The very first edition of "Primary Science Review" included an article entitled "Teaching primary science--how research can help" (Harlen, 1986), which announced that a section of the journal would be for reports of research and particularly for teachers reporting their classroom research. The intervening 24 years have seen…

One way to assure that assessment can have a positive impact on learning is to begin by understanding the nature of formative assessment. Understanding the distinction between formative and summative assessment will make it possible to use each for improvement of education. It becomes increasingly important that schools promote learning that is…