Deck 8: Assessment

Question 1

What could be used as an indicator of a student's ability to identify and control variables?

A) List factors that might affect the outcome of an experiment.
B) Sort the factors that might affect the outcome of an experiment into groups.
C) Predict the expected outcome of an experiment.
D) Construct graphs showing the outcome of an experiment.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

W What would be considered an indicator of student facility in inquiry?

A) The student asks appropriate questions about the topic under investigation.
B) The student obtains measurements of the variables involved in an experiment using appropriate measuring instruments.
C) The student follows directions in a WebQuest.
D) The student follows the directions to do an activity.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

is meant by the term "authentic assessment" in science?

A) Assessment of content
B) Assessment of the ways students approach learning tasks
C) Assessment of the ways students use materials and equipment
D) Assessment of what students really know in science
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What should be assessed in a science education program?

A) Student achievement in content
B) Student achievement in inquiry
C) The teacher
D) The science program
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 5

W How might a science teacher assess the students' achievement of science content?

A) Give content-based tests.
B) Give standardized achievement tests that include science content.
C) Ask students questions about the science content they are exploring in their activities.
D) Require students to record all content information they are exposed to in their science journals.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 6

Which kind of assessment occurs at the end of a unit?

A) Formative
B) Summative
C) Terminal
D) Standardized

Question 7

Why is it undesirable to focus assessments on content in a process-oriented inquiry science program?

A) The content is less important than facility in inquiry and the processes of science.
B) The content is not what is being emphasized in a process-oriented inquiry program.
C) Students' conclusions about content may be different from the options given on a test but may be valid based on their inquiries.
D) Students should be focusing their efforts on doing science rather than learning about science.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 8

How might a science teacher assess a student's attitude toward science?

A) Keep track of unassigned science activities the student does in school.
B) Keep track of the volunteer science-related activities the student does in the classroom.
C) Keep track of the student's participation in science-based extracurricular activities.
D) Keep track of the student's visits to local science-related attractions.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 9

W What can teachers do to obtain authentic assessments in addition to giving paper and pencil tests?

A) They can engage students in focused and unfocused discussions.
B) They can ask questions of students to see how they are thinking.
C) They can watch students at work in inquiry investigations.
D) They can have students keep journals in which the students record what they did in science and what their thoughts are about what they did.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 10

W Which of the following could be included in a student's science portfolio?

A) The student's work
B) The student's reasons why certain pieces of evidence are included
C) Graded quizzes and tests
D) Notes taken by the teacher during formal and informal interviews
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 11

The basic principle of assessment is that

A) Teachers should give both formative and summative tests.
B) Teachers should assess what students are supposed to learn.
C) Assessment should be downplayed to make more time for teaching.
D) Assessment should deal primarily with state- and locally-prescribed objectives.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 12

Student assessment in science should include which of the following?

A) Achievement in content
B) Facility in process skills
C) Facility in inquiry
D) Attitude toward science
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 13

would be considered an indicator of student facility in using the science process skills?

A) Listing the characteristics of a marshmallow
B) Tracing a diagram of a volcano
C) Dissecting an earthworm and labeling its internal organs
D) Following directions for an experiment on the transmission of sound waves
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 14

What do students commonly keep in their science journals?

A) Descriptions of the activities they participated in
B) Questions the teacher asked them
C) Comments made by other students
D) Stylized drawings of dinosaurs chasing elephants
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 15

W What is a science portfolio?

A) A collection of evidence of all the science work a student has done
B) A collection of evidence of the science work a student has done that shows the student's progress in science
C) A container into which students are encouraged to put their graded homework papers
D) A folder of science work for the students to bring home
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 16

An elementary science teacher wants to find out how the class is coming along on using the science process skill of inferring. What would be an appropriate activity?

A) Have the students write descriptions of similarities and differences between a mouse and a gerbil.
B) Provide the students with photographs of animal tracks and have them tell what animal made each of the tracks.
C) Have the students tell which chime in a set of wind chimes will ring at the highest pitch.
D) Have the students decide what is meant by "sink" on a sink-or-float activity.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 17

Which kind of assessment is thought to provide the teacher with the most reliable information about what students know about the unit or lesson being studied?

A) Formative
B) Summative
C) Terminal
D) Standardized

Question 18

Which kind of assessment occurs during the course of a unit or lesson?

A) Formative
B) Summative
C) Terminal
D) Standardized

Question 19

Which of the following is the most authentic way of assessing the science achievement of a student whose facility in English ranges from very little to none?

A) Provide visual or auditory options that allow the student to express himself.
B) Provide a [spoken language] - English dictionary.
C) Provide assessments that allow the student to respond in his strongest basic intelligence.
D) Allow the student to explain his answer directly to you using diagrams and pictures.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 20

Why would a science teacher insist that the students keep portfolios even though it takes quite a bit of the teacher's time to keep up with them?

A) To enable the teacher to assess what the students really know and what they have learned
B) To provide authentic assessment
C) To enable the students to keep track of their progress in science
D) To provide meaningful sets of documents to share with parents
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 21

According to the text, what should be included in the science grade of students?

A) Achievement scores in process skill and inquiry facility
B) Spelling
C) The sentence structure used in science journal entries
D) Behavior

Question 22

W A science teacher engages the students in an inquiry activity involving momentum by having them put 1-kg, 2-kg, and 3-kg weights on a small wooden 4-wheeled cart. They measure the force it takes to set the truck into motion with each weight, and they measure the distance it takes the truck to come to a stop after rolling down the same inclined plane. They graph the results on two graphs. How can the teacher assess the students' understandings of momentum authentically?

A) Give each student a multiple-choice test.
B) Ask each student to write an illustrated experiment report in their science journals.
C) Have each student write a paragraph interpreting the graphs they constructed.
D) Engage each student in conversations about what they are doing, what they are finding out, and what they can conclude from the evidence.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 23

What is an argument in support of high-stakes standardized testing?

A) The results can be used to refine the curriculum.
B) The results can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses in the teaching.
C) The tests can provide incentive to low-achieving students.
D) The tests can provide incentive to teachers to ensure that the curriculum is taught to each and every student.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 24

W What is meant by the term "High-Stakes Testing?"

A) Standardized tests that measure student achievement in the subjects they take
B) Authentic assessments that are used to ascertain student understandings
C) Textbook tests that are used to determine student achievement
D) Standardized tests that are used to establish student eligibility for promotion to the next grade and to assess teacher performance

Question 25

W What is an argument in opposition of high-stakes standardized testing?

A) The tests encourage teachers to teach to the test.
B) The tests do not necessarily measure the true achievement of the students.
C) The tests impede the teacher's ability to tailor instruction to meet the needs of each student.
D) People are afraid of the tests.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above

Question 26

An elementary science teacher engages the students in an inquiry activity involving heat by having them drop food coloring down the inside of a beaker of water at room temperature. Students observe the way the food coloring is dispersed in the water and they record the length of time it takes for the water to be uniformly colored. The students then do the same thing with warm water and with hot water. How can the teacher assess the students' understandings authentically?

A) Give each student a multiple-choice test.
B) Ask each student to write a paragraph describing the activity and its results.
C) Have each student record what they did in the activity and what they found out in their science journals.
D) Engage each student in conversations about what they are doing and what they are finding out while they are doing the activity.
E) All of the above
F) None of the above