COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

(Bachelor of Elementary Education)

SELF-LEARNING MODULE ESC 8

Module 7- Assessing and

Evaluating Science
Learning

TERESA V. APAGALANG, MAEd.

Instructor1
 COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

In every part of your instructions, you often try to collect information

on our student‘s understanding in various ways. You always wanted to find out
if the concepts you would like to impart to them were attained or not. You also
need to find out how well the planned lesson was imparted. What will you do
about these?

Conducting a classroom assessment to determine a student‘s progress is the best way to

answer your queries‘.

This lesson will give you the following:

1. Differences among assessment, measurement and evaluation.

2. Differences between formative assessment and summative assessment
3. Differences between traditional and authentic assessment
4. Different forms of authentic assessment.
5. Different simple assessment strategies that can be used every day.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Differentiate assessment, measurement, and evaluation;

2. Differentiate formative assessment from summative assessment;

3. Compare and contrast traditional and authentic assessment

4. Describe the different forms of authentic assessment; and

5. Identify simple assessment strategies that can be used in a classroom.

6. Explain the merits of authentic assessment

Suggested Time Allotment: 3 hours

DISCUSSION

7.1 Differences among assessment, measurement and evaluation

Assessment is an information-gathering and a decision-making process which

includes observing students as they work, listening to their answer during discussions,

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and examining the results of the teacher-made and standardized tests (Kauchak and
Eggen, 2001).

Assessment may be formative or summative in nature. You do a formative assessment

when you ask questions while the discussion is going on. You do a summative assessment
when you give a test at the end of the topic. If you want to know the prior knowledge of
the students about the topic as well as their strengths and weaknesses, then you can
administer a diagnostic test to determine where to start your instruction. The assessment
has two components – measurement and evaluation.

Measurement includes all information the teacher gathers concerning student

performance.

Evaluation refers to the decision teachers make on the basis of measurement. Assigning
grades is the most common form of evaluation.

7.2 Let‘s Compare and Contrast Traditional and Authentic

assessment

What are the sources of assessment information?

Traditional Assessment Authentic assessment (Kleinheider, 1996)

Fill-in-the blanks Performance-based Assessment
Matching type Portfolio
True or false type Concept Mapping
Multiple choice type Creative Assessment
Short –answer question Type Journals and Oral Interviews
Problem Tests
Diagrams or Picture Types of Tests
Practical Assessment
Self- Evaluation

7.2.1 Traditional Assessment versus Authentic Assessment

The traditional assessment has the following characteristics.

1. It focuses on knowledge and recall of information.
2. It tends to reveal only whether the student can recognize, recall, or "plugin"
what was learned out of context (Grant, 2003).
3. It provides little insight into the way learners think.
4. It relies on indirect or proxy 'items'--efficient, simplistic substitutes from
which we think valid inferences can be made about the student's performance
(Atherton, 2003).
5. It is usually limited to paper-and-pencil, one- answer questions.

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6. It asks the student to select or write correct responses but does not provide
reasons for their choice.
7. It does not assess the student‘s ability to apply their understanding to real-
world problems (Kauchak & Eggen, 2001).
8. It provides a rare opportunity to plan, revise, and substantiate responses even
when there are open-ended questions.
9. It standardizes objective "items‖; hence, it has one right answer.
10. It is easy for teachers to check.

One commonly used traditional assessment tool is the multiple-choice test.A multiple-
choice test item consists of a stem and options. The student has to choose from a number of
options. In most forms, one of the options is the correct answer and the others are
distractors. This test is effective for testing knowledge and memory and for problem-solving
in convergent subject areas. It is easy to administer to a large number of students.
However, have in mind that a good multiple choice question is difficult to
prepare. Knowledge of a topic that is to be assessed by multiple-choice tests may encourage
students to memorize discrete items of information, rather than develop an overall
understanding of the topic (Atherton, 2003).

Traditional assessment is not the only way to gauge the achievement of the
students. There are many classroom situations in which you may need to use non- paper-
and-pencil tests to gather information about your pupils‘ achievement. Some of these are the
development of different science process skills, manipulating a microscope, measuring, and
social skills such as cooperation, courtesy and leadership. To gather appropriate
information about such performances, you need to observe and judge each of your
pupils/student‘s actual performance or products. Assessment in which pupils/students create
an answer or a product that demonstrates their knowledge and skills is called a
performance-based assessment. This kind of assessment is a form of authentic assessment.

