assessment Criteria:

• Experimental design and methodology
• Data collection and analysis
• Interpretation of results
• Identification of pollution sources
• Proposed strategies for improving water quality

To learn more about performance assessment in education, visit our article on performance assessment .

Math Performance Task Example

Title: Designing a Sustainable Garden

Description: In this math performance task, students will apply their mathematical skills to design a sustainable garden. They will calculate the area of the garden, determine the optimal placement of plants, plan irrigation systems, and estimate the cost of materials. Students will also analyze the environmental impact of their design and propose ways to minimize water usage and waste.

• Accuracy of area calculations
• Design layout and organization
• Efficiency of irrigation system
• Cost estimation and budgeting
• Consideration of environmental factors

For more authentic assessment examples, including performance-based assessment, visit our article on authentic assessment .

Language Arts Performance Task Example

Title: Creating a Podcast on Social Issues

Description: In this language arts performance task, students will create a podcast that addresses a social issue of their choice. They will conduct research, develop a script, and record an engaging podcast episode. Students will demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate their ideas, use persuasive language, and engage with their audience. They will also incorporate relevant evidence and examples to support their arguments.

• Clarity and coherence of ideas
• Use of persuasive language
• Effective use of evidence and examples
• Organization and structure of the podcast
• Engagement with the audience

To explore more performance-based assessment examples, including project-based assessments, visit our article on performance-based assessment .

These examples highlight the diverse ways in which performance tasks can be implemented across different subjects. By providing students with authentic and meaningful tasks, educators can assess their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a way that goes beyond traditional tests and exams.

Designing Effective Performance Tasks

When it comes to designing effective performance tasks, there are two key factors to consider: clear objectives and criteria, as well as authenticity and relevance.

Clear Objectives and Criteria

One of the most important aspects of designing effective performance tasks is to establish clear objectives and criteria. This involves defining what students are expected to know and be able to do, as well as the specific criteria by which their performance will be assessed.

Clear objectives help provide a focus for both teachers and students, ensuring that the task aligns with the desired learning outcomes. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). By clearly articulating the goals of the task, teachers can guide students towards success and provide meaningful feedback based on the established criteria.

In addition to clear objectives, well-defined criteria are essential for effective performance assessment. Criteria outline the specific qualities or characteristics that will be evaluated during the task. These criteria can include elements such as content knowledge, problem-solving skills, creativity, communication, and collaboration. By explicitly stating the criteria, teachers provide students with a clear understanding of what is expected and enable consistent and fair evaluation.

Authenticity and Relevance

Another crucial aspect of designing effective performance tasks is ensuring authenticity and relevance. Performance tasks should reflect real-world scenarios and situations, allowing students to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Authentic tasks provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their abilities in contexts that mirror the complexities of the world beyond the classroom.

By incorporating authentic and relevant tasks, students can develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and its practical applications. This approach also helps foster engagement and motivation, as students can see the direct relevance and value of what they are learning.

When designing performance tasks, consider real-world examples and contexts that allow students to showcase their knowledge and skills. For example, in a science class, students could design and conduct experiments to investigate a specific scientific phenomenon. In mathematics, students could solve real-life problems that require the application of mathematical concepts.

By designing tasks that have clear objectives and criteria, as well as authenticity and relevance, educators can create meaningful and effective performance assessments. These assessments not only measure students’ understanding and abilities but also provide valuable learning experiences that prepare them for real-world challenges. For more examples of performance-based assessment, be sure to check out our article on performance based assessment examples .

Implementing Performance Tasks

Once you have selected the appropriate performance tasks for your curriculum, it’s important to consider how to effectively implement them. This involves determining the assessment methods and developing rubrics to evaluate student performance.

Assessment Methods

Implementing performance tasks requires careful consideration of assessment methods. These methods should align with the nature of the task and provide valuable insights into student learning and growth.

There are various assessment methods that can be used to evaluate performance tasks, including:

Direct Observation : This method involves observing students as they engage in the performance task. It allows for real-time assessment of skills, knowledge, and application. Direct observation is particularly effective for tasks that involve hands-on activities or presentations.

Product Evaluation : In this method, student work or products are evaluated based on predetermined criteria. This could involve assessing the quality, creativity, and completeness of a project or portfolio. Product evaluation is commonly used in project-based assessments and portfolio assessments.

Self-Assessment and Reflection : Encouraging students to reflect on their own performance can be a valuable assessment method. Through self-assessment, students develop metacognitive skills and gain a deeper understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. This method can be incorporated into performance tasks through self-reflection prompts and portfolios.

Peer Assessment : Peer assessment involves students assessing the work of their classmates. This method encourages students to actively engage in the evaluation process, develop critical thinking skills, and provide constructive feedback. Peer assessment can be beneficial for performance tasks that involve group work or presentations.

By employing a combination of these assessment methods, educators can gain a comprehensive understanding of student performance and progress in relation to the performance tasks.

Rubric Development

Developing clear and comprehensive rubrics is crucial for effective evaluation of performance tasks. A rubric provides a set of criteria and performance levels that guide the assessment process and ensure consistency and fairness.

When developing a rubric for performance tasks, consider the following:

Clear Criteria : Clearly define the criteria for evaluation, ensuring they align with the learning objectives of the task. Break down the criteria into specific components or skills that will be assessed.

Performance Levels : Establish different performance levels that reflect varying degrees of mastery. These levels should be descriptive and provide a clear understanding of what constitutes each level of performance.

Descriptors : Provide descriptors or indicators for each performance level to guide evaluators in assigning scores. These descriptors should be specific and measurable, allowing for objective assessment.

Weighting : Assign appropriate weights to different criteria or components based on their relative importance. This helps ensure that each aspect of the performance task is given proper consideration during evaluation.

Effective rubrics not only provide guidance for educators during the assessment process but also offer students a clear understanding of expectations and areas for improvement. Well-designed rubrics help promote consistency in evaluation and ensure that all students are assessed fairly.

By implementing appropriate assessment methods and developing robust rubrics, educators can effectively evaluate student performance and provide meaningful feedback to support growth and learning.

Benefits of Performance Based Assessment

Performance based assessment offers numerous benefits in evaluating student learning and development. This section explores two key advantages: enhancing critical thinking and fostering real-world skills.

Enhancing Critical Thinking

Performance based assessment tasks encourage students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-life scenarios. By engaging in hands-on activities and solving complex problems, students develop and enhance their critical thinking skills.

Through performance tasks, students are required to analyze information, evaluate different perspectives, and make informed decisions. These tasks often involve open-ended questions or real-world scenarios, allowing students to think critically and creatively to arrive at solutions.

By challenging students to think beyond memorization and recall, performance based assessment promotes higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their ability to reason, problem-solve, and justify their solutions, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Fostering Real-World Skills

One of the key advantages of performance based assessment is its ability to foster real-world skills. By engaging in tasks that mirror authentic situations and challenges, students develop skills that are relevant and applicable beyond the classroom.

Performance tasks often require students to collaborate, communicate effectively, and demonstrate their ability to work in teams. These skills are essential in today’s professional world, where teamwork and effective communication are highly valued.

Furthermore, performance based assessment encourages students to develop self-management skills, such as time management and organization. Students are given the opportunity to plan and execute tasks within a given timeframe, helping them develop skills that are crucial for success in various aspects of life.

By integrating real-world skills into the assessment process, performance based assessment prepares students for future challenges and empowers them with the skills necessary for success in their academic and professional journeys.

As educators and curriculum developers, it is important to recognize the benefits of performance based assessment in promoting critical thinking and real-world skill development. By incorporating performance tasks into the assessment framework, we can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of student learning and better prepare them for the challenges they will encounter beyond the classroom.

