Assessment of Hands-on Science Including the Use of Portfolios

1. Assessment of Hands-on Science Including the Use of Portfolios By: Lori McEllin and Matt Shannon

2. Introduction • The Illinois School Accreditation Process requires each school in the state to develop a coherent system of learning outcomes, instruction based on the outcomes, and an assessment system that is aligned with the outcomes and instruction. 

3. Introduction • A performance assessment requires a student to perform a task or generate his or her own response and consists of two parts. • 1.) Task (written compositions, speeches, works of art, science fair projects, research projects, musical performances, open-ended math problems, and analysis and interpretation of a story the student has read)

4. Introduction • 2.) A set of scoring criteria or “rubric” that organized and clarifies the scoring criteria well enough so that two teachers who apply the rubric to a student’s work will generally arrive at the same score.

5. A Good Scoring Rubric • Help teachers define excellence and plan how to help students achieve it. • Communicate to students what constitutes excellence and how to evaluate their own work. • Communicate goals and results to parents and others. • Help teachers or other raters be accurate, unbiased, and consistent scoring. • Document the procedures used in making important judgments about students..

6. Elements of a Scoring Rubric • One or more traits or dimensions that serve as the basis for judging the student response. • Definitions and examples to clarify the meaning of each trait or dimension. • A scale of values on which to rate each dimension. • Standards of excellence for specified performance levels accompanied by models or examples of each level.

7. Qualitative Rubrics • Qualitative rubrics might have scale points with labels like these: • Not yet, developing, achieving • Emerging, developing, achieving • Novice, apprentice, proficient, distinguished • No evidence, minimal evidence, partial evidence, complete evidence

8. How Many Points Should a Rating Scale Have? • There is no one answer to this question. Some things you should consider. • Each point on the scale needs to be well defined. • Longer scales make it harder to get agreement among scorers. • Extremely short scales make it difficult to identify small differences between students. • Do you want to divide students into two or three groups, based on whether they have attained or exceeded the standard for an outcome? • If you are rating a product/performance on several different dimensions, will you want to add up the scores so that each is equally weighted?

9. Things To Consider When Selecting a Rubric • Does the rubric relate to the outcome(s) being measured? • Does it cover important dimensions of student performance? Do the criteria reflect current conceptions of excellence in the field? • Are the dimensions or scales well-defined? • Is there a clear basis for assigning scores at each scale point?

10. Things To Consider When Selecting a Rubric • Can the rubric be applied consistently by different scorers? • Can the rubric be understood by students and parents? • Is the rubric developmentally appropriate? • Can the rubric be applied to a variety of tasks? • Is the rubric fair and free from bias? • Is the rubric useful, feasible, manageable, and practical?

11. Options For Selecting Rubrics • Adopt • Adapt • Do it yourself • rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

12. Problems Encountered by Scorers • Positive/negative leniency error • Trait error • Appearance • Length • Fatigue • Repetition factor • Order effects • Personality clash • Skimming • Error of central tendency • Self-scoring • Discomfort in making judgments • The sympathy score

13. Portfolio • Purpose: helps determine which students need more help and where classroom instruction needs to be expanded. • Selecting Pieces: decision made between the teacher and the student.

14. Portfolio • Layout: • Creative Cover • Table of Contents • Contents • Written Comment • Evaluation Sheet • concepts • process skills and critical thinking • scientific reasoning skills • individual and group skills

15. Portfolio • Portfolio Conference: Meet with the student and have questions ready to ask • Show me something you are proud of and why • Show me something you enjoyed doing and why • Show me something you revised

16. Activity Kits • M.A.S.H. Kits were developed through a cooperative effort among local school districts and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and originated from a regional Title II Science Cooperative. Funding by the Illinois State Board of Education through a Science Literacy Grant provided development, piloting, and revision of these kits. The kits are designed to meet the needs of teachers wanting to teach activity-based science in southwestern Illinois.

17. Activity Kits The key elements of the MASH Kit Program are: • Scope & Sequence • Alignment with state goals • Science process skills • Cooperative Learning • Integration of Language Arts • Mathematics Problem Solving • Alternatives in Assessment

18. Works Cited • Chicago Public Schools Rubric • http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/ScienceRubrics.pdf • State Rubric • http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/science/pdf/rubric/pdf • http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/ScienceRubrics.pdf • http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/ideas_and_rubrics.html • http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/alternative_assessment/rubrics/ • http://www.esu5.org/techteacher/rubrics.htm

19. Works Cited • Portfolio • http://education.shu.edu/portfolios/AGarcia/portfolioassessment.html • Activity Kits • www.siue.edu/OSME/mash/mash1.html • Lesson (Testing Heat and Temperature) • www.life.uiuc.edu/boast1/sciencelessons/glowstick.htm