Performance-based assessment is concerned primarily with the student‘s ability to

translate knowledge into observable performance or products. It has the following
characteristics:

• is concerned primarily with the pupil‘s/student‘s ability to translate knowledge into

observable performance or products;

• requires pupils/students to manipulate equipment, to solve a problem, or make

analysis;

• gives insights of pupil‘s/student‘s conceptual and procedural knowledge;

• can be used to chart the progress of each member of the class;

• provides rich evidence of the level of performance skills; and

• is time-consuming to construct and administer but produces rating forms that can be
repeatedly used with the same or new pupils/students.

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7.3 STRATEGIES IN ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING

Just as it is challenging to institute new instructional strategies in the classroom, it is also

difficult to incorporate new assessment strategies into classroom evaluation. Creating these
strategies is also difficult. Therefore, it is helpful to know that many of the national
curriculum programs include such strategies in their teacher‘s guides. These suggestions
provide a good starting point. The new assessment strategies can be introduced slowly and
carefully. It is neither necessary nor advisable to eliminate traditional testing. One of the
guiding principles behind assessment is that the more diverse the strategies used, the more
that can be learned about each student. A balance of traditional tests and alternative
assessments will produce a more complete picture of students‘ progress.

The following assessment strategies have been used effectively in many science classrooms
throughout the country:

■ Matched pre- and post-module assessments

■ Embedded assessments

■ Prediction activities

■ Final assessments, such as hands-on assessments, paper-and-pencil tests, and science

notebooks ■ Informal assessments

■ Documentation and record-keeping. Many of these assessment strategies, which are

discussed below, have been incorporated into national science curriculum programs.

Pre- and post-module assessments

Pre- and post-module assessments serve two important functions. The first is to track how
much students have learned during the unit. For example, the teacher could ask a question or
assign an investigation at the beginning of each module to find out how much students know
about the subject. At the end of the module, students could answer the same question or
perform the same investigation, enabling the teacher to observe how the students‘
understanding of a subject has grown. A pre-module assessment can also give the teacher
information on what questions students are interested in pursuing. As the class progresses
through the unit, the teacher can refer to the pre-module assessment to further refine
teaching strategies. The post-module data can then be used as a way for the teacher to
measure the success of his or her teaching strategies. One example of pre- and post-module
assessments include brainstorming sessions during which children are asked what they know
about a subject and what they would like to learn about it. Other examples include having
students write about a subject, draw a picture, or perform a simple experiment. These devices
give teachers important ―before-and-after‖ information.

Embedded assessments

Embedded assessments are woven (embedded) into the instructional sequence in the module.
They may be part of the activities that naturally occur in a lesson or a logical extension of the
lesson‘s central activity. Embedded assessments are based on the assumption that assessment

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and learning are two sides of the same coin. In fact, many educators assert that from the
students‘ vantage point, there should be a seamless flow between instruction and assessment.
The biggest difference between embedded assessment and other learning activities is that the
assessment is designed to enable the teacher to obtain and record information about student
learning.

A prediction

A prediction is different from a guess because a prediction is based on previous experience

and knowledge of a subject. By asking students to make predictions at appropriate times,
teachers can assess the science concepts their students have mastered and how well they can
apply that knowledge to a new situation. For example, during a module on buoyancy,
students may be given an assortment of objects and then asked to predict which ones will
float and which ones will sink. If students consider the weight and volume in making their
predictions, the teacher will know that students have gained some understanding of the
buoyancy concept. If they guess randomly, they are telling the teacher that they have a
limited understanding of the concept. In either case, the teacher has gained valuable
information.

FINAL ASSESSMENT

These assessments are used at the end of a science unit or module. Although many final
assessments include paper-and-pencil tests, they can take many other forms. Examples of
final assessments are described below.

This type of final assessment provides an opportunity for teachers to observe how well
students can perform an experiment similar to one they worked on during the module.

Through hands-on assessments, teachers see how students approach a problem, gather
data, record results, and draw conclusions from their findings.

Another way to organize hands-on assessments is for the teacher to set up stations
throughout the room that offer a series of tasks for students to complete. For example, after
performing a module on chemical tests, students may be asked to perform a filtration task at
one table, a mixing task at another, and data analysis at a third table.

By observing how the students go about the tasks, reviewing the kinds of records they make,
and checking the results, the teacher will gain information about what the students have
learned.

This work can be done individually or in cooperative groups. These are questions included at
the end of the unit. The questions can be pictorial or reflective.