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Pencils and Scantrons are a thing of the past! No more rote memorization and long hours spent cramming for the test! Common Core assessments are computer-based adaptive tests that require students to use critical thinking skills to answer a variety of questions from the simple (read: traditional) to the complex (read: these are intense!).

One new type of question that students face is a culmination of the skills and concepts learned throughout the year. This question – referred to as a Performance Task – requires students to answer multiple questions on the path to creating or designing a final product (i.e., an essay, a new design for existing product, etc.).

What are Performance Tasks?

Performance Tasks measure students’ progress toward college and career readiness through the students’ capacity to integrate information and skills across multiple standards. Performance Tasks assess the students’ depth of knowledge, research skills, and their ability to provide a complex analysis. Smarter Balanced explains that these skills cannot be assessed using selected- or constructed-response items or questions. The Performance Tasks allow for multiple points of view and interpretations of a topic. Performance tasks include real-world problems that are relevant to students.

With each Performance Task, students are given instructions on what to include in their responses, and the stimulus is provided in a variety of formats like readings, video clips, and data. Tasks are scored automatically or hand-scored by professionally trained readers and mathematicians. All Performance Tasks have a time limit and are administered in a classroom with a computer during the final 12 weeks of the school year. Note: Schools that don’t have access to computers may request a waiver.

How are Performance Tasks designed?

English language arts performance tasks.

English Language Arts is generally assessed with scenario-based tasks around a single theme or real-world problem. Students are given a task and the instructions for the task. The ELA Performance Tasks typically consist of two parts.

The first part requires the students to read and review multiple sources about a topic and then respond to questions about the sources. Information can be presented to students in a variety of ways including reading passages, video or audio clips, images, or topics that require research or investigation from the material provided. The materials include a wide range of informational pieces involving science, history, or social studies content. This is the research portion of the task and should help the students prepare for their task in part 2.

In other words, all the information from the sources and responses to each question from the 6 th grade Performance Task on robots below will help the student construct a multi-paragraph narrative about a robot that suddenly comes to life.

The second part expects the students to use the sources and questions to write a narrative, informational piece, or argumentative essay on a topic related to the sources. In this section, students must plan, write, and revise their articles. The scoring for the essay is included in the instructions for part 2. Students will use word processors and spell check to complete the task. A writing rubric for the different types of writing is available at The Smarter Balanced Consortium website.

Mathematics Performance Tasks

Mathematics is generally assessed with students answering several related questions based on real-life scenarios. Each question in the performance task progresses in skill, so the student can provide a more complex analysis of the problem. In addition, the questions rely on the previous answers in order to move forward. The problems in mathematics also allow for multiple approaches to solve the problems. Mathematics performance tasks can be accessed using desktops or tablets and are not graded on spelling or grammar.

For example, in the 6 th grade Performance Task below, students are expected to find the volume and surface area of a rectangular prism using formulas and then apply those formulas to construct their own cereal box using specific requirements listed in the task.

How to teach Performance Tasks

Performance tasks are centered on a theme (i.e. going to the zoo, interesting jobs), but individual skills and concepts necessary to solve this complex problem must be first taught in isolation in order to progress to a complex analysis. A sequence of lessons, starting with initial conceptual understanding and simple skills, serves as a foundation for more advanced thinking for the Performance Tasks. According to Dr. Richard Clark, a professor of educational psychology and director of the Center for Cognitive Technology at U.S.C., when students do not have access to initial teaching of the skills and concepts, they

will search blindly for solutions and struggle with assignments and assessments. Therefore, instruction needs to start with grade-level concepts and skills, and then advance to a culmination of what the students should be able to do by the end of the year.

After initial instruction, students need hands-on practice with ALL question types in order to be assessment ready. Students can work in groups on these tasks, but ultimately the assessment is individual accountability.

In math, for example, students need to be explicitly taught concepts, skills, and algorithms first – before moving to complex real-world application problems. For example, students need to understand what a proportion is before solving real-life percent problems that require proportional relationships.

For English Language Arts, it is recommended to start with close analysis of shorter passages before moving on to longer passages. Writing needs to be taught piece-by-piece (introduction, supporting evidence, transition words, and so forth). Students need to be exposed to different types of questions that address the same skill and concept.

For example, when assessing theme, the following types of questions could be used: identify theme, provide evidence that supports a given theme, or determine multiple themes from literature.

Smarter Balanced Practice Tests

Do you have a question or comment about Performance Tasks? How will you teach students to respond to Performance Tasks in your classroom? Please share any comments or feedback in the comment section below.

Author:  patricia bogdanovich.

Patricia has held various positions with DataWORKS since 2002. She currently works as a Curriculum Specialist. Patricia helped develop and create many of the early resources and workshops designed by DataWORKS, and she is an expert in analysis of standards. Patricia plans to blog about curriculum and assessments for CCSS and NGSS, classroom strategies, and news and research from the world of education.

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How to To Make Money Online: 35 Reliable Ways (2024)

From online surveys to envelope stuffing, there are lots of popular get-rich-quick money-making ideas. But do these methods really work? Usually, they don’t. You might earn a little bit, but the real issue with these gigs is their lack of stability and potential for long-term success.

Fortunately, there are legitimate ways to make money online. Unlike quick-fix schemes that promise much but deliver little, these reliable methods can lead to sustainable earnings and even career growth. And the best part? You only need a laptop and a stable internet connection to pursue them.

How to make money online: 35 real ways

1. start a dropshipping business.

Dropshipping is a business model where you sell a product to a customer, but the supplier handles the storage, packaging, and shipping on your behalf. You can dropship through your own ecommerce store —just install a dropshipping app and you’ll gain access to dozens of suppliers across various product categories.

Ready to start a dropshipping business? Shopify is the platform most online entrepreneurs use to sell products without inventory. With Shopify dropshipping apps, you can source a variety of products and have them shipped to your customers.

2. Try print on demand

Print on demand (POD) is another popular way to earn money online. Many entrepreneurs are drawn to it because it allows for low initial investment and easy setup. You create designs for products such as t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags, and then a POD service prints and ships the items directly to your customers.

How does it differ from dropshipping? First, you can make your own custom products, which is great for brand recognition. Second, you can choose from specific items rather than a vast range of categories. Most print-on-demand companies offer products that are easy to print on, like t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags.

3. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Throughout the years, its popularity has gone up and down, but it continues to be an effective way to earn passive income. The best part about affiliate marketing is that you choose from a vast range of companies to partner with, including Shopify , Amazon , and Uber.

This business model allows you to earn a living by promoting other brands. Once you’ve signed up for an affiliate marketing program, you’ll start earning commissions from sales of retail products, software, apps, and more. While the commission may seem small, keep in mind that you can be an affiliate for several brands and promote a variety of products across different platforms.

4. Start a YouTube channel

If others are profiting from YouTube , you can too. Your YouTube channel should focus on a single niche so you can build a strong, loyal audience. For example, you can create makeup tutorials, stream video games, review products, teach skills, create prank videos, or do anything else you think there’s an audience for.

The key to earning money on YouTube is creating content people want to watch. Enticing headlines and keyword-optimized descriptions can draw viewers to your videos. Once you hit the 1,000-subscriber mark, you become eligible to earn advertising revenue through running ads on your content.

5. Become an influencer

Building a personal brand can also help you make money online. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo charges more than $2 million for a sponsored Instagram post, for example. While it may seem like reality stars, singers, and athletes are the biggest influencers, keep in mind that even smaller-scale influencers can make more money today than they did a few years back.

