Assessing Students’ Science Learning

Reading Assignment

Chapter 11 in Teaching Science to Every Child:

Using Culture as a Starting Point

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)

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

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

Elements of the Assessment Process

1. 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

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)

Methods for Aligning Assessment and Curriculum

Using the 5-E Learning Model (I)Phase Assessment Purposes Assessment Strategies

1. Engage Teachers can identify students’ incomingscience ideas and misconceptions

KWL chartConcept mapInterview or questionnairePretestMemoirsBrainstormingVenn diagram

2. Explore Teachers can determine how well students are progressing in their conceptual understanding.

Science notebookThink, pair, shareDrawing completionPredicting activityDemo memo

5. Evaluate Teachers can determine what students have learned from the lessons or unit and make decisions about their instruction.

PosterPresentationPost-concept map, Venn diagram, testComparison essayFinal reflectionScience notebookSelf-evaluation

Methods for Aligning Assessment and Curriculum

Using the 5-E Learning Model (II)Phase Assessment Purposes Assessment Strategies

3. Explain Teachers can have students demonstrate their current understanding and determine what ideas need further instruction.

Exit ticket, minute paperDiscrepant eventConcepTest (multiple choice items presented to class)Making a modelMaking an evidence-based claimMeaningful paragraph

4. Elaborate Teachers can have students demonstrate their ability to apply their understandings to new contexts.

Application problemPair problem solvingPuzzlerThought experimentDebateWriting and analyzing fictionDesign (engineering) activity

Methods of Assessment

• Diagnostic• Formative• Summative

Formative Assessment: What effect would global warming have on the range of Artic ice shown here?

Diagnostic Assessment

• Assessing students’ prior knowledge

• T-charts• Pictorials• Drawings• Concept Mapping• Probes

Using materials in the lab (newspapers, modelingclay, 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.

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?

What we have heard about ozone?

What questions we do we have about ozone?

It makes us hot. It’s smog and it’s harmful to us. Makes the earth heat up. Air pollution can cause ozone It’s caused by chemicals in the air. It can be dangerous to people with breathing problems. There is good and bad ozone.

What causes ozone? How can we tell if there is ozone in the air? Is it different in the center of a city compared to the suburbs? What effect does it have on humans? Do cars cause it? What will happen if the ozone in the air is all gone?

The T-Chart: A Pre-Assessment Strategy. Here students in a small group work together to make a T-chart by answering the two questions at the the top of each column.

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?

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

Interpersonal skill

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

Active Listening

Staying on Task

Asking Questions

Contributing Ideas

Interpersonal Skill Observation Form

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

1.Some changes in the earth's surface are abrupt (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) while other changes happen very slowly (such as uplift and wearing down of mountains).

2.The earth's surface is shaped in part by the motion of water and wind over very long times, which act to level mountain ranges.

Possible Short Answer assessment questions: 1. What causes abrupt changes in earth’s surface? 2. What causes the earth’s surface to change slowly? 3. How does the motion of wind and water shape the earth’s surface?

Comparing Summative and Formative Assessment

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 AssessmentInformal: 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

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

Developing Useful Rubrics for Specific Assessments

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

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

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

Team Rubrics 1 2 3 4

Cooperative Will not help -- ignores partner

Sometimes willing to help partner

Shares work when asked and listens to partner

Willingly explains things to partner and will use partner’s ideas

Creative Never thinks of other ideas to solve a problem

Occasionally has a new idea, but little follow through

Has new ideas but will not share with others

Develops new ideas or ways of doing things. Products exceed requirements

On Task Consistently talking to others in room, rarely works on task

Sometimes talks about unrelated subjects

Usually follows the task and talks only to partner

Always follows the steps of the task and sometimes goes beyond the concepts

Prepared Never has supplies or willing to find proper place in task

Looks through to task to find place and sometimes borrows supplies

Uses daily wrap-up to find place in task

Arrives early for class and supplies are ready

Skillful Makes no effort to learn new skills

Satisfies with answering questions, but no real understanding

Has general idea of task. Able to answer specific questions.

Has clear idea of task and its relationship to technology and education

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