HOW DOES SCIENCE REFORM AFFECT ASSESSMENT PRACTICES?

Materials Needed:

• Reference materials including Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS, 1993); Project 2061: Science for All Americans (Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990); National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996); and Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards (2001)

1		On a sheet of paper, list as many answers as you can to the question "What is a scientifically literate person?" You completed a similar list in Portfolio Activity 1.5 in Chapter 1. You might refer to your notes in your portfolio.
2		How could you assess whether a person had met this criteria? List ways to assess each criterion.
3		How many of the items did you choose to assess with traditional multiple choice, true/false, and essay questions? How many required different approaches to assessment? Why is this so?
4		Compare your list of characteristics of scientific literacy to those in major national reform reports such as Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061: Science for All Americans, National Science Education Standards, and Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards. How do your criteria for scientific literacy compare with the criteria in these policy reports? What effect do you think these reports will have on curriculum, instruction, and assessment?
5		Record your ideas in your portfolio.