Active Assessment for Active Science: A Review

Hein & Price wrote an assessment guide for elementary teachers in 1994 written specifically for active science lessons and units. This guide was in response to the inadequacies of current science assessments (p. 4). When referring to assessment, they mean it to "encompass all the possible means whereby teachers make judgments about what students have learned" (p.1). This book explores various forms of assessment, how to manage and score them, and the values of active assessment. Overall, I found this book to be very informative and useful for teachers who are in a school system with flexible assessments in their curriculum.

Hein & Price began the book by discussing why active assessment in science is necessary. They stated that research indicates that the traditional methods of assessment are not feasible because "children's thinking is that almost never uses multiple-choice questions or other short-answer forms" (p.11). They also state that the National Standards Committee would like to see "an examination system" where a collection of students' work is evaluated, rather than simply looking at a test (p.8).

Several forms of assessment were discussed in the text. They included examples that could take place prior to the science unit, during, and after. It was cautioned, however, that you should not attempt to use all of the examples at the same time (p.14). It was also emphasized that the teacher should decide on what being assessed and the "content", before beginning the unit. The teacher should also make sure that the pre-unit and post-unit assessments "have the same form and structure" if not identical to ensure validity (p.15). Examples of the types of active assessment are brainstorming, lab reports, questionnaires, drawings, concept maps, embedded products, stations with timed and defined tasks, written stories, and paper/pencil tests. They suggested the use of portfolios as a systematic way of storing and organizing the assessments to adequately evaluate the students' knowledge (pp.16-48).

Since the types of assessments Hein & Price suggest vary drastically from those educators are used to, they dedicate a chapter to managing the active science assessment. First, they recommend that you "start small" (p.53). Do not try to integrate too many new assessment forms at once and risk the chance of becoming overwhelmed. They also recommend teaming up with a colleague to map out assessments and to align them with the unit goals and tasks (p.54). In order to ensure a smooth flow to your assessments, make sure you are organized: date all work, keep separate files for work you need to keep, keep relevant staff informed of ongoing projects, and keep objectives clear (p.56). They also discuss keeping in mind developmental considerations. For instance, "Written assessments work well only with older children" as a first grader may not yet be able to write a story including all of the information learned within a unit (p. 75).

Hein & Price also discuss how to score the active assessment. I felt as if this section was very valuable because most districts and parents place high value on grades. First you must develop your own criteria, what you feel is important to be learned in the unit (p.117). Next, you must determine the "levels of achievement" which will be unique to each teacher, must be limited, specific, and not over defined (pp. 117-119). Grades can then be assigned to the different levels (p.123) and the grading can be either atomistic or holistic. Atomistic refers to being able to look at the various work samples and assigning value to each one. Holistic refers to looking at all of the work samples as one and assigning a single grade to the entire unit (p. 126).

While Hein & Price readily admit that this assessment may have its flaws, they also point out that all assessments have flaws. They do state that this type of active assessment overcomes inequity, places more emphasis on the individual, reflects the community's values, uses more cooperative learning, and allows teachers to involve themselves in assessment (pp. 133-138). "All we can hope to do is continually strive to achieve our educational goals, to learn from our failures, and to provide the best possible education for the children in our care" (p.139).

I felt that this text was very interesting and informative. It provided a lot of examples that teachers can readily use in their classrooms, as well as ways of using this assessment to appease the expectations of administrators and parents. This form of active assessment would work very well for a teacher that does not have to abide by specific forms of assessment as prescribed by the curriculum or district's standards. Teachers that are mandated to administer specific tests and assignments would not be able to use the active assessment. In summary, active assessment could be a very useful tool to evaluate a child's overall understanding of a scientific concept.

Hein, G. & Price, S. (1994). Active assessment for active science: a guide for elementary school teachers. Portsmouth: Heinemann.