Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in Science, K-8

Elizabeth Hammerman is a dedicated science educator and consultant. Her professional background includes teaching science at the middle school and high school levels and over 20 years of experience teaching university science education courses and co-directing funded grant projects. She has done extensive professional development with teachers in the field, specializing in curriculum development and implementation, performance assessment, and effective teaching and learning. The need for high-quality professional development programs and materials in science education became apparent throughout the many projects and professional relationships with teachers who were eager to increase their knowledge base, skills, and confidence for teaching science more effectively. Hammerman has co-authored a book on performance assessment in science and authored a database of science assessment tasks. She has published articles, presented programs at national conferences, consulted nationally, and developed curriculum and assessments for cutting-edge school districts and commercial products.Since relocating to North Carolina in 1999, Hammerman has been a math/science consultant for a consortium of seven county school systems, has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education and science education, served as director of education and professional development for Virtual Learning Systems, and worked as a consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She is actively involved in professional development and continues to work on a series of professional development books for science education for Corwin Press.

• PrefaceThe Goals of Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in ScienceUses for Formative Assessment Strategies for Enhanced Learning in ScienceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIntroductionStudent-Centered Instruction and AssessmentChanging Practice to Improve LearningAn Overview of Chapters1. Formative Assessment and ScienceNew Ways of Thinking About AssessmentGoal-Centered AssessmentResearch Support for Formative AssessmentCreating a Vision for Formative AssessmentExamining Beliefs and PracticesTraditional Versus Student-Centered Views of AssessmentFormative Assessment as "Authentic" AssessmentClear Targets for Instruction and Assessment2. Using Rubrics to Guide LearningThe What and Why of RubricsHolistic RubricsDesigning Holistic RubricsGeneralized RubricsExamples of Generalized RubricsAnalytic RubricsAssessment Tasks With Analytic RubricsDesigning Analytic RubricsRubrics for Self-Assessment and Peer AssessmentDesign a Rubric3. Observation Checklists and Effective QuestioningObservation ChecklistsSample Observation ChecklistsEffective QuestioningQuestions for Thinking and Problem SolvingQuestions for Instruction and Assessment4. Notebooks, Reports, and Graphic OrganizersNotebooksNotebooks as Assessment ToolsRubric for a Science NotebookLab ReportsLab Reports for Learning and AssessmentRubric for a Lab ReportGraphic OrganizersDescriptive OrganizersSequential OrganizersProcess-Casual OrganizersCategorical OrganizersComparison-Related OrganizersProblem-Solution OrganizersFour Corner Organizers5. Projects and PresentationsLearning Through ProjectsAssessing ProjectsRubric for a ProjectLearning Through PresentationsAssessing Presentations6. Performance Tasks and Embedded AssessmentsPerformance AssessmentPerformance TasksA Generalized Rubric for a Performance TaskEmbedded AssessmentsA Model for Embedded AssessmentsSample Embedded Performance TaskDesigning Embedded Performance AssessmentsPerformance Assessments Following InstructionSample Performance AssessmentsPerformance Assessment as Benchmark AssessmentCharacteristics of Benchmark AssessmentsSample Benchmark Assessment7. Planning and Implementing Formative AssessmentCharacteristics of High-Quality Instruction and AssessmentPlanning Formative AssessmentA Planning Guide for Formative AssessmentA Planning Guide for a Unit on CellsUsing Assessment Data to Modify InstructionProject ChoicesAdjusting AssignmentsStations for Active LearningDifferentiating Instruction Through CentersCreating ContractsFormative Assessment and AccountabilityReferences and Further ReadingIndex

"Hammerman focuses on the meaning and centrality of formative assessment, providing insights, examples, and ties to numerous individual initiatives to improve science experiences for students and to inspire better teaching for teachers."