Characterizing Middle School Science Assessment Tasks: Are They Designed to Support Equitable Science Learning?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Classroom Assessment Tasks, Feedback, and Emotions (Table 2)

Abstract

Current science education reform efforts envision learners drawing on their cultural and linguistic backgrounds while engaging with disciplinary practices and ideas to make sense of compelling, relevant phenomena. This vision requires coherence between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. We seek to understand if currently available classroom assessment tasks support an equitable vision of science education. Preliminary findings from characterizing 104 tasks reveal that most tasks target current national science standards and include a phenomenon. However, there are challenges in framing phenomena that attend to learners’ interests and identities and engage learners in authentic sensemaking. Further, while some task materials embody the idea of assessments FOR learning and asset-based views of learners, we see room for improvement in aligning with these commitments.

Authors

• Clarissa de Oliveira Deverel-Rico, BSCS Science Learning

• Patricia Olson, BSCS Science Learning

• Cari F. Herrmann-Abell, BSCS Science Learning

• Christopher D. Wilson, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study