To become an influencer, you need to build a healthy following. The best platforms to get started on? Instagram and TikTok. Some of the biggest non-celebrity influencers often gained their first taste of exposure on these platforms. You might want to check out how to get more Instagram followers if you want to build a big audience on the platform.

6. Create an online course

Selling courses ranks as one of the top strategies for earning money online. If you’re an expert in a particular subject, you can capitalize on your knowledge by creating online courses. You can sell these courses on online platforms like Udemy or through your own website if you have a dedicated audience. Some entrepreneurs earn as much as $5,000 per month from their online courses .

The platform you choose to sell your course on will shape your online money-making strategy. Selling on Udemy means you won’t have to focus much on promotion—it practically takes care of itself. You may want to enhance its visibility through blogs or social media networks. On the other hand, if your course is on your own website, consider using ads for promotion.

7. Publish an ebook

With Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing , it’s never been easier to publish an ebook. All you need to do is write the ebook, format it, create an ebook cover, publish it, and promote it. You can choose to hire a writer for your ebook, a graphic designer to design the cover, and a manuscript editor to eliminate errors from the content.

When researching the topic, focus on keywords based on popular searches on Amazon. The Keyword Tool is a great choice for finding the words people use while searching, so you can craft your title around them.

8. Start a blog

Blogging is one of the oldest methods for making money online. People who love writing tend to start blogs with a niche focus. For example, a blog about procrastination, cars, dropshipping, toys, etc., is often a narrow enough focus to build a loyal following and big enough that you can cover a lot of ground. For those looking to make money online fast, this method can be a rewarding venture.

You can start a blog on various platforms, such as Shopify (remove the checkout feature so you don’t have to pay a subscription as you build it out) or WordPress. When you start your blog, focus on very specific keywords with a tight focus and continue to expand into additional but still relevant categories as you grow and dominate new spaces.

9. Consider freelancing

The easiest way to make money online is to take your current 9-to-5 job and do it online instead. For example, if you’re a writer, data entry specialist, graphic designer, teacher, or developer, you can market these skills and find clients online who are willing to pay you to apply them.

There’s a never-ending list of job platforms for each type of freelancer too. For example, freelance writers can apply for jobs on specific online writing job boards, but also on general freelance websites like Fiverr , Freelancer , Upwork , and all the others. Remember, freelancing is a numbers game: the more applications you fill out and submit, the more likely you’ll be to get a response back.

10. Create an app

If you’re not a developer, you’re probably looking at this money-making idea and feeling a bit stuck. Fortunately, you can hire someone with programming skills to build an app for you. Sites like Toptal will connect you with plenty of app developers who are open to working with entrepreneurs to turn their vision into reality.

All you have to do is come up with a unique app idea, identify the audience you want to target, and create a brand image for your product. The programmer you hire will take care of things on the development front.

11. Become a writer

With a  growing interest in content marketing , more and more companies are looking for writers who can fill their web properties with great content. The secret to succeeding as a writer is to focus on a specific niche. Many writers try to be generalists, covering everything from food to tech. However, a niche focus sets you apart.

What about AI replacing human writers? While AI can generate content, it lacks the human touch. As a writer, your experience in a niche adds value. You can offer thoughts, experiences, and insider perspectives. That’s what brands want. That’s what they pay for.

Sites for finding freelance writing jobs include:

• BloggingPro
• Be a Freelance Blogger

12. Do side gigs

Side gigs can help you make money online while you keep your full-time job. If you’re looking to make an extra couple of hundred dollars per month, this is a great idea. The work doesn’t always last long term, but it can.

Use platforms like Fiverr to find part-time gigs you can do online. As a new entrant in the gig economy, you’ll want to focus on offering a low price so you can get your first review. Ask a friend to buy your gig and leave your first review so you can get started faster. Treat the friend like a client and actually deliver a finished product that you can feature in your portfolio. 

13. Do translation work

Translation is a fairly underserved niche, meaning there’s less competition in this field than in other niche markets. To capitalize on the opportunity, you need to be fluent in at least two languages. If you’re bilingual or majored in a popular language in school, this may be a great money-making idea for you to try out.

You will need to show proof of your ability to translate without using machine translation tools. If you have a language degree or experience translating text, make sure to highlight that in your portfolio or résumé. Most companies will require a translation test, and you can’t use translation tools at any time to help you pass the test.

Sites where you can find translation jobs to make money online include:

• People Per Hour
• Protranslating

14. Sell your stuff

Do you have a closet full of items you no longer use? Consider turning that clutter into cash by selling your unwanted goods online. You can list your items on online marketplaces like eBay or Etsy, or even set up your own online store for direct selling.

To maximize your sales, focus on high-demand items such as electronics, furniture, toys, and handcrafted goods. Plus, take clear, bright photos of your products—strong visuals help to attract customers and speed up sales.

15. Become an online tutor

If you’re looking to earn money on your own schedule, consider becoming an online tutor. Companies that hire tutors often provide the flexibility to set your own hours, allowing you to work when it’s convenient for you.

You’ll need a strong understanding of the subject you plan to tutor, as well as effective communication skills to explain concepts clearly to students. Additionally, having a teaching degree or relevant experience in the field can increase your chances of landing a tutoring position.

You can find online tutoring jobs on platforms such as:

16. Drive your car

If you own a car, you can make some spare cash as an Uber driver or delivery person. Even without a car, you can deliver food and other essentials using a bicycle or moped. Uber drivers looking to make even more money can turn their vehicle into a moving billboard with Free Car Media , which wraps your car in a removable vinyl advert.

Interested in making money fast with Uber? If you legally run a side business, you could showcase your products to passengers—though not all will be interested. With prior consent, passengers may sift through products you have for sale under the driver’s seat. If they wish to buy but don’t have cash, you can utilize Uber’s tip function for payment. Always ensure that this approach complies with local laws and regulations.

17. Become a virtual assistant

As entrepreneurs build more businesses, the demand for virtual assistants grows. A virtual assistant is a self-employed individual providing various services remotely, such as writing, bookkeeping, social media management, and customer support.

Find virtual assistant gigs on sites like Virtual Assistant Jobs , Indeed , or Upwork . Many have also succeeded by directly reaching out to brands and entrepreneurs. Combining job postings and proactive outreach could land your first client sooner than expected.

18. Become a Twitch streamer

While Twitch started as a gaming platform, it’s quickly evolving to include other types of content. Nowadays, Twitch streaming is an increasingly popular way to make money online.

You’ll need to find a popular game or channel that isn’t overly competitive so people can easily find your content. In order to get people to notice your streams, you’ll need to have a consistent style for your channel: Is it going to be funny, educational, or entertaining? Choose your path and stick to it.

There are five ways to monetize your Twitch channel:

• Sell products
• Offer brand sponsorships
• Accept fan donations
• Offer subscriptions
• Run Twitch ads

19. Invest in stocks

Investing in stocks can be a way to make money quickly, but it’s not without risk, especially if you’re inexperienced. While the rewards can be high, you might also face losses.

If you have a 9-to-5 job, consider exploring your company’s financial programs. Does it allow investment in company stocks? If so, this could be an option. With company stock programs, your role as an employee may influence the organization’s success. Additionally, if your company offers an RRSP matching program, consider this as a way to save for retirement or a down payment on a home.

20. Sell photography

Whether you’re a professional photographer or just love snapping great pictures, you can make money online by selling your images. Sites like Shutterstock and Alamy are great places to showcase your work. These websites pay royalties to photographers when someone downloads a copy of their image.

