How Does Backward Design Provide For A Way To See If Students Are Actually Learning What You Want To Teach Then By Looking At The Assessment Results?

Let's look back on what a backward design looks like and how is it implemented. There are 5 steps to this lesson plan and to be carried out in the following order:
     Step 1: Choose the content - Subject or topic the eLearner is to learn
     Step 2: Learning Outcomes - What eLearners actually learned
     Step 3: Performance Objectives -  What eLearners do to acknowledge what they have learned 
     Step 4: Assessment - Proof of what eLearners actually learned (formative or summative) 
     Step 5: Activities/Materials - eLearners instruction and practice time

Taking this approach prompts instructors to think about the learning outcomes before they begin teaching  the material. Instructors then must begin with the end in mind when using this approach. With this design the learning outcomes are engrained in the brain, a constant reminder perpetuated throughout the entire learning process of what your students need to be learning. From the get go, knowing the learning outcomes and performance objectives allows instructors to plan activities more easily and appropriately thus continually assessing each and every student from start to finish. 
Consider this example of a Backward Design in progress:

Step 1:   Content is "Introductions in Spanish"
Step 2:   Learning outcomes:

• eLeaners will accurately be able to meet and introduce themselves verbally in Spanish 
• eLearners will be able to construct in writing a conversational dialog using Spanish vocabulary words and grammar relating to greetings and introductions with 90% accuracy.

Step 3:  Performance Objectives: 

• eLearners eLearners will correctly use Spanish vocabulary words and grammar as they relate to greetings and introductions.
• eLearners will construct a conversational dialog using Spanish vocabulary words and grammar relating to greetings and introductions with 90% accuracy. 

Step 4: One type of assessment, a performance assessment, might be to have eLearners create a conversation/dialog using the makebeliefscomix site as well as produce an audio voiceover to go along with the comic strip for assessing correct pronunciation. Scoring would involve a rubric that could both guide eLearners while doing the assessment as well as supply the scoring criteria for grading the assessment. 

Step 5:  This final step in the planning stage involves getting materials together and planning the activities that will ultimately take eLearners to the learning outcome.  This may consist of listening and watching an instructional video, completing a game like activity or perhaps IM chatting with other eLearners learning the same content material.