Pictorial assessments evaluate how well students can think through problems that require
both the knowledge and the application of ideas to a new situation.

Reflective assessments evaluate how well students can express themselves in writing, as
indicated by the way students respond to problem solving questions. Students could be asked
to graph hypothetical data, analyze data from a graph, or discuss a concept in detail.
Activities such as these encourage students to go beyond simply recalling isolated pieces of
information and to think critically in applying knowledge to new situations.

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Students can be asked to prepare individual science notebooks that include all the
observations and records generated during a module. The notebooks may include stories and
poems, record sheets, charts, tables, and graphs. Drawings also reveal what students have
learned. The teacher should assess the level of detail, use of labels, and quality of
explanations accompanying the drawings. Science notebooks are useful for both teachers and
students.

Notebooks are a powerful assessment tool for teachers and an effective way for
students to keep a record of what they have done in the module. A portfolio is a selected
group of student work. Students themselves can select pieces that they feel represent
significant learning. Usually, the teacher and students work together to develop selection
criteria, which may include materials that were the hardest to do or projects that provoked
the most learning. Through this process, students have an opportunity to reflect on what
they‘ve learned.

Informal assessments

Many teachers also find it helpful to conduct informal assessments of students‘ progress.
Such informal assessments involve reviewing written materials, observing students at work,
and simply walking around the room and listening to students‘ conversations. By asking the
right questions, teachers can uncover students‘ reasoning and the steps they used to solve
problems. The questions that students ask can also be a source of information about their
understanding. In addition, individual and group presentations can give teachers insights
into students‘ interpretation of what they have learned. Finally, questions posed by students
following presentations can provide opportunities to gather important information.

Documentation and record keeping

One of the hardest parts of incorporating alternative assessment into the science program is
developing an accurate record-keeping system. Many teachers‘ guides include record-
keeping charts that help teachers focus on the goals of each assessment instrument. The
record-keeping devices may include observation sheets, student worksheets, student profile
charts, and evaluation rubrics. These devices provide a structure for teachers to use as they
experiment with new assessment strategies, and they can be adapted to suit the needs and
record-keeping styles of different teachers.

22 Simple Assessment Strategies & Tips You Can Use Every Day

1. An open-ended question that gets them writing/talking

Avoid yes/no questions and phrases like ―Does this make sense?‖ In response to these
questions, students usually answer ‗yes.‘ So, of course, it‘s surprising when several students
later admit that they‘re lost.

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To help students grasp ideas in class, ask open-ended questions that require students that get
students writing/talking. They will undoubtedly reveal more than you would‘ve thought to ask
directly.

2. Ask students to reflect

During the last five minutes of class ask students to reflect on the lesson and write down what
they‘ve learned. Then, ask them to consider how they would apply this concept or skill in a
practical setting.

3. Use quizzes

Give a short quiz at the end of class to check for comprehension.

4. Ask students to summarize

Have students summarize or paraphrase important concepts and lessons. This can be done
orally, visually, or otherwise.

5. Hand signals

Hand signals can be used to rate or indicate students‘ understanding of content. Students can
show anywhere from five fingers to signal maximum understanding to one finger to signal
minimal understanding. This strategy requires engagement by all students and allows the
teacher to check for understanding within a large group.

6. Response cards

Index cards, signs, whiteboards, magnetic boards, or other items are simultaneously held up
by all students in the class to indicate their response to a question or problem presented by
the teacher. Using response devices, the teacher can easily note the responses of individual
students while teaching the whole group.

7. Four corners

A quick and easy snapshot of student understanding, Four Corners provides an opportunity
for student movement while permitting the teacher to monitor and assess understanding.

The teacher poses a question or makes a statement. Students then move to the appropriate
corner of the classroom to indicate their response to the prompt. For example, the corner
choices might include ―I strongly agree,‖ ―I strongly disagree,‖ ―I agree somewhat,‖ and
―I‘m not sure.‖

8. Think-pair-share

Students take a few minutes to think about the question or prompt. Next, they pair with a
designated partner to compare thoughts before sharing with the whole class.

9. Choral reading

Students mark text to identify a particular concept and chime in, reading the marked text
aloud in unison with the teacher. This strategy helps students develop fluency; differentiate

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between the reading of statements and questions; and practice phrasing, pacing, and reading
dialogue.

10. One question quiz

Ask a single focused question with a specific goal that can be answered within a minute or
two. You can quickly scan the written responses to assess student understanding.