If you’re looking to monetize your photography quickly, you can create a listing on Foap , a smartphone app that lets you upload your works and earn cash. When an agency, brand, or anyone else buys a photo or video from your digital Foap portfolio, the app creator shares the profit with you 50-50. 

21. Sell clothes online

Have clothes you don’t wear anymore? Rather than letting them sit in your closet, sell them online. There are quite a few websites that let you sell apparel for cash, such as Poshmark , Refashioner , and ThredUp .

You can also explore Facebook buy and sell groups in your community to find people online and sell the items in person. Just be careful of scams and follow the recommended safety precautions.

22. Become an extreme couponer

If you’re looking to save and make a bit of money, couponing can be a viable option. Coupon Chief’s Pays-2-Share program , for example, lets you share coupons and earn a 2% to 3% commission on sales. The key is to share coupons that haven’t been used before.

This method resembles affiliate marketing, where you earn commissions through referral links. Many coupon companies pay their affiliates consistently, making this a legitimate way to earn online. For instance, Coupon Chief has paid more than $1.3 million in commissions to date.

23. Buy and sell domain names

If you regularly buy domain names but fail to use them, you can always try to sell them for a profit. Selling domains is ultra-competitive, though. If you own a one-word .com domain, you’ll have a better chance of selling. Words that have a high search volume sell well too. You can search for domain names and buy a custom domain through the Shopify domain registration platform.

Once you purchase a domain, list it for sale on GoDaddy’s Domain Auction . You can look through the domains with the highest bids to see what type of domains sell well. This research will help you evaluate the potential sale value of your domains and estimate how much profit you could make by selling them.

24. Sell your designs online

Graphic design is an amazing skill that you can monetize in several ways. You can go the print-on-demand route and sell your designs on your own custom products. Alternatively, you can pitch your designs on a crowdsource platform like 99designs .

There’s also the option to create your own graphics and templates to sell on marketplaces like Envato or Creative Market . Or how about picking up some clients and working as a freelance graphic designer? According to PayScale , this role will net you $29.90 per hour, on average.

25. Test websites

If you’re passionate about user experience, UserTesting pays reviewers $10 to give other entrepreneurs feedback on their websites and apps. You’ll be given a set of questions to answer as you browse through a site. That’s one fast way to make money online. 

You’ll communicate your ideas and feedback to the entrepreneur through a video while navigating their website or app. Your video is only 20 minutes long, so if you do three videos per hour, you’ll make $30. Other reviewers can take projects quickly, so you have to act fast when a new website or app needs to be reviewed.

26. Create and publish newsletters

Creating and publishing email newsletters is one of the most profitable online business ideas. Here’s why: People crave personalized content they can read at their leisure, and newsletters hit the spot. 

Starting is simpler than you think. First, identify your niche—what you’re passionate about and what can benefit your readers. Then, choose a reliable email hosting service that offers customizable templates, robust security, and tools for building a strong subscriber relationship.

27. Get a part-time job

When you’ve done whatever it takes to make money fast but struggle to make an impact, sometimes you’re left with no choice but to get a part-time job. You can browse part-time jobs on Indeed or a niche job board that caters to your field. 

Some job websites require an upfront fee to register, so read the fine print carefully. Most sites let you filter for part-time and contract-based jobs, so you should have no problem finding relevant positions to apply for. With many companies hiring part time, it’s easier than ever to make extra money without working a full week.

28. Become a TikTok consultant

One of the trendiest ways to make money online is to become a TikTok consultant. Brands will contact you for brainstorming video ideas, developing engaging bios, and more. It’s the perfect money-making opportunity for digital nomads —you can run the entire business from your smartphone.

However, you need to have a few talents before you begin offering TikTok consultancy to businesses. The most important is knowing how to create viral videos that get people to engage with brands. If you don’t have the expertise to drive sales through this platform, you can still learn how to attract customers by taking this TikTok course .

29. Sell greeting cards online

If you have a knack for picking out the perfect greeting card for different occasions, this might be an easy way to make money online. However, it’s not recommended that you market your services to everyone and anyone—it’s not a smart way to do business. Instead, design or source greeting cards that appeal to a certain segment of the population. 

For example, you can make greeting cards that cater to C-level executives wanting to thank their senior vice presidents for making profitable decisions last year. Or you can target health care professionals who want to thank their patients for choosing their clinic. For designing the cards, you can use an online graphic tool like Photoshop or Canva .

30. Offer virtual local tours

Do you know your town or city well? Share it with people by offering virtual tours. This can be a way for tourists and others to explore new places without leaving home.

You can use video calls to show historical sites, cultural spots, and local favorites. Share local stories and facts. Allow people to ask questions and see things up close. Offer different tours, like ones for food lovers or history buffs. Work with local shops so tour guests can buy local products.

31. Become a reseller

Reselling products is a way to make money without creating items. You can buy vintage or collectible items and then sell them. If you want to focus on specific products, you can become a certified distributor of a brand in your area.

Start by finding brands to resell on wholesale directories and platforms like AliExpress. Then, set up an online platform to sell your chosen products. Remember, you will need to manage inventory. This takes effort, but it doesn’t require making products.

32. Sell advertising space

If you own a website, you can make money by selling ad space on it. The more people click or look at these ads, the more cash you make. Make sure your website is a place where advertisers want to be. This means good content that shows up in search results. Also, check where ads work best on your site to keep your readers happy.

You could start with a network like Google’s to get ads up and running fast. If you’re using a site builder like WordPress, there are easy guides to follow. Or, explore other ad networks that offer different kinds of ads and special features to boost your earnings and reach more people worldwide.

33. Narrate audiobooks

Do you have a great speaking voice? Consider using it to make money online by narrating audiobooks. Being organized, professional, and punctual are key to building a reputable profile in the industry. You can find opportunities on platforms such as Bunny Studio , Voices , or ACX .

Enhance your visibility by creating a personal website where you can upload samples of your narration. You can also network by joining audiobook narration groups on social media and attending industry events. This will help you connect with authors and publishers looking for narrators.

34. Become an Airbnb host

If you’ve got a spare bedroom or a quaint guest house sitting empty, consider turning it into a source of income by hosting on Airbnb. It’s an effective way to use your property to cover your mortgage or save for future goals. You can even increase your earnings by selling items directly to guests, such as handmade décor or local products.

To get started, sign up for a free Airbnb account and set up your listing with attractive descriptions and photos. To add a personal touch, use QR codes in your space that guests can scan to purchase featured items

35. Do micro jobs

Looking to earn extra money? Consider micro jobs—small online tasks like transcribing audio or organizing data. Websites like TaskRabbit for various odd jobs, Upwork for freelance work, and PeoplePerHour for creative and technical tasks offer plenty of opportunities.

Just ensure you have a stable internet connection and a functional computer. For design or tech roles, showcasing your previous work could help you secure the job.

Start your online earning journey today

Making money online can help you stay afloat during these troubled times, but it can also help you escape your 9-to-5 job so you can become a full-time entrepreneur. By brainstorming online business ideas and choosing to start an online business, you gain more financial freedom , improve your financial security, and inch closer to living life on your terms .

It really is possible to earn a living online if you work hard and stick with it. So, which money-making idea will you pursue first?

Make money online FAQ

How can i make money online fast.

• Build a Shopify store and dropship products online.
• Sell used stuff on eBay, Amazon, or Facebook Marketplace.
• Find and share coupons on websites like Coupon Chief.
• Buy and sell domain names.
• Rent your spare room on Airbnb.
• Provide TikTok consultancy to startups and businesses.
• Sell information products.
• Tutor people online in high-demand subjects.
• Create online courses.
• Review apps and websites.

How can I make $100 a day on the web?

