Introduction

Assessment and Science Education Web Quest

In this activity you will work in small groups to explore assessment in science education.  By the end of this activity, you should have some answers to the following question:

• How can I help my students succeed on standardized science tests, and at the same time make sure that they are scientifically literate, develop their science skills and knowledge to their full potential, and have positive attitudes towards science?
  

Good luck!  

As a small group, answer the following questions:

1. Imagine that you just started teaching a Regents science subject.  You are almost finished teaching a topic and now you have to design a test for your students.  Describe how you would go about constructing your test. 
2. Construct a few sample questions of the following types on your topic:  multiple choice and constructed response questions.  You should include diagrams, charts, or graphs with the constructed response questions. 
3. After your students take your exam, describe how you would analyze the results of your test. 
4. How would you ensure that your test is valid, reliable, and unbiased?

1. Use your web browser to connect to ScienceMOO .  You should have received your username and password in an email to your gmail address.  If you can't login with your account, you can login as a guest.  Guests do not need a password.
2. Form a group of two to four people who all teach the same science subject. 
3. Your group should pick a table in ScienceMOO and sit together.  The tables are named table1, table2, table3, table4, table5, table6, table7, table8, table9, table10.
4. To sit at a table in ScienceMOO, make sure the button next to normal is selected, then type sit table1 or sit table2
5. While you are at a table, you will only see what is being typed by the people at your table.  If you want to speak to the whole class you can either stand, or use the speakup command.  
6. Discuss the questions as a group and then post your group's answers on the discussion board in BlackBoard and also in our Google group.
   

To accomplish the task, what steps should the learners go through? Use the numbered list format in your web editor to automatically number the steps in the procedure. Describing this section well will help other teachers to see how your lesson flows and how they might adapt it for their own use, so the more detail and care you put into this, the better. Remember that this whole document is addressed to the student, however, so describe the steps using the second person.

1. First you'll be assigned to a team of 3 students...
2. Once you've picked a role to play....
3. ... and so on.

Learners will access the on-line resources that you've identified as they go through the Process. You may have a set of links that everyone looks at as a way of developing background information, or not. If you break learners into groups, embed the links that each group will look at within the description of that stage of the process. (Note, this is a change from the older WebQuest templates which included a separate Resources section. It's now clear that the resources belong in the Process section rather than alone.)

In the Process block, you might also provide some guidance on how to organize the information gathered. This advice could suggestions to use flowcharts, summary tables, concept maps, or other organizing structures. The advice could also take the form of a checklist of questions to analyze the information with, or things to notice or think about. If you have identified or prepared guide documents on the Web that cover specific skills needed for this lesson (e.g. how to brainstorm, how to prepare to interview an expert), link them to this section.

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.
Stated Objective or Performance	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance.	Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance.

Put a couple of sentences here that summarize what they will have accomplished or learned by completing this activity or lesson. You might also include some rhetorical questions or additional links to encourage them to extend their thinking into other content beyond this lesson.

List here the sources of any images, music or text that you're using. Provide links back to the original source. Say thanks to anyone who provided resources or help.

List any books and other analog media that you used as information sources as well.