Chapter 6

Chapter 6 is all about assessment when it comes to teaching science. One of the first things this chapter talks about is what exactly assessment is, which is gathering information about students learning in order to make decisions. The chapter talks about the value in using more than one way to collect student data, and later on talks about all of those ways. The next thing I liked in this chapter is how it tells the difference between assessment and evaluation. According to the chapter, evaluation involves using the data gathered in assessment to make decisions as a teacher such as what grades to give based on performance, or whether or not to move onto a new subject. I like the three guiding questions the chapter gave for developing and implementing assessment. The question, "Where are students trying to go?" would be a good thing to consider when making sure assessments pertain to the state goals and standards of the lesson they belong to. When asking the question, "Where are students now?," the chapter says that teachers shouldn't always rely on multiple-choice items that only ask students to recall facts and information. I agree with the chapter that varying the types of assessment in the classroom is a good idea because some students may be able to show their learning better in different situations than multiple choice questions. However, I think multiple choice questions must be used on a regular basis to help students prepare for and get used to the types of questions they will see on standardized tests.

The chapter describes the three types of assessment, diagnostic, formative, and summative, and when to use them. I like the idea of assessment being used at different times throughout the lesson. In the past, I always thought of assessment as formal tests at the end of lessons or units, but have begun to realize that it occurs in all different forms at different times in learning. Diagnostic assessment would occur before starting to teach a new subject or concept, as a way to gather students' prior knowledge and see if their conceptions and misconceptions. The data gathered from this type of assessment seems like it would help teachers make sure every student has adequate background knowledge, to not skip anything, and to not teach something the students already have mastered. Another thing I like in this chapter is its description of science notebooks. I think science notebooks would be a great way to help students retain knowledge as they learn it and would also be a useful tool when students need to go back and study what they have learned. I remember things better if i write them down, so having a notebook always helps me no matter what the class is. Keeping a notebook would be good for students because it would prepare them for later on when they will not be required to keep a notebook in high school or college, but will have note taking skills to do so if they desire.