• Complete surveys.
• Sell products on Amazon.
• Teach English online.
• Watch videos for money.
• Get cash back on your shopping.
• Proofread for websites.
• Review music online.

How can I make money online in 2024?

• Launch a print-on-demand store.
• Sell your clothes online.
• Create handmade goods.
• Offer freelance services.
• Curate subscription boxes.
• Build online courses.
• Launch a podcast.
• Create digital products.
• Become an influencer.
• Start a blog. 

Want to learn more?

• How to Work from Home: 11 Tips to Stay Productive and Focused
• The 33 Best To Do List apps For Every Entrepreneur
• 16 Reasons to Start a Business
• How to Work Remotely : 9 Tips & Tools to Master Remote Life

How to open Task Manager in Windows 11/10

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2023-24 Guidance for Artificial Intelligence Tools and Other Services

Ap african american studies policy.

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, the AP African American Studies Individual Student Project must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory.  

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively in their presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the project.  

AP Art and Design Policy

The use of artificial intelligence tools by AP Art and Design students is categorically prohibited at any stage of the creative process. 

AP Capstone Policy

Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, all performance tasks submitted in AP Seminar and AP Research must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory. 

Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively both in their writing and presentations. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the performance tasks. Students must complete interim “checkpoints” with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks.   

Required Checkpoints and Attestations   for AP Capstone

To ensure students are not using generative AI to bypass work, students must complete interim checkpoints with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks. AP Seminar and AP Research students will need to complete the relevant checkpoints successfully to receive a score for their performance tasks. Teachers must attest, to the best of their knowledge, that students completed the checkpoints authentically. Failure to complete the checkpoints will result in a score of 0 on the associated task.  

In AP Seminar, teachers assess the authenticity of student work based on checkpoints that take the form of short conversations with students during which students make their thinking and decision-making visible (similar to an oral defense). These checkpoints should occur during the sources and research phase (IRR and IWA), and argument outline phase (IWA only). A final validation checkpoint (IRR and IWA) requires teachers to confirm the student’s final submission is, to the best of their knowledge, authentic student work. 

In AP Research, students must complete checkpoints in the form of in-progress meetings and work in the Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP). No further checkpoints will be required. 

College Board reserves the right to investigate submissions where there is evidence of the inappropriate use of generative AI as an academic integrity violation and request from students copies of their interim work for review.  

Please see the AP Seminar and AP Research course and exam descriptions (CEDs) for the current policy on AI and other tools along with guidance on administering mandatory checkpoints.

AP Computer Science Principles Policy

AP Computer Science Principles students are permitted to utilize generative AI tools as supplementary resources for understanding coding principles, assisting in code development, and debugging. This responsible use aligns with current guidelines for peer collaboration on developing code.    

Students should be aware that generative AI tools can produce incomplete code, code that creates or introduces biases, code with errors, inefficiencies in how the code executes, or code complexities that make it difficult to understand and therefore explain the code. It is the student’s responsibility to review and understand any code co-written with AI tools, ensuring its functionality. Additionally, students must be prepared to explain their code in detail, as required on the end-of-course exam. 

20 tips and tricks to increase PC performance on Windows 10

Does your computer feel sluggish? If so, use these tips to help speed up Windows 10.

Although Windows 10 is a fast operating system, the performance will start degrading at some point due to many factors, including compatibility issues and bugs, viruses or other types of malware, hardware problems, and more.

If your computer is getting slower, it does not necessarily mean you have to replace it with a new system. Simple software and hardware tweaks can significantly speed up the Windows 10 experience.

This guide will walk you through a long list of ways to speed up, optimize, and improve the performance of your computer — whether it has an older or modern hardware configuration.

1. Restart computer

Shutting down and restarting your computer is perhaps one of the first things you can do to speed up the system. (It might be obvious, but it's not the first thing that usually comes to mind.)

When the device restarts, the computer usually terminates the applications and processes. The data loaded into memory also gets cleared, which helps to resolve everyday performance and stability issues due to keeping the operating system running for a long time.

To shut down and restart your computer to speed up Windows 10, use these steps:

• Open Start .
• Click the Power button.
• Select the Shut down option. 
• Quick tip: The "Sleep" or "Hibernate" options do not reset the system or clear the data in memory.

• Press the power button to turn on the computer.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will restart, and this time the performance should be noticeably improved.

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2. Disable startup apps

On Windows 10, many apps can register themselves to start automatically during startup and continue to run in the background, wasting system resources that can slow down the experience.

When you try to speed up Windows 10, it's recommended to disable all the apps running at startup, or at least those you do not use regularly.

To disable apps at startup on Windows 10 to speed up the system, use these steps:

• Open Settings .
• Click on Apps .
• Click on Startup .
• Click the Sort by menu and select the Startup impact option.
• Turn off the toggle switch for any unnecessary app (especially those marked as "High impact" by the system).

• Restart your computer.

Once you complete the steps, the computer should start faster than before. Of course, the improvement gain will vary depending on the apps you disabled and hardware configuration.

3. Disable apps relaunch on startup

Windows 10 has a feature that restarts the apps from your last session after a reboot, even before you sign in. Although this is a convenience feature that can speed up the process of quickly resuming where you left off, it can also impact system performance.

If the feature to restart apps at startup is enabled, you can disable it with these steps:

• Click on Accounts .
• Click on Sign-in options .
• Under the "Restart apps" section, turn off the toggle switch.

After you complete the steps, the apps running on the desktop won't reopen during the next restart, speeding up the overall system performance.

4. Disable background apps

On Windows 10, some apps can continue to run tasks in the background even when you're not using them. If you want to speed up your computer as much as possible, you can decide which apps can operate in the background or disable the feature to block all apps.

To stop apps from running in the background to speed up Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Privacy .
• Click on Background apps .
• Turn off the toggle switch for the apps you want to stop running in the background.

• (Optional) Turn off the "Let apps run in the background" toggle switch to disable the feature for all modern apps (excluding win32 apps).

Once you complete the steps, apps will not waste any more resources when you do not actively use them to increase system performance.

5. Uninstall non-essential apps

Typically, new devices come with applications you do not need, including the usual bloatware and system tools you will never use, which will only waste space on the drive and resources. When trying to increase the system performance, you should always remove those non-essential applications.

To uninstall non-essential apps on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Apps & features .
• Select the app to remove.
• Click the Uninstall button.

• Click the Uninstall button again. Or continue with the on-screen directions to finish removing the app.

After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the instructions to uninstall other non-essential apps from the device.

6. Install quality apps only

Old and poorly designed apps and apps that load unnecessary features can negatively affect the performance of your computer. Also, just because an app comes from a company you trust does not mean it's a good app.

Only install good apps if you want to keep your device healthy and snappy. Typically, you want to install apps available from the Microsoft Store because they've been reviewed for security and performance. If the app is not in the store, only download apps from trusted sources and confirm they work on Windows 10.

If you are unsure, you can research online to get more information about the app. For example, you can check the software vendor's forums to check whether users are experiencing issues or post a question in the forums to find out more details.

To install apps from the Microsoft Store on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Open Microsoft Store .
• Use the search box to find an app.
• Select the app from the result.

• Click the Install button.

Once you complete the steps, the app will install on your device. If the app is not in the Microsoft Store, download the installer from the trusted source, and follow the vendor support website steps to install and configure the program.

7. Clean up hard drive space

Whether you have a traditional Disk Hard Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD), it's never wise to run Windows with a full hard drive because it will affect performance.

If the device has relatively new hardware and you notice apps, managing files, and other tasks are struggling to complete, it is likely because the drive is running out of space. Usually, this becomes more evident after the drive is filled with around 70 percent of the total capacity.

