Assessing Students’ Science Learning

1. Assessing Students’ Science Learning Reading Assignment Chapter 11 in Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting Point

2. What is Assessment?The Word “Assess” From the Latin verb “assidere” = “to sit by” (e.g., as an assessor or assistant-judge, originally in the context of taxes) • Hence “in assessment of learning” = “to sit with the learner” • Implies it is something that we do with and for students and not to students Assessment is the art and science of knowing what students know • It provides “evidence” of students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities • “Evidence” supports instructors’ inferences of what students know and can do (it guides and informs instruction)

3. What is classroom assessment? Systematic collection and analysis of information to improve educational practice Method for understanding student learning Based on the belief that the more you know about what your students know and how they learn, the better you can plan your learning activities and structure your teaching

4. Benefits of Classroom Assessment • Serves as an ongoing communication process between you and your students over the entire semester • Helps clarify your teaching goals and what you want your students to learn, as you progress through the course content • Provides credible evidence regarding whether or not learning objectives have been achieved • Provides specific feedback on what is working and what is not working • Provides increased understanding about student learning in your classroom, allow to adapt your teaching as the course progresses

5. Elements of the Assessment Process • Formulate statements of intended learning outcomes • Formulate learning goals and learning outcomes 2. Develop or select assessment measures • Direct assessments of student learning: projects, products, papers/theses, exhibitions, performances, case studies, clinical evaluations, portfolios, interviews, oral exams … • These assessment activities, assigned by the instructor, yield comprehensive information for analyzing, discussing, and judging a learner’s performance of desired abilities and skills • Indirect assessment of student learning: surveys distributed to students

6. Elements of the Assessment Process 3. Create experiences leading to outcomes • The question to ask: How will this experience (e.g., student project, inquiry activity, research assignment) help students achieve the intended learning outcome(s) of the course? 4. Discuss and use assessment results to improve learning • Effective feedback (Discussions between instructor and students)

9. Methods of Assessment • Diagnostic • Formative • Summative Formative Assessment: What effect would global warming have on the range of Artic ice shown here?

10. Diagnostic Assessment • Assessing students’ prior knowledge • T-charts • Pictorials • Drawings • Concept Mapping • Probes Using materials in the lab (newspapers, modeling clay, sand, water, flour, glue) make a model of the pattern of what you see in the rocks shown in the photograph. Write a brief story explaining how you think the pattern in the rocks was created.

11. Example: Diagnostic Methods • Pre-assessment--used to find out student’s prior knowledge. Three types of methods, including: • The T-Chart • Pictorials & Drawings • Concept Maps • How would these pre-assessment strategies help you in planning lessons and designing units of study?

12. Formative Assessment • Asking questions • Conferencing • Monitoring/observing • Alternative paper and pencil • Web-Based Formative Assessments • Student Writing • Open-Ended Questions • Content-Specific Tasks • Science Journals Formative assessment: Is it true that the green color in leaves masks other pigments? If so, why are some trees in this picture green, and others showing reds, browns, and yellows?

13. Example: Formative Assessment Formative methods can involve direct interaction of the teacher with students, during class or nonclass time. Which of these methods would use, and why? • Observing Students • Asking Questions • Student Questions • Conferencing

14. Summative Methods of Assessment • Several formal methods are presented, including: • Traditional Paper-and-Pencil Tests • Traditional Short Answer • Student Writing • Open-Ended Questions • Content-Specific Tasks • Science Journals • Written Reports or Multimedia Presentations

15. Summative Assessment Is carried out at intervals when achievement has to be summarized and reported Looks at past achievements Adds procedures or tests to existing work Involves only grading and feedback of grades to students Is separated from the act of teaching “Certifies” achievement Formative Assessment Informal: carried out frequently and is planned at the same time as teaching Provides interactive and timely feedback and response: which leads to students recognizing the (learning) gap and closing it (it is forward-looking) In addition to feedback, includes self-monitoring Fosters life-long learning: It is empirically argued that it has the greatest impact on learning and achievement Comparing Summative and Formative Assessment

16. Using Rubrics to Provide Feedback to Students • “Rubric” defined: • “an authoritative rule … an explanation or introductory commentary.” (Webster) As applied to assessment of student work: [a rubric] “explains to students the criteria against which their work will be judged (the “scoring rules”). It makes public key criteria that students can use in developing, revising, and judging their own work • Elements of a good rubric • Levels of mastery • Dimensions of quality • Organizational groupings • Commentaries

17. Question -What criteria or essential elements must be present in the student’s work to ensure that it is high in quality? -How many levels of achievement do I wish to illustrate for students? For each criterion or essential element of quality, what is a clear description of performance at each achievement level? -What are the consequences of performing at each level of quality? -What rating scheme will I use in the rubric? -When I use the rubric, what aspects work well and what aspects need improvement? Action -Include these as rows in your rubric -Include these as columns in your rubric and label them -Include descriptions in the appropriate cells of the rubric -Add descriptions of consequences to the commentaries in the rubric -Add this to the rubric in a way that fits in with your grading philosophy -Revise the rubric accordingly Developing Useful Rubrics for Specific Assessments

18. In Addition to Task-Related Rubrics: Teamwork Rubric • Expectations of group members • Participation of group members • Level of involvement as team member • Quality of work as team member

19. Example of Team Rubrics(George Lucas Educational Foundation)http://edutopia.org/teachingmodules/Assessment/rubrics.php

20. Concluding All Assessment with Effective Feedback That Should … • Be specific - both positive and constructively critical • Be descriptive rather than evaluative • Be offered as soon as possible after the event • Offer alternatives or ask the learner to do so • Look forward to the specific next steps to improve performance • Encourage and plan for opportunities for the feedback to be used as soon as possible • Involve the learner wherever possible, to improve the chance of feedback being understood and acted upon