Formative Assessment Probes: Is a Brick a Rock?

Journal Article | July 2018

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This issue explores a probe about lines of agreement with opposing views.

Teaching Teachers: Assessing Students as Scientists

Journal Article | November 2017

This column enhances the repertoire of preservice and inservice teachers. Supporting teachers in assessing students’ scientific thinking.

Formative Assessment Probes: Is It Erosion or Weathering?

Journal Article | February 2016

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. The formative assessment probe in this month’s issue can be used as an initial elicitation before students are introduced to the formal concepts of…

Formative Assessment Probes: Talk Moves

Journal Article | March 2016

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. In this issue a formative assessment strategy for fostering productive probe discussions is described.

Teacher to Teacher: Assessing Crosscutting Concepts

Journal Article | December 2016

This column provides practical advice from your peers. Cross Cutter Cards provide a method for students to apply a crosscutting concept when discussing similarities between two different phenomena.

Formative Assessment Probes: Needs of Seeds

Journal Article | January 2011

The “Needs of Seeds” formative assessment probe can be used to find out whether students recognize that seeds have needs both similar to and different from plants and other living organisms (Keeley, Eberle, and Tugel…

Who Wants to Make Assessment Fair?

Journal Article | September 2001

An assessment strategy based on the television game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” helps teachers make grading fair. The author describes which game show strategies to apply to classroom assessment and which to…

Formative Assessment Probes: “Doing” Science

Journal Article | August 2010

The “Doing Science” probe from Uncovering Student Ideas in Science: Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes (Keeley, Eberle, and Dorsey 2008) can reveal some surprising ideas your students have about how scientists do…

Formative Assessment Probes: No More Plants

Journal Article | March 2015

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses how to uncover students' ideas about interdependency and change.

Formative Assessment Probes: Snap Blocks

Journal Article | June 2015

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue covers progressing from parts and wholes to conservation of matter.

Formative Assessment Probes: Wet Jeans

Journal Article | September 2015

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue uses familiar phenomena to uncover students' ideas.

Formative Assessment Probes: Seeds in a Bag

Journal Article | October 2014

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. In this month’s issue the formative assessment probe is designed to uncover students' use of a crosscutting concept—cause and effect—related to germination…

The Benefits of Formative Assessments for Teaching and Learning

Journal Article | August 2010

Formative assessments are usually informal and can range from oral question-and-answer sessions in class to performance events or quizzes. Stiggens and DuFour (2009) state that teachers and schools should use formative…

Formative Assessment Probes: Pushes and Pulls

Journal Article | September 2011

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses the assessment probe "Talking About Forces."