2. Assessments in the Past:
Formative:
Provides information on how students and
teachers are doing during lessons throughout the
year
Summative:
End of unit exams measuring quantity and quality
of accumulated knowledge against some
standard
3. Traditional Assessment
Shortcomings
Formative:
Quizzes
Do: Inform teachers of rote recall of facts
Do not: show in-depth understanding of subject
Lack of success on quizzes does not always reflect
deficiency of knowledge
Summative:
End of Unit Tests
Do: tell you what children know and do not know about
subject matter
Do not: measure expression of thought and deep
understanding
Do not: motivate children to think about science as exciting
or relevant to everyday life
4. Science Portfolios
An organized collection of student work
representing the best that he or she can do
over a years time
Individual pieces can be assessed based on
standards
Main goal is to focus on student PROGRESS
5. What does it consist of?
Written observations and science reports
Drawings, charts, and graphs that are products
of hands-on, discovery focused learning
Thank you letters to resource officials who
have visited the classroom
Reaction pieces i.e. written responses to
science software, videos, discovery
experiences, field trips, web explorations
Media products i.e. student-produced science
work in audio, digital, or video form
6. Why Portfolios over Traditional
Assessment?
Traditional assessments do not reflect full
spectrum of student work or measure
continuum of learning
Portfolios measure student work over the
course of a year tracking progress of all facets
of learning in the classroom
