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SYEFEST Activity: Assessing Student Learning
Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Millbrook, New York
Contributor: Alan Berkowitz
Starter Questions:
- What do you know about plant community ecology?
- What science process skills and habits of mind can you demonstrate in the field of plant community ecology?
- How can you assess the scientific knowledge, process skills and habits of mind of students?
Overview: Teams of participants design, administer, and evaluate performance assessment activities in plant community ecology for each other. The whole group then discusses strategies and challenges for assessing student learning.
Background: Student knowledge, skills and habits of mind in schoolyard ecology can be assessed by performance events. These are tasks requiring 30-90 minutes and can include use of manipulatives or tools, designing investigations, making predictions, data collection and interpretation, and/or drawing inferences and conclusions based on data. They usually start with a standardized and engaging assignment that motivates and focuses the work of the participants.For example: (A) Assign the group to address the question, "Design a study to test how food webs relate to relative humidity on the four sides of the school building." The class is directed to produce a short proposal for their study that would include observations of the actual site that could be made during the specified time period. Or, (B) Assign the group to design and plan the installation and maintenance of a native plant garden for the schoolyard.
The assessment would be based on some combination of (1) observation of specific behaviors or factors by the group as they carry out the task, (2) specific features of the final product, and (3) self assessment by the participants. For each item of interest, the assessment plan should include a rubric facilitating evaluation of attainment.
Materials:
- Worksheet for assessment activity plan (below)
- Field research materials specified by each team in their plan
- Clip boards, paper and pencil for teams to record observations during performance assessment activity
Procedure:
- Assign teachers to create a performance assessment activity.
- At least one day in advance, form two (or more) groups and give them the following assignment:
Two groups plan an activity to assess the science knowledge, process skills and habits of mind in the field of community ecology of the members of the other group. This is to be a performance assessment lasting up to 1 ½ hours, with at least part if not all of the activity taking place outside. Tomorrow you will actually "administer" your activity, be a "student" in the other group's activity, and have a chance to reflect on the entire process.
- Make sure we have a list of the supplies you will need us to provide for your use tomorrow.
- Complete the Assessment Activity Plan Worksheet.
- Prepare the handouts and other materials you will need, either by the end of today or first thing in the morning for duplication.
- Devise a rubric for how you will assess the other group's knowledge, skills and habits of mind.
- Help teacher teams prepare and plan their activities.
- Collect Worksheets and assemble requisite materials.
- Conduct assessment activities at school site.
- One group directs the other in conducting the assessment activity it devised.
- The second group directs the first in conducting the assessment activity it devised.
- Each group then meets to complete its assessment of the other group's performance.
- If time is available, each group shares its observations of the other group's knowledge, skills and habits of mind with respect to plant community ecology.
- Reflecting on assessing student learning.
- Journal writing: What did it feel like to have your science process skills assessed? What were the strengths and weakness of the techniques you used to assess the other groups' skills?
- Jigsaw groups so that each new group has members from each old group. Then discuss the effectiveness of their assessment activity.
- Group discussion of strategies for assessing learning in SYE.
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