One way to prevent the storage from impacting performance is to use the Storage settings to delete temporary and unnecessary files to reclaim space.

To free up space with to speed up Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on System .
• Click on Storage .
• Under the "Local Disk" section, click the Temporary files option. (If you do not see the option, click the "Show more categories" option to view the remaining items in the list.)

• Check the files you want to delete to reclaim space and improve system performance. 
• Quick tip: When selecting the temporary files, remember that checking the Downloads option will delete everything inside the "Downloads" folder. If you want to keep these files, do not check this option. Also, you can select to delete the "Previous Windows Installation(s)" item (if applicable).
• Click the Remove files button.

Once you complete the steps, the device's performance should be noticeably improved if the system can reclaim enough space.

In addition to using the Storage settings, you can also use the OneDrive Files On-demand feature to free up space. You can  use these instructions to set up Files On-demand  on your device.

If you cannot reclaim enough space,  use this guide  to find more ways to optimize the storage on your computer.

8. Use drive defragmentation

Organizing the data can increase responsiveness if you have a computer with older hardware and a traditional rotating platters hard drive.

To run the defragmentation tool to speed up the system drive, use these steps:

• Under the "More storage settings" section, click the Optimize Drives option.

• Select the drive that needs defragmentation.
• Click the Optimize button.

After you complete the steps, the tool will rearrange the files to make them accessible more quickly the next time they are needed, translating into noticeable performance improvement. The only caveat is that the process can take a long time, depending on the data stored on the drive. (If you have an older system, it is best to leave the process running overnight.)

If you have a computer with an SSD, using the defragmentation tool will run the  trim command  to inform the storage device of the blocks with data that can be safely erased. This process can significantly improve performance because the drive won't have to erase the blocks during the writing data process.

9. Configure ReadyBoost

In addition, to use the defragmentation tool on computers with older hardware, you can also use the ReadyBoost feature to boost performance.

ReadyBoost is not new to Windows 10. It's been around for years as a feature that uses a flash drive or SD card to cache files to boost the overall system performance. (If the device has an SSD, this feature won't be available since it won't offer additional benefits.)

To enable ReadyBoost to speed up your computer, connect a USB flash drive and use these steps:

• Open File Explorer .
• Click on "This PC" from the left pane.
• Under the "Devices and drives" section, right-click the USB flash drive and select the Properties option.

• Click on the ReadyBoost tab.
• Select the "Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost" option.

• Click the Apply button.
• Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the removable drive should help boost the computer's performance.

We recommend the SanDisk Extreme Go if you need a USB flash drive to use with ReadyBoost because of its storage capacity, reliability, and price.

Reliable storage

The SanDisk Extreme Go (CZ800) is an excellent choice to use with the ReadyBoost feature. The USB drive offers up to 128GB of storage with fast transfer speeds of up to 200MB/s, it's backed by a strong brand, and it is affordable.

10. Perform malware scan

When a device starts to run very slowly, this could indicate a malware infection. Typically, viruses, spyware, and other malware types are known to take up many system resources making a device unusable.

Although Windows 10 comes with the Microsoft Defender Antivirus, it does not guarantee that malware will make its way into the system. If you suspect the device has been infected, you should try running a full virus scan.

To run a full virus scan on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
• Click on Virus & threat protection .
• Under the "Virus & threat protection updates" section, click the "Check for updates" option.

• Click the Check for updates button.

• Click on Virus & threat protection from the left pane.
• Under the "Current threats" section, click the Scan options option.

• Select the Full scan option.

• Click the Scan now button.

After you complete the steps, Microsoft Defender Antivirus should detect and remove any malware impacting performance.

Microsoft Defender Offline scan

If you cannot use the default antivirus because it's not running, updates don't work, or scanning problems, the device probably has one of those tricky malware that cannot be removed while the system is running. If this is the case, the antivirus can perform an offline scan.

To complete a Microsoft Defender Antivirus offline scan, use these steps:

• Select the "Microsoft Defender Offline scan" option.

Once you complete the steps, the system will automatically restart into the offline experience of Microsoft Defender, and it will perform a scan to detect and remove any threats that could not be removed while Windows 10 was running.

If you use other anti-malware solutions like Malwarebytes,  Bitdefender ,  Trend Micro , or  Norton , check their support documentation to remove viruses and other malicious programs.

11. Install latest update

Microsoft proactively releases updates to address problems, add new features, and patch security vulnerabilities. While sometimes updates are the reason for things not working correctly, maintaining the update can speed up your computer.

Install cumulative updates

On Windows 10, updates happen automatically, but depending on the update or the device's configuration, they don't always download and install as soon as they become available. If your computer is running slower than usual, it could be possible that an update is available to improve performance.

To install updates manually on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Update & Security .
• Click on Windows Update .

• (Optional) Under the "Optional updates available" section, click the "Download and install now" option if there's a cumulative update available.
• Click the Restart now button.

After you complete the steps, the new update should help to improve system performance.

Upgrade to latest version

If the device has an older version of Windows 10, upgrading to the most recent version can help speed up the performance or introduce new features that could make you more productive to get work done faster.

To upgrade to the most recent version of Windows 10, use these steps:

• Under the "Feature Update" section, click the "Download and install" option if a new version is available. (If the option is unavailable, the computer already has the most recent version installed, or the latest version is not yet fully compatible with your hardware configuration.)

Once you complete the steps, the device will restart to apply the new version, improving the overall system performance.

Update device drivers

If your computer is running slow because of a compatibility issue or a poorly designed driver, you could resolve the issue by installing the most recent or pre-release version of the driver from the manufacturer's support website manually.

Before proceeding, you need to download the latest available driver package from the manufacturer's website, uncompress the files using the self-extracting or  .zip extension file , and then use these steps:

Quick note: It is recommended to use the manufacturer support website instructions to complete this task. If instructions are not available, you can refer to the steps below.

• Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
• Expand the branch for the device driver causing problems. For example, Display adapters .
• Right-click the device and select the Update driver option.

• Click the "Browse my computer for driver software" option.

• Under the "Search for drivers in this location" section, click the Browse button.

• Select the folder with the device driver installation files.
• Click the Next button.
• Click the Close button.

After you complete the steps, the new version of the driver will install to fix compatibility or any other issues affecting the system and boost performance.

On Windows 10, there are multiple ways to update device drivers. If you need additional assistance, you can use this guide outlining  different methods to update a driver manually . 

Update applications

Outdated apps can slow down a computer, usually due to bugs or compatibility problems with a newer version of Windows 10.

While apps from the Microsoft Store can update automatically, you have to install updates manually for many traditional desktop apps. If you have an app affecting performance, check your software support website for a newer update and the instructions to apply it.

To update Microsoft Store apps manually on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click the Library button from the bottom-left corner.
• Click the Get updates button.

Once you complete the steps, if updates are available, they will download and install automatically.

12. Switch to high performance power plan

Windows 10 includes different plans ( Balanced , Power saver , and High performance ) to optimize the power usage on your computer. If you want to boost the system performance, use the "High performance" option since it allows the device to use more power to operate faster.

To select a new power plan on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Power & sleep .
• Under the "Related settings" section, click the "Additional power settings" option.

• Click the "Show additional plans" option (if applicable).
• Select the "High-performance power" plan.

If you don't see any plans, you may need to  create a custom power plan  to improve performance using the "High performance" settings.

On laptops, you can also change the mode to increase performance by tapping or clicking the  battery  icon in the taskbar's notification area and selecting the  Best performance  option using the slider.

