Drawing on more than a decade of research and development focused on science assessment, Project 2061 offers this workshop to share its experience and resources with teachers, researchers, and assessment specialists.
The three-day workshop introduces Project 2061's approach to science assessment and its criteria and procedures for developing effective items that are carefully aligned to science ideas. Participants learn about tools and resources that will help them:
- Clarify the science ideas that are to be tested and identify common student misconceptions.
- Develop specifications for writing assessment items, including the use of plausible, but incorrect, answer choices to provide more insight into students' thinking, expecially their misconceptions.
- Align items to specific science ideas using Project 2061's "necessity" and "sufficiency" criteria.
- Consider how unfamiliar vocabulary, test-wiseness, or other factors can affect the accuracy of an item as a measure of what students know.
- Understand and use statistical analyses of student test data to diagnose learning difficulties and improve test items.
- Learn new techniques for collecting and using students' feedback when developing test items.
- Review Project 2061's protocols for pilot and field testing items and how to adapt them for your own needs.
- Access Project 2061's online bank of test items and other assessment resources.
The workshop is both interactive and practical, providing many opportunities to apply what is being learned to the real-world challenges of science assessment. See a sample agenda for the assessment workshop.
May 15 - 17, 2013
August 7 - 9, 2013
October 9 - 11, 2013