11. Socratic seminar

Students ask questions of one another about an essential question, topic, or selected text. The
questions initiate a conversation that continues with a series of responses and additional
questions. Students learn to formulate questions that address issues to facilitate their own
discussion and arrive at a new understanding.

12. 3-2-1

Students consider what they have learned by responding to the following prompt at the end of
the lesson: 3) things they learned from your lesson; 2) things they want to know more about;
and 1) questions they have. The prompt stimulates student reflection on the lesson and helps
to process the learning.

13. Ticket out the door

Students write in response to a specific prompt for a short period of time. Teachers collect
their responses as a ―ticket out the door‖ to check for students‘ understanding of a concept
taught. This exercise quickly generates multiple ideas that could be turned into longer pieces
of writing at a later time.

14. Journal reflections

Students write their reflections on a lesson, such as what they learned, what caused them
difficulty, strategies they found helpful, or other lesson-related topics. Students can reflect on
and process lessons. By reading student work–especially —types of learning journals that
help students, think–teachers can identify class and individual misconceptions and successes.
(See also

15. Formative pencil–paper assessment

Students respond individually to short, pencil–paper formative assessments of skills and

knowledge taught in the lesson. Teachers may elect to have students self-correct. The teacher
collects assessment results to monitor individual student progress and to inform future
instruction.

Both student and teacher can quickly assess whether the student acquired the intended
knowledge and skills. This is a formative assessment, so a grade is not the intended purpose.

16. Misconception check

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Present students with common or predictable misconceptions about a concept you‘re

covering. Ask them whether they agree or disagree and to explain why.

17. Analogy prompt

Teaching with analogies can be powerful. Periodically, present students with an analogy
prompt: ―the concept being covered is like ____ because ____.‖

18. Practice frequency

Check for understanding at least three times a lesson, minimum.

19. Use variety

Teachers should use enough different individual and whole group techniques to check
understanding that they accurately know what all students know. More than likely, this means
during a single class the same technique should not be repeated.

20. Make it useful

The true test is whether or not you can adjust your course or continue as planned based on
the information received in each check. Do you need to stop and start over? Pull a few
students aside for three minutes to re-teach? Or move on?

21. Peer instruction

Perhaps the most accurate way to check for understanding is to have one student try to teach
another student what she‘s learned. If she can do that successfully, it‘s clear she understood
your lesson.

22. “Separate what you do and don’t understand”

Whether making a t-chart, drawing a concept map, or using some other means, have the
students not simply list what they think they know, but what they don‘t know as well. This
won‘t be as simple as it sounds–we‘re usually not aware of what we don‘t know.

They‘ll also often know more or less than they can identify themselves, which makes this
strategy a bit crude. But that‘s okay–the goal isn‘t for them to be precise and complete in
their self-evaluation the goal is for you to gain insight as to what they do and don‘t know.

And seeing what they can even begin to articulate on their own is an excellent starting point
here.

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SUGGESTED READINGS/ RESOURCES/ LINKS

https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/tips-for-teaching-science-to-elementary/

https://abdao.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/traditional-vs-authentic-assessment/

https://www.nap.edu/read/9607/chapter/5#40

https://www.slideshare.net/JamesBackayan/interactive-teaching-and-instructional-
materials

MODULE SUMMARY
Assessment is an information-gathering and a decision-making process which includes
observing students as they work, listening to their answer during discussions, and examining
the results of the teacher-made and standardized
tests (Kauchak and Eggen,)

The assessment has two components –

measurement and evaluation.

Measurement includes all information the

teacher gathers concerning student
performance.

Evaluation refers to the decision teachers make

on the basis of measurement. Assigning grades
is the most common form of evaluation.

There are different traditional and authentic

assessments, traditional assessment includes, Fill-in-the blanks, matching type, True or
false type, Multiple Choice Type, and Short-answer question type. An authentic assessment
includes; Performance-based Assessment, portfolio, Concept Mapping, Creative assessment,
Journals and Oral Interviews, Problem Tests, Diagrams or Picture Types of Tests, Practical
Assessment, and Self-Evaluation.

Different simple assessment strategies that can been used effectively in many science
classrooms throughout the country: these are Matched pre- and post-module assessments,
Embedded assessments, Prediction activities, Final assessments, such as hands-on
assessments, paper-and-pencil tests, and science notebooks , Informal assessments and
Documentation and record-keeping.

22 Simple Assessment Strategies & Tips You Can Use Every Day were also discussed in this
lesson; some examples given are open-ended question, Ask students to reflect, use quizzes
and many more.

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