13. Disable system visual effects

On Windows 10, you will find many visual effects, from animations to shadows to more advanced visual elements, such as blur and transparency, and part of the Fluent Design language.

Although these effects can make the experience more visually appealing, they also require resources that can slow down computers with older hardware. However, you can disable these effects to save resources and make Windows 10 feel faster.

Disable visual effects

To disable animations, shadows, smooth fonts, and other effects on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on About .
• Under the "Related settings" section, click the "Advanced system settings" option from the right pane.

• Click the Advanced tab.
• Under the "Performance" section, click the Settings button.

• Click the Visual Effects tab.
• Select the "Adjust for best performance" option to disable all the effects and animations.
• Quick tip: Using this option will also affect the way fonts are rendered. If you want to keep fonts crisp and more readable, select the Custom option, clear all the settings, but leave the "Smooth edges of screen fonts" option checked.

Once you complete the steps, the visual effects will be disabled, and interacting with elements (windows and menus) will feel more responsive.

Disable transparency effects

To speed up Windows 10 disabling transparency effects, use these steps:

• Click on Personalization .
• Click on Colors .
• Turn off the Transparency effects toggle switch.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will feel faster, and the device will free up some system resources for more critical tasks.

14. Disable search indexing

Although Windows 10 search is an important feature to find apps, settings, and files, the indexing process can sometimes consume resources that can negatively impact the experience – especially on low-end devices. If you want to improve the system performance as much as possible, you can exclude specific locations to prevent the indexer from using resources excessively.

To configure the indexer to improve system performance on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Search .
• Click on Search Windows .
• (Optional) Turn on the "Respect Device Power Mode Settings" toggle switch.
• Quick note: When you enable this feature, the system will temporarily throttle or pause search and updates to the index database to extend battery life while on battery power.
• Under the "More Search Indexer Settings" section, click the "Advanced Search Indexer Settings" option.

• Click the Modify button.

• Click the Show all locations button.

• Under the "Change selected locations" section, clear all the selected locations.

Once you complete the steps, Windows Search will continue to run on your device, but Windows 10 will no longer index the specified locations, improving the overall performance.

15. Increase page file size

On Windows 10, the "page file" is a hidden file on the drive that works as memory, and it acts as an overflow of the system memory, which holds data for apps currently running on the computer.

If you increase the size of the paging file, it can help boost system performance.

To modify the page file to increase performance on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Under the "Related settings" section, click the "Advanced system settings" option.
• Under the "Virtual memory" section, click the Change button.

• Clear the "Automatically manage paging files size for all drives" option.
• Select the Custom size option.
• Specify the initial and maximum size for the paging file in megabytes. 
• Quick tip: Typically, it is recommended to use a number one and a half times the total available memory for the "Initial size" and three times of available memory for the "Maximum size" when possible. You can confirm the total amount of memory available on the About settings page.

• Click the Set button.
• Click the OK button again.

After you complete the steps, the device will restart, and you should notice a performance boost while using apps. The performance will be more noticeable when configuring the page file in a Solid-State Drive.

If the new settings are causing issues or performance does not improve, you can always revert the changes with the same instructions outlined above. However, on  step 9 , select the  System managed size  option and check the  "Automatically manage paging files size for all drives"  option.

16. Restore previous working state

Sometimes your device will slow down after installing a new system update, driver, or application. If you cannot determine why the computer is slow, you can undo any changes by restoring the previous working state using a System Restore point.

To apply a restore point to fix performance issues on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Search for Create a restore point and click the top result to open the System Properties app.
• Click the System Protection tab.
• Click the System Restore button.

• Select the most recent restore point to resolve the performance issue.

• Click the "Scan for affected programs" button to identify the apps that will be removed if they were installed after the restore point was created.
• Click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will roll back to a previous state bringing back when performance was not an issue.

System Restore is not enabled by default. This means you must set it up before you can revert system changes .

17. Repair Windows setup files

If the computer shows performance issues, it could be due to corrupted system files. If this is the case, you can use the Deployment Image Service and Management Tool (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) command-line tools to fix the setup without reinstallation.

Fix installation files with DISM

To use DISM to repair corrupted system files to improve performance and stability on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Search for Command Prompt , right-click the top result, and click the Run as Administrator option.
• Type the following command to repair the installation and press Enter : DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

After completing the steps, the device should operate normally if the utility has finished successfully. You should also use the SFC command-line tool if the scan had issues. (You can always learn more about this feature in our  DISM walkthrough guide .)

Fix installation files with SFC

To use SFC to repair corrupted system files on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Search for Command Prompt , right-click the top result and click the Run as Administrator option.
• Type the following command to repair the installation and press Enter : sfc /scannow

Once you complete the steps, the tool should be able to fix any problem affecting performance.

You can check this guide with more details on using the System File Checker tool, including the steps to view scan details, repair individual files, and perform an offline system repair.

18. Reset device to factory defaults

Alternatively, you can reset the computer to the factory default settings to start fresh with a clean copy of Windows 10 to improve startup and shutdown, battery life, and overall system performance.

Warning: If you choose to erase your files, you should consider creating a full backup or copying your files to an external drive before proceeding.

To reset a device to its default settings on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on Recovery .
• Under the "Reset this PC" section, click the Get started button.

• Click the Keep my files button. (You can also click the Remove everything button to erase everything and install a clean copy of Windows 10.)

• Select the Local reinstall option.
• Quick tip: If you want a clean installation of Windows 10 without the apps that came pre-installed with the device or if the Local reinstall option does not work, select the Cloud download option.

• Click the Reset button.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will be reinstalled, removing previous configurations, settings, and apps to help you boost system performance. If you select the option to remove everything, remember to restore your files from a previous backup after the process.

If you want to install Windows 10 from scratch, check out our in-depth guide to do a clean installation.

19. Upgrade to faster drive

If you are not noticing performance improvements even after the reset process, it might be time to upgrade the hard drive to an SSD.

Upgrading to a Solid-State Drive is perhaps one of the best ways to increase performance on older hardware. Usually,  SSDs  do not have moving parts like traditional hard drives, meaning data can be read and written much faster.

When you  replace an HDD with an SSD , Windows 10 will boot noticeably faster, apps will launch and run quicker, and the overall performance will be snappier and faster.

If you plan to upgrade to an SSD, we recommend the Samsung 860 EVO because of its fast performance, reliability, and five-year warranty.

Blazing speeds

The Samsung 870 EVO is one of the most popular Solid-State Drives (SSD) because of its reliability and price. It also offers excellent performance (up to 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds) compared to traditional hard drives, and every drive is backed with a five-year warranty.

20. Upgrade system memory

Insufficient system memory can also be why your computer is running slow, especially if you work with multiple apps and many open tabs in the web browser.

To determine whether your computer needs more memory, you must first confirm the total amount of memory installed on the device and how the system uses it.

To view the total amount and current memory usage on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Search for Task Manager , and click the top result to open the app.
• Click the Performance tab.
• Click on Memory from the left pane.
• On the right, check the total amount of RAM in the top-right corner, and in the bottom-left corner, under "In use (Compressed)," you can find the out total amount of memory currently in use.

If the total amount of "in use" memory is constantly high (around 80 percent), it's time to add memory sticks.

Although  adding more memory  is relatively straightforward, finding a compatible kit can be tricky. Always use Task Manager to find out the type of memory you need and  whether any slots are available . It is also recommended to check your device manufacturer's website to find more specific information about the memory requirements.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
• Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know  

Cutting-edge operating system

A refreshed design in Windows 11 enables you to do what you want effortlessly and safely, with biometric logins for encrypted authentication and advanced antivirus defenses.

