Curriculum-Embedded Formative Assessment in Linguistically Diverse Elementary Science Classrooms

• In Event: Pre-K–8–Focused Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards were developed with the vision of “all standards, all students.” Teachers in states that have adopted or adapted these standards are now faced with the challenge of implementing them in the classroom while supporting all their students, including English learners (ELs). One promising approach for supporting all students, including ELs, in the classroom is through the use of formative assessment (Heritage, Walqui, & Linquanti, 2015). This paper (1) describes four types of formative assessments embedded in a fifth-grade NGSS-aligned curriculum focused on ELs and (2) reports the findings of an exploratory study of fifth-grade teachers’ use of the curriculum-embedded formative assessments.

Authors

• Lorena Llosa, New York University

• Scott Grapin, University of Miami

• Alison Marie Haas, New York University