What Types of Assessments Will Students Take?
What Types of Assessments Do I Use in My Classroom?
Many individuals hear the word 'assessment' or 'test' and think of a multiple choice or short answer exam where students are asked to regurgitate information that was discussed during previous class sessions. However, with the shift to NGSS, the approach to assessing students has greatly changed. As a part of NGSS, the performance expectations describe what students should know and be able to do and, for that reason, assessments must occur in many different forms. In some cases, students need to demonstrate that they can develop a model or plan and conduct an experiment to investigate a particular topic. This type of expectation cannot be met by the completion of a multiple choice exam. For this reason, assessments in my classroom may range from explaining a scientific concept using data, to engineering a product meeting certain specifications, to creating a simulation that demonstrates a scientific process. Due to the use of different types of assessments throughout the school year, I am able to measure students' progress
not only in understanding scientific concepts, but also in their ability to apply scientific concepts to real-world scenarios.
For further information regarding types of assessments, please check out the book Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards.
Examples of Assessments
What Types of Assessments Do I Use in My Classroom?
Many individuals hear the word 'assessment' or 'test' and think of a multiple choice or short answer exam where students are asked to regurgitate information that was discussed during previous class sessions. However, with the shift to NGSS, the approach to assessing students has greatly changed. As a part of NGSS, the performance expectations describe what students should know and be able to do and, for that reason, assessments must occur in many different forms. In some cases, students need to demonstrate that they can develop a model or plan and conduct an experiment to investigate a particular topic. This type of expectation cannot be met by the completion of a multiple choice exam. For this reason, assessments in my classroom may range from explaining a scientific concept using data, to engineering a product meeting certain specifications, to creating a simulation that demonstrates a scientific process. Due to the use of different types of assessments throughout the school year, I am able to measure students' progress
not only in understanding scientific concepts, but also in their ability to apply scientific concepts to real-world scenarios.
For further information regarding types of assessments, please check out the book Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards.
Examples of Assessments
- Interpreting Weather Forecasts
- When discussing different types of weather systems (types of fonts, pressure systems, severe weather events, etc) students spend a great deal of their class time working with weather maps to model different scenarios. This ranges from describing current weather conditions to forecasting future events based upon provided data. As students learn the material through a hands-on approach, it is important that they are assessed in a similar way. For this reason, students participate in a two-part assessment at the end of the unit. In part one, students are provided with a scenario and asked to place the correct weather symbols on the map and predict the weather conditions for multiple locations. In part two, students are provided with a complete weather map and then asked to identify and explain the errors that have been made on the map. Both parts of this assessment require students to apply their knowledge of weather systems to determine a level of conceptual understanding.
- When discussing different types of weather systems (types of fonts, pressure systems, severe weather events, etc) students spend a great deal of their class time working with weather maps to model different scenarios. This ranges from describing current weather conditions to forecasting future events based upon provided data. As students learn the material through a hands-on approach, it is important that they are assessed in a similar way. For this reason, students participate in a two-part assessment at the end of the unit. In part one, students are provided with a scenario and asked to place the correct weather symbols on the map and predict the weather conditions for multiple locations. In part two, students are provided with a complete weather map and then asked to identify and explain the errors that have been made on the map. Both parts of this assessment require students to apply their knowledge of weather systems to determine a level of conceptual understanding.
- Factors Affecting Climate
- As a part of Earth Science, we spend a great deal of time discussing the effect that factors such as latitude, surface features, elevation, global winds, and ocean currents have on climate. At the conclusion of this unit, students are assessed based upon their ability to predict the likely climate of a city on an imaginary continent (such as the one to the right). As opposed to naming or simply describing the factors, students are asked to apply their knowledge of the five factors in a scenario that mimics the real world.
- As a part of Earth Science, we spend a great deal of time discussing the effect that factors such as latitude, surface features, elevation, global winds, and ocean currents have on climate. At the conclusion of this unit, students are assessed based upon their ability to predict the likely climate of a city on an imaginary continent (such as the one to the right). As opposed to naming or simply describing the factors, students are asked to apply their knowledge of the five factors in a scenario that mimics the real world.
- Designing an Air Drop Container
- In some instances, students will design and build a physical product as a form of assessment. Most commonly, this occurs when assessing students in regards to engineering performance expectations. One example is the creation of a conatiner that can be used to safely drop medical supplies into a remote area. In this assessment, students are demonstrating their understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion, while also considering other constraints put forth by the teacher (use of specific supplies, size restrictions, etc). Once again, this assessment is based upon the students' ability to apply their knowledge as opposed to just regurgitating factual information.