Race To The Top, The Need For Science Assessment Kits

States are in varying stages of developing their NCLB science assessments. Typically, states contract with assessment companies which have a history of producing standardized, norm referenced tests, e.g., the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the Tera Nova, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9, SAT-10).

These new NCLB science tests must include either criterion-referenced assessments or augmented norm-referenced assessments, or both. The world of the standardized, multiple-choice, norm referenced test is disappearing as standards-aligned, criterion-referenced tests emerge.

Because many states' science standards include science inquiry and science process skills that are difficult to assess with conventional multiple-choice questions, more and more science assessments are taking on a different format and look. To assess a student's skills, students must "perform".

Performance assessment is moving us "beyond the bubble" of Scantron forms. When students are asked to perform, they are better able to utilize their unique learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, aural, etc.) as they tap into their own content knowledge of science. Student work from performance assessments better informs the teacher (and student) of what the student understands versus what bubble he may have guessed to be right.

Performance assessment in science requires students to perform various science skills (observation, data collection, organizing data, data analysis, drawing conclusions, etc.) as they manipulate equipment. Science equipment, typically organized in classroom sets, is delivered as science kits.

As the need for criterion-referenced science assessment of inquiry skills takes hold, the demand for science kits will continue to increase. States, districts, and schools are realizing that to assess science inquiry adequately, kits are a necessary, essential part of the assessment program. Educators also realize that if they are to meet the NCLB requirements for science assessment, i.e., to use up-to-date measures to assess mastery of science standards, and the states' science content standards include science inquiry, then the tests themselves need to include student performance tasks. And since "what gets tested gets taught," we will see an increasing number of science inquiry learning activities in classroom curriculum throughout the school year.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program has been using science kits as part of its science program for over 10 years. These science tests are administered every four years to a small sample of students across the nation. Although this national assessment program advocates the use of performance assessment requiring hands-on manipulation of science equipment, it is limited in scope. The more powerful influences that are changing science assessment nationally stem from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Assessment Services, Inc., http://www.assessmentservices-edu.com, designs and develops materials for performance-based assessments and specializes in custom kits for science and math curriculum. We also manufacture and distribute science kits and math kits.

The founder of Assessment Services Inc., has over twenty-five years of experience in the education industry developing and producing science and math materials. The company was created: (1) from a desire to continue a long term, successful partnership in the science assessment industry; (2) to meet a growing need for science assessment kits created in response to the requirements of federal education legislation; (3) to provide the highest quality classroom materials to schools and teachers at the best possible price.

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