In terms of teaching science, the themes, theory and practical applications I observed were the purposes of various assessments and how to perform them. This chapter outlined in detail many explanations and examples of diagnostic, formative and summative assessments which I feel were quite helpful not only for my current understanding, but could be useful as a teacher in the future. The theme of “where are the students trying to go, where are they now and how are they going to get there” was reiterated throughout the chapter.
What surprised me was the depth of information the text provided concerning examples of informal assessments. I completed an entire semester on assessment and I feel this text helped the purpose and application of teacher questioning, experience charts, student record pages, and the use of science notebooks.
One concept that made sense to me after reading the chapter was the difference between assessment and evaluation. Prior to reading this chapter, I combined the two or used them interchangeably and did not comprehend the specific purposes of each.
I did not find anything to be confusing in this chapter.
After reading this chapter, I have several new questions. One such question is whether or not students find science fair projects academically beneficial. I understand that science fair projects are a method of assessing multiple objectives through a performance assessment. I just wonder how much the students actually get out of it in general. In my limited, personal experience gained from doing such projects with my sons, I find they (and many of their classmates) do not enjoy science. I have surmised that science fair is “fun” or beneficial for the students that already enjoy science and to many others, it is just another assignment.
Another question I had was as a teacher, where I find the “released test” items the text refers to on page 181? I would assume from the test publishers. I am curious to see if the ISBE has such information on their website, as well. In light of the NCLB, I also wonder how many teachers obtain released test items prior to completing state tests and if that helps the students scores.
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This is a helpful chapter. There has been an explosion of literature on the topic of assessment. And yet this single chapter does a great job of laying out the principles of assessment along with several solid examples.
ReplyDeleteScience fairs "for all" are problematic, I think. I agree that they can be highly motivating for students who are already interested in pursuing the activity. I think the real way to encourage interest in science is to teach with a real inquiry approach in the classroom.
Finally, you can find release items on the ISBE web site. That is your one-stop shopping location for state testing!