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

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Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot – your copilot for work

Mar 16, 2023 | Jared Spataro - CVP, AI at Work

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Humans are hard-wired to dream, to create, to innovate. Each of us seeks to do work that gives us purpose — to write a great novel, to make a discovery, to build strong communities, to care for the sick. The urge to connect to the core of our work lives in all of us. But today, we spend too much time consumed by the drudgery of work on tasks that zap our time, creativity and energy. To reconnect to the soul of our work, we don’t just need a better way of doing the same things. We need a whole new way to work.

Today, we are bringing the power of next-generation AI to work. Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot — your copilot for work . It combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps to turn your words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet.

“Today marks the next major step in the evolution of how we interact with computing, which will fundamentally change the way we work and unlock a new wave of productivity growth,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “With our new copilot for work, we’re giving people more agency and making technology more accessible through the most universal interface — natural language.”

Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 in two ways. It works alongside you, embedded in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more — to unleash creativity, unlock productivity and uplevel skills. Today we’re also announcing an entirely new experience: Business Chat . Business Chat works across the LLM, the Microsoft 365 apps, and your data — your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings and contacts — to do things you’ve never been able to do before. You can give it natural language prompts like “Tell my team how we updated the product strategy,” and it will generate a status update based on the morning’s meetings, emails and chat threads.

With Copilot, you’re always in control. You decide what to keep, modify or discard. Now, you can be more creative in Word, more analytical in Excel, more expressive in PowerPoint, more productive in Outlook and more collaborative in Teams.

Microsoft 365 Copilot transforms work in three ways:

Unleash creativity. With Copilot in Word, you can jump-start the creative process so you never start with a blank slate again. Copilot gives you a first draft to edit and iterate on — saving hours in writing, sourcing, and editing time. Sometimes Copilot will be right, other times usefully wrong — but it will always put you further ahead. You’re always in control as the author, driving your unique ideas forward, prompting Copilot to shorten, rewrite or give feedback. Copilot in PowerPoint helps you create beautiful presentations with a simple prompt, adding relevant content from a document you made last week or last year. And with Copilot in Excel, you can analyze trends and create professional-looking data visualizations in seconds.

Unlock productivity. We all want to focus on the 20% of our work that really matters, but 80% of our time is consumed with busywork that bogs us down. Copilot lightens the load. From summarizing long email threads to quickly drafting suggested replies, Copilot in Outlook helps you clear your inbox in minutes, not hours. And every meeting is a productive meeting with Copilot in Teams. It can summarize key discussion points — including who said what and where people are aligned and where they disagree — and suggest action items, all in real time during a meeting. And with Copilot in Power Platform, anyone can automate repetitive tasks, create chatbots and go from idea to working app in minutes.

GitHub data shows that Copilot promises to unlock productivity for everyone. Among developers who use GitHub Copilot, 88% say they are more productive, 74% say that they can focus on more satisfying work, and 77% say it helps them spend less time searching for information or examples.

But Copilot doesn’t just supercharge individual productivity. It creates a new knowledge model for every organization — harnessing the massive reservoir of data and insights that lies largely inaccessible and untapped today. Business Chat works across all your business data and apps to surface the information and insights you need from a sea of data — so knowledge flows freely across the organization, saving you valuable time searching for answers. You will be able to access Business Chat from Microsoft 365.com, from Bing when you’re signed in with your work account, or from Teams.

Uplevel skills. Copilot makes you better at what you’re good at and lets you quickly master what you’ve yet to learn. The average person uses only a handful of commands — such as “animate a slide” or “insert a table” — from the thousands available across Microsoft 365. Now, all that rich functionality is unlocked using just natural language. And this is only the beginning.

Copilot will fundamentally change how people work with AI and how AI works with people. As with any new pattern of work, there’s a learning curve — but those who embrace this new way of working will quickly gain an edge.

The Copilot System: Enterprise-ready AI

Microsoft is uniquely positioned to deliver enterprise-ready AI with the Copilot System . Copilot is more than OpenAI’s ChatGPT embedded into Microsoft 365. It’s a sophisticated processing and orchestration engine working behind the scenes to combine the power of LLMs, including GPT-4, with the Microsoft 365 apps and your business data in the Microsoft Graph — now accessible to everyone through natural language.

Grounded in your business data. AI-powered LLMs are trained on a large but limited corpus of data. The key to unlocking productivity in business lies in connecting LLMs to your business data — in a secure, compliant, privacy-preserving way. Microsoft 365 Copilot has real-time access to both your content and context in the Microsoft Graph. This means it generates answers anchored in your business content — your documents, emails, calendar, chats, meetings, contacts and other business data — and combines them with your working context — the meeting you’re in now, the email exchanges you’ve had on a topic, the chat conversations you had last week — to deliver accurate, relevant, contextual responses.

Built on Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to security, compliance and privacy. Copilot is integrated into Microsoft 365 and automatically inherits all your company’s valuable security, compliance, and privacy policies and processes. Two-factor authentication, compliance boundaries, privacy protections, and more make Copilot the AI solution you can trust.

Architected to protect tenant, group and individual data. We know data leakage is a concern for customers. Copilot LLMs are not trained on your tenant data or your prompts. Within your tenant, our time-tested permissioning model ensures that data won’t leak across user groups. And on an individual level, Copilot presents only data you can access using the same technology that we’ve been using for years to secure customer data.

Integrated into the apps millions use every day. Microsoft 365 Copilot is integrated in the productivity apps millions of people use and rely on every day for work and life — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more. An intuitive and consistent user experience ensures it looks, feels and behaves the same way in Teams as it does in Outlook, with a shared design language for prompts, refinements and commands.

Designed to learn new skills.  Microsoft 365 Copilot’s foundational skills are a game changer for productivity: It can already create, summarize, analyze, collaborate and automate using your specific business content and context. But it doesn’t stop there. Copilot knows how to command apps (e.g., “animate this slide”) and work across apps, translating a Word document into a PowerPoint presentation. And Copilot is designed to learn new skills. For example, with Viva Sales, Copilot can learn how to connect to CRM systems of record to pull customer data — like interaction and order histories — into communications. As Copilot learns about new domains and processes, it will be able to perform even more sophisticated tasks and queries.

Committed to building responsibly

At Microsoft, we are guided by our AI principles and Responsible AI Standard and decades of research on AI, grounding and privacy-preserving machine learning. A multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers and policy experts reviews our AI systems for potential harms and mitigations — refining training data, filtering to limit harmful content, query- and result-blocking sensitive topics, and applying Microsoft technologies like InterpretML and Fairlearn to help detect and correct data bias. We make it clear how the system makes decisions by noting limitations, linking to sources, and prompting users to review, fact-check and adjust content based on subject-matter expertise.

Moving boldly as we learn  

In the months ahead, we’re bringing Copilot to all our productivity apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Viva, Power Platform, and more. We’ll share more on pricing and licensing soon. Earlier this month we announced Dynamics 365 Copilot as the world’s first AI Copilot in both CRM and ERP to bring the next-generation AI to every line of business.

Everyone deserves to find purpose and meaning in their work — and Microsoft 365 Copilot can help. To serve the unmet needs of our customers, we must move quickly and responsibly, learning as we go. We’re testing Copilot with a small group of customers to get feedback and improve our models as we scale, and we will expand to more soon.

Learn more on the Microsoft 365 blog and visit WorkLab to get expert insights on how AI will create a brighter future of work for everyone.

And for all the blogs, videos and assets related to today’s announcements, please visit our microsite .

Tags: AI , Microsoft 365 , Microsoft 365 Copilot

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