Formative Assessment Probes: Seeing the Light

Journal Article | January 2012

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses students' preconceptions related to the reflection of light.

Assessment <em>for</em> Learning

Journal Article | December 2010

Due to the student-centered nature of problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based science (PBS), it is easy for teachers not to provide students with adequate feedback or enough support to promote critical thinking.…

Formative Assessment Probes: The Mitten Problem

Journal Article | February 2011

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. In this month’s issue, the theory of "immaculate insulation" is prevalent among students. This formative assessment probe will help students overcome this…

Formative Assessment Probes: Where Are the Stars?

Journal Article | August 2011

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. In this month’s issue the author explores children's knowledge of where the stars are in relation to the Earth and Moon.

Science Sampler: Visual formative assessments—The use of images to quickly assess and record student learning

Journal Article | January 2010

Visual formative assessments (VFAs) allow more free more time for direct instruction. VFA’s guide students in using simple images to demonstrate the essential learnings within a unit to themselves and the teacher. VFAs…

Learning Logs: Writing to Learn, Reading to Assess

Journal Article | October 2005

Good inquiry activities help students hone their inquiry abilities and teach them about the nature of science. Inquiry is also a way to teach science content, and teachers need to know if this instruction is helping…

Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom (e-book)

eBook | December 2002

Make ongoing, classroom-based assessment second nature to your students and you. Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom is a thought-provoking collection of 10 essays on the theories behind the latest assessment…

Formative Assessment Probes: Labeling Versus Explaining

Journal Article | January 2013

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses the life cycle of a butterfly.

Linking Classroom Instruction and Assessment to Standardized Testing

Journal Article | December 2004

Is it possible to "teach to the test" and still include inquiry-based science in your classroom? Yes! By using the model presented in this article that shows how inquiry-based instruction and creative classroom…