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Iowa Legislative Requirements
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB)
State
Federal
NSES Assessment Standards
Regional Educational Labs
Recommended Assessment Resources
SCASS
NAEP
TIMSS
PALS |
Assessment
Ensuring scientific literacy requires thoughtful on-going assessment. This project emphasizes meaningful assessment of student learning. All critical components of the project, including curriculum, professional development, materials support, assessment, and administrative and community support, are continually analyzed to optimize their effect on student achievement and scientific literacy.
Assessment Resources
Assessment for student learning is one of three key pieces for student learning: Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction. Chapter 5 within the National Science Education Standards “describes the components of the assessment process and a contemporary view of measurement theory and practice” as well as going into detail about the assessment standards themselves. As educators are developing multiple approaches for students to demonstrate their learning, it is important to have a variety of approaches for students to demonstrate that knowledge. The end of this chapter provides two sample assessment tasks. The following sites provide the opportunity to access a variety of released items in order to develop an assessment approach for a variety of learners.
SCASS
State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) is a publication of The Council of Chief State School Officers. Iowa has been a Member State within the SCASS Science Project and thus the assessment items are available to Iowa educators. Item formats are selected response, constructed response, extended response, and performance tasks. Science assessment items are of three types: 1) Module – a passage followed by multiple choice questions and open-ended questions; 2) Event – typical experimental activity with data collection, open-ended questions, completed in one class period; 3) Task – open-ended, experimental component, reporting component, 3-6 week project. Items have been used in states piloting SCASS and unreleased items which are included on the CD are part of various States assessments. Items can be selected to be a part of a criterion referenced assessment system at grades 4, 8 and high school. Items can be selected from all major areas of science: Life, Earth, Physical, and Coordinated Science. The CD is available from the state through the AEAs but training on the use of the CD is required before acquiring the CD; teachers/scorers will require professional development in the scoring procedure.
NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) site, like TIMSS, contains released items from the national assessment. Items are selected response, short and extended constructed response, and performance task. Assessment items are designed to be multi-faceted with different formats within each task or problem. Assessment items are released items that have been used in previous NAEP assessments. Items can be selected and incorporated into a criterion referenced assessment. Topics covered are Physical, Earth, and Life sciences; Ways of Knowing and Doing Science; Nature of Science/Technology; these are all within grades 4, 8, and 12.
TIMSS
The Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) site contains released items from the science assessment given to students from the International Assessment. Assessment items are released items which have been used in previous TIMSS assessments. Released items are selected response, constructed response, and extended response. Items are appropriate for grades 3/4, 7/8, 12 and cover the following topics: grades 3/4 = Earth, Life, Physical, Environmental/Nature of Science; Grades 7/8 = Earth, Life, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental/Nature of Science; High School = Physics. Released items for the following years are available: 1995, 1999, and 2003
PALS
Performance Assessment Links in Science (PALS) is an on-line, standards-based, continually updated resource bank of science performance assessment tasks indexed via the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and various other standards frameworks. Tasks have been compiled from a number of sources including SCASS, TIMSS, NAEP, and New Standards. Items include Task with Student Directions, Administration Procedures, Rubric, Technical Quality Information, and Examples of Student Work. Items can be selected to create a chart of Science Standards assessed or selected by Science Standards and create a chart of tasks matched to the standards. Items are performance tasks and constructed response. Items may be adapted for grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12 and in the topics of Physical, Earth, Life sciences; Science in Personal and Social Perspectives; Science/Technology. |
