Current research indicates that students need authentic, meaningful curriculum to remain involved with the learning process, that this type of learning has positive results on high stakes exams, and that teachers require prior knowledge of students' skills and interests to develop high quality and effective instruction and curriculum. To "front load" the curriculum with authentic performance (pre)assessments offers the teacher as well as the student a way of examining current skills and knowledge prior to instructional decision making, and presents a direct link to authentic instruction. How best to do this within the confines of a school district is a significant dilemma. This paper will provide evidence and examples of the use of performance assessments as alternatives to traditional paper-pencil tests to be used as pre-assessment measures to assist teachers in learning as much as possible about their students as they create lessons prior to instruction. Teachers can use performance assessment to obtain a rich and complete picture of what students know and are able to do (Elliott, 1995). With these data, teachers can enhance the quality of their lessons by create appropriate and engaging lessons, and involve students within the entire learning assessment process.