This paper reports our work on replacing lab report grading by post-online lab quizzes using Desire2Learn (D2L, an online course management software), specifically, how we circumvent some of the limitations imposed by D2L and the outcomes.

Online multiple-choice instruments to diagnose students' understanding of science concepts are easily developed and administered to students using Google Forms. This article describes a web-based three-tier multiple-choice test for the formative assessment of students' understanding of chemical bonding. The results obtained can lead to follow-up…

Summative assessments measure students' mastery of grade-level academic standards and skills in specific content areas after learning. State summative assessment systems provide students and families, school and district leaders, and state policymakers with valuable data to help understand student progress and school quality. This Policy Guide…

In any science field, including physics, it is important to remain abreast of new assessment methods to cater to the 21st-century student. The rationale of this paper is to argue for a move away from the use of lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) in e-assessment in favor of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), in line with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.…

Plant identification is a critical skill for students in biological sciences, especially forestry. Many students begin with limited plant identification abilities and struggle to learn this skill. To support student learning of identification and ecological characteristics of important forest plants in an undergraduate forest ecology course at the…

This paper is designed to synopsize the efforts of a team of general chemistry teachers to enact assessments during the abrupt transition to online-only instruction and reflect on what was done successfully and what could be improved. The focus is on the extent remote, online assessments accurately measured student knowledge described within the…

The "Framework" and NGSS bring to the forefront the role of language in doing science and in learning from doing science. Yet, most existing science assessments for elementary learners do not integrate or attend to aspects of scientific language and literacy that are essential components of science proficiency. Accordingly, there is a…

We describe the development of a new, freely available, online, programmatic-level assessment tool, Measuring Achievement and Progress in Science in Physiology, or Phys-MAPS (http://cperl.lassp.cornell.edu/bio-maps). Aligned with the conceptual frameworks of Core Principles of Physiology, and Vision and Change Core Concepts, Phys-MAPS can be used…

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is a long-standing international assessment of mathematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades that has been collecting trend data every four years since 1995. About 70 countries use TIMSS trend data for monitoring the effectiveness of their education systems in a global…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what the nation's students know and can do in various subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing, as well as civics, geography, technology and engineering literacy, and U.S. history. The results of NAEP are…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95), specifies the requirements for the state assessments that states must incorporate into their state accountability systems to receive funding under Title I-A. Title IA of the ESEA authorizes aid to local educational agencies (LEAs)…

The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) is a maturing and stable program. In 2016-17 it included: (1) Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and math for students in grades 3-8 and high school; (2) Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) in science for grades 5 and 8; (3) End-of-Course exams in math and…

Describes work in progress at SRI International in the Performance Assessment Links in Science (PALS) project, which is developing an online, standards-based, interactive resource bank of science performance assessments. Coupled with the development of the resource bank is a program of research on effective use of these resources. (SLD)

In this paper we provide a rationale and approach for articulating a conceptual framework and corresponding development resources to guide the design of science inquiry assessments. Important here is attention to how and why research on cognition and learning, advances in technological capability, and development of sophisticated methods and…

Discusses the use of multimedia in large-scale computer-based testing programs to measure problem solving and related cognitive constructs more effectively. Considers the incorporation of dynamic stimuli such as audio, video, and animation, and gives examples in history, physical education, and the sciences. (Author/LRW)