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7 Implementing a Science Assessment System
Pages 217-234

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From page 217...
... . We have emphasized throughout this report that both of these documents provide an opportunity to rethink the possibilities for using assessment to support learning.
From page 218...
... These changes will also need to be accompanied by 218 Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards
From page 219...
... As we emphasized in the discussion of our charge, striking the right balance with new assessments designed to measure rapidly changing curricula and instructional practices while also meeting a range of competing priorities will be challenging, and will require consideration of tradeoffs. Changes in curriculum, instruction, student performance expectations, and professional development will need to be carefully coordinated and then introduced and implemented in stages across grade levels.
From page 220...
... These strategies can then be the basis for the work of developing assessments at other levels, includ ing external assessments that will be useful for purposes beyond the classroom. We recognize that we are calling on state and federal policy makers to change their thinking about accountability -- to rethink questions about who should be held accountable for what and what kinds of evidence are most valuable for that 220 Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards
From page 221...
... EQUITY AND FAIRNESS A fundamental component of the framework's vision for science education is that all students can attain its learning goals. The framework and the NGSS both stress that this goal can only be reached if all students have the opportunity to learn in the new ways recommended in those documents.
From page 222...
... Fairness is not a new concern in assessment. It can be described in terms of lack of bias in the assessment instrument, equitable treatment of test takers, and opportunity to learn tested material (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
From page 223...
... These principles offer a valuable addition to the well-established psychometric approaches to fairness in testing, such as statistical procedures to flag test questions that perform differently with different groups of students and may thus not measure all students' capability accurately (see e.g., American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999; Educational Testing Service, 2002; Joint Committee on Testing Practices, 2004)
From page 224...
... . 224 Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards
From page 225...
... Much remains to be done: the new approaches called for in science education and in assessment should reflect the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. It will be important for those responsible for the design and development of science assessments to take appropriate steps to ensure that tasks are as accessible and fair to diverse student populations as possible.
From page 226...
... Such studies might entail multivariate and hierarchical analyses of the assessment results so that factors influencing test scores can be bet ter interpreted.3 TECHNOLOGY Information and communications technology will be an essential component of a system for science assessment, as noted in the examples discussed throughout this report. Established and emerging technologies that facilitate the storage and sharing of information, audio and visual representation, and many other func tions that are integral to the practice of science are already widely used in science instruction.
From page 227...
... We strongly recommend that states adopt their new systems gradually and strategically, in phases, and doing so will be a key to managing costs. And as we discuss through out the report, new and existing technologies offer possibilities for achieving assessment goals at costs lower than for other assessments, including performance 4We do not advocate that these data be used for the purpose of scaling the scores of students who make use of accommodations.
From page 228...
... State collabora tives, such as the Race to the Top Assessment Program consortia for developing English language arts and mathematics assessments or the New England Common Assessment Program consortium for developing science assessments, can help to reduce development costs. Scoring costs may be reduced by using teachers as scor ers (which also benefits their professional development)
From page 229...
... This multistate approach is in stark contrast to the current approach, in which states have had distinct and separate science standards and have had to develop programs and systems to support science education in their states in relative isolation, often at significant cost and without the benefit of being able to build on successful models from other states. The NGSS will also allow states to pilot professional development models in diverse and culturally varied environments, which could then be useful in other states or regions that have similar demographic characteristics.8 The ways publications/getting-higher-quality-assessments-evaluating-costs-benefits-and-investmentstrategies.pdf [August 2013]
From page 230...
... Funding and resources to continue this networking will be an important investment to foster efficient learning from others in this multistate effort. 230 Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards
From page 231...
... RECOMMENDATION 7-4  State and district leaders who commission assessment development should ensure that the plans address the changes called for by the framework and the Next Generation Science Standards. They should build into their commissions adequate provision for the substantial amounts of time, effort, and refinement that are needed to develop and implement such assessments, thus reflecting awareness that multiple cycles of design-based research will be necessary.
From page 232...
... Technology enhances options for designing assessment tasks that embody three-dimensional science learning, as well as strategies for making them more accessible to students with disabilities and English-language learners. RECOMMENDATION 7-7  States should support the use of existing and emerging technologies in designing and implementing a science assessment sys tem that meets the goals of the framework and the Next Generation Science Standards.
From page 233...
... If states, districts, researchers, and parents invest time and other resources in the effort, new science assessments that are well integrated with curriculum and instruction can be developed. Implementing a Science Assessment System 233


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