When teachers ask questions or devise activities that encourage pupils to talk, they set up opportunities for assessment. To act on these data, teachers need to convert judgements into decisions about next steps and guidance for pupils on how best to move their learning forward. This is a complex process that requires skill and action, both for…

The Curriculum for Excellence and new National Qualifications offer innovative reform, based on widely supported ideas and aims, for Scottish preschool, primary and secondary education levels. "Objectives and syllabuses" for science are replaced by "experiences and outcomes". Most strikingly, central prescription makes way for…

First in a series of reports of an investigation designed to determine whether a continuous process of change is possible in science curricula using outcomes of examinations as one source of information. Describes necessary conditions for such a process together with findings relating to various dimensions of the Nuffield examination. (GS)

Reports the findings of a questionnaire-based study of the experiences of secondary science teachers under the British National Curriculum. Suggests a model for future control of the science curriculum. (Author/CCM)

Describes the results of utilizing examinations which allow freedom of choice and response, and lists the outcomes of assessing practical work internally by teachers. (LS)

Describes a survey in which one thousand British undergraduates who had studied one or more Nuffield A-Level single sciences were identified; both they and their teachers were asked about the influence of this experience on their university performance. The survey revealed definite approval for the Nuffield schemes. (MLH)

Breaks down a curriculum evaluation into teachers' and pupils' perceptions of: (1) course structure and time allocations, and (2) topic difficulty, along with (3) pupils' interest in the topic. (LS)

Traces the path of Nuffield Physical Science secondary school students to their choice of university courses. This analysis was used to evaluate the science curriculum. (LS)

Three separate articles deal with issues involved in development of curriculum. Due to the importance of environmental issues, biological education should include topics of environmental management. Critical examination of a curriculum evaluation entitled Science 5/13: Report for Teachers on the Evaluation of the First Set of Units'' is made. (PS)

Discusses a two-year assessment undertaken to evaluate the Nuffield A-Level chemistry course. Secondary teachers selected chemistry experiments for assessment purposes and assessed their students in manipulative skills, observational skills, interpretation skills, creative skills, and attitudes. (MLH)

Reported are the results of an evaluation of the Nuffield Combined Science projects utilized in English schools for biology, chemistry and physics instruction. Evaluations by 18 teachers and 420 students indicate that the course is effective in teaching expected skills. (SL)

The third in a series of four articles, this report includes data on questionnaires given to teachers and students regarding attitudes toward the Nuffield advanced chemistry curriculum and examinations. Data were subgrouped according to mathematics background, science background, and sex of student. (CS)

Describes a study of student understanding of the nature of physics in Hungary before and after curricular reform in 1985 similar to Nuffield physics in Great Britain. Concludes that students taking non-science courses do not readily adopt a physical style of thinking. (CW)

Presents student and teacher evaluations of the LAMP unit "Paints and Dyes." The units are designed for low motivated secondary school students. Copies of the objectives and the evaluation instruments are included with the article. (CP)

This article presents the teaching materials developed by the Science and Technology in Society Project (SATIS). Discusses how to demonstrate and assess the relevance of science. (CW)