Assessing Science Understanding: A Human Constructivist View

Recent government publications such as Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy and Science for All Americans have given teachers a mandate for improving science education in America. What we know about how learners construct meaning--particularly in the natural sciences--has undergone a virtual revolution in the past 25 years. Teachers, as well as researchers, are now grappling with how to better teach science, as well as how to assess whether students are learning. Assessing Science Understanding is a companion volume to Teaching Science for Understanding and explores how to assess whether learning has taken place. The book discusses a range of promising new and practical tools for assessment, including concept maps, vee diagrams, clinical interviews, problem sets, performance-based assessments, computer-based methods, visual and observational testing, portfolios, explanatory models, and national examinations.

J. Mintzes and J.H. Wandersee, Learning, Teaching, and Assessment: A Human Constructivist Perspective.
K.M. Edmondson, Assessing Science Understanding Through Concept Maps.
J.J. Mintzes and J.D. Novak, Assessing Science Understanding: The Epistemological V Diagram.
S.A. Southerland, M.U. Smith, and C.L. Cummins, "What Do You Mean by That?": Using Structured Interviews to Assess Science Understanding.
K. Hogan and J. Fisherkeller, Dialogue as Data: Assessing Students' Scientific Reasoning with Interactive Protocols.
J.H. Wandersee, Designing an Image-Based Biology Test.
E. Trowbridge and J.H. Wandersee, Observation Rubrics in Science Assessment.
M.R. Vitale and N.R. Romance, Portfolios in Science Assessment: A Knowledge-Based Model for Classroom Practice.
K.M. Fisher, SemNet^R Software as an Assessment Tool.
A.B. Champagne and V.L. Kouba, Writing to Inquire: Written Products as Performance Measures.
P.M. Sadler, The Relevance of Multiple-Choice Testing in Assessing Science Understanding.
P. Tamir, National and International Assessment.
R.J. Shavelson and M.A. Ruiz-Primo, On the Psychometrics of Assessing Science Understanding.
R.G. Good, Cautionary Notes on Assessment of Understanding Science Concepts and Nature of Science.
J.J. Mintzes, J.H. Wandersee, and J.D. Novak, Epilogue: On Ways of Assessing Science Understanding.
Subject Index.