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Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in Science, K-8

By: Elizabeth Hammerman

Ideal for preservice and inservice teachers, this user-friendly resource demonstrates how to use formative assessments to guide instruction and evaluate student learning in standards-based science.

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-8
ISBN: 9781412962971
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 144
Publication date: September 18, 2008

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Description

"Hammerman focuses on the meaning and centrality of formative assessment, providing insights, examples, and ties to numerous individual initiatives to improve science experiences for students and to inspire better teaching for teachers."
—Robert E. Yager, Professor of Science Education
University of Iowa

"This book addresses the various assessments used in our schools and how they can be approached to improve learning."
—Elizabeth Alvarez, Math and Science Coach
Chicago Public Schools, IL

Use formative assessment to guide successful teaching and learning in science!

Proven to be one of the most powerful tools for promoting effective learning, formative assessment enables teachers to capture evidence of student thinking and learning and use that information to adjust instruction. In this concise resource, science educator Elizabeth Hammerman clearly outlines the formative assessment process and provides practical strategies for embedding assessments into the K–8 standards-based science curriculum.

This research-based book demonstrates how student-centered assessment helps students assume more responsibility for what they learn and how they learn. Teachers can use the various models of formative assessments to monitor student progress and evaluate learning. The author guides readers through discussions, "thought and reflection" activities, analyses of assessment techniques, and applications to classroom practice.

Ideal for teachers and science and curriculum specialists, this user-friendly resource provides all the necessary tools to:

Assess student understanding using observation checklists, questioning strategies, notebooks, reports, graphic organizers, projects, and performance tasks
Differentiate science instruction to reach all learners
Use rubrics as a means of discovering student strengths and weaknesses
Collect student data to inform instructional decisions

With this easy-to-implement guide, any teacher can effectively use formative assessment strategies to enhance instruction and increase student achievement in science.

Key features

•Provides models for each type of assessment and shows how they can be used to instruct, monitors and guides student progress, and evaluates learning.
•Overview of research on formative assessment
•Introduces a variety of classroom assessment strategies
•Creates a vision for assessment
•Links classroom instruction and assessment to standardized testing
•Address a broad range of assessment strategies and provide examples of each type of assessment
•'Teaches teachers' how to use classroom assessment strategies to enhance instruction and increase achievement
•Introduces concepts and strategies – aka an Assessment Toolkit (about 8 different assessment "tools")
•Elaborates on the concept or strategy through activities and models
•Challenges teachers to apply the strategies to classroom practice

Author(s)

Elizabeth Hammerman

Elizabeth Hammerman is a dedicated science educator and consultant. Her professional background includes teaching science at the middle school and high school levels and over 20 years of experience teaching university science education courses and co-directing funded grant projects. She has done extensive professional development with teachers in the field, specializing in curriculum development and implementation, performance assessment, and effective teaching and learning. The need for high-quality professional development programs and materials in science education became apparent throughout the many projects and professional relationships with teachers who were eager to increase their knowledge base, skills, and confidence for teaching science more effectively.

Hammerman has co-authored a book on performance assessment in science and authored a database of science assessment tasks. She has published articles, presented programs at national conferences, consulted nationally, and developed curriculum and assessments for cutting-edge school districts and commercial products.

Since relocating to North Carolina in 1999, Hammerman has been a math/science consultant for a consortium of seven county school systems, has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education and science education, served as director of education and professional development for Virtual Learning Systems, and worked as a consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She is actively involved in professional development and continues to work on a series of professional development books for science education for Corwin Press.

Table of Contents

Preface

The Goals of Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in Science

Uses for Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in Science

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

Student-Centered Instruction and Assessment

Changing Practice to Improve Learning

An Overview of Chapters

1. Formative Assessment and Science

New Ways of Thinking About Assessment

Goal-Centered Assessment

Research Support for Formative Assessment

Creating a Vision for Formative Assessment

Examining Beliefs and Practices

Traditional Versus Student-Centered Views of Assessment

Formative Assessment as "Authentic" Assessment

Clear Targets for Instruction and Assessment

2. Using Rubrics to Guide Learning

The What and Why of Rubrics

Holistic Rubrics

Designing Holistic Rubrics

Generalized Rubrics

Examples of Generalized Rubrics

Analytic Rubrics

Assessment Tasks With Analytic Rubrics

Designing Analytic Rubrics

Rubrics for Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment

Design a Rubric

3. Observation Checklists and Effective Questioning

Observation Checklists

Sample Observation Checklists

Effective Questioning

Questions for Thinking and Problem Solving

Questions for Instruction and Assessment

4. Notebooks, Reports, and Graphic Organizers

Notebooks

Notebooks as Assessment Tools

Rubric for a Science Notebook

Lab Reports

Lab Reports for Learning and Assessment

Rubric for a Lab Report

Graphic Organizers

Descriptive Organizers

Sequential Organizers

Process-Casual Organizers

Categorical Organizers

Comparison-Related Organizers

Problem-Solution Organizers

Four Corner Organizers

5. Projects and Presentations

Learning Through Projects

Assessing Projects

Rubric for a Project

Learning Through Presentations

Assessing Presentations

6. Performance Tasks and Embedded Assessments

Performance Assessment

Performance Tasks

A Generalized Rubric for a Performance Task

Embedded Assessments

A Model for Embedded Assessments

Sample Embedded Performance Task

Designing Embedded Performance Assessments

Performance Assessments Following Instruction

Sample Performance Assessments

Performance Assessment as Benchmark Assessment

Characteristics of Benchmark Assessments

Sample Benchmark Assessment

7. Planning and Implementing Formative Assessment

Characteristics of High-Quality Instruction and Assessment

Planning Formative Assessment

A Planning Guide for Formative Assessment

A Planning Guide for a Unit on Cells

Using Assessment Data to Modify Instruction

Project Choices

Adjusting Assignments

Stations for Active Learning

Differentiating Instruction Through Centers

Creating Contracts

Formative Assessment and Accountability

References and Further Reading

Index

Reviews

"Hammerman focuses on the meaning and centrality of formative assessment, providing insights, examples, and ties to numerous individual initiatives to improve science experiences for students and to inspire better teaching for teachers."

Robert E. Yager, Professor of Science Education
University of Iowa

"Addresses the various assessments used in our schools, but most importantly how they can be approached to improve learning."

Elizabeth Alvarez, Math and Science Coach
Chicago Public Schools, IL

"With so many teachers trying to meet the needs of NCLB, using strategies that we find credible and do-able is a major goal. The many good suggestions with reasonable rationale make this a valuable book."

Judith A. Filkins, K-8 Math and Science Curriculum Coordinator
Lebanon School District, NH

"The book fills a gap left open by many teacher credential programs: how to teach and assess science. New and veteran teachers will benefit from the specific examples of assessment strategies given and the prompts to reflect on practice."

Regina Brinker, Science Teacher
Christensen Middle School, Livermore, CA

Other Titles in: Science | Formative Assessment | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

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Review Copies

This book is not available as a review copy.