Science Strategies: Assessments

 Often assessments are synonymous with tests.  Many Co-op teachers and home-school families use the tests which accompany the Apologia Science textbooks.  I’m doing exactly that for Advanced Biology ( Anatomy) this year.  I bought extra test booklets.  However, assessment is on-going.  Nearly every class includes a quick review.  In Advanced Biology we review the names of the bones, muscles, skull, and lobes nearly every class period. Do I record a grade?  Nope.  It’s more of a game to see who remembers all of the names.  

In fact, specific questions can make excellent assessment tools.  Ask your teen to explain Protein Synthesis or use a model to describe an Action Potential.  Did the child overlook a step?  Can she use the terms correctly?  Does her answer make sense?  Labs are frequently assessed  by asking the kid to explain the lab’s purpose.  Period.

Make your own assessment.  In Chemistry, I make my own nomenclature, balancing equations, and Stoichiometry tests.  In fact, I make several versions.  If the kiddo bombs the test, he can take another version.  He can repeat the test until he achieves mastery.  Mastery may be defined by an online school.  Most of the time, I want the teen to earn at least 80%.  If the child is capable, I set the bar at 90%.  All of the tests aren’t the same.  Kids with learning differences get easier tests.  Kids who like a challenge get harder tests.  Biology is similar.  Most of the tests are essay exams.  The kids edit their test until they achieve mastery.  However, some kids get three or four essay questions, while stronger students get ten to twelve.  I have one student with profound learning differences enrolled the past few years.  Mom doesn’t want him tested.  No problem.  However, he loves to do review and sometimes wants to try his luck with a  test.  I send the test home and explain to mom that he wanted to show what he knows.

Lastly, sometimes I ask the kid to show me.  Show me a protein model.  Show me how you name the alkane.  Show me how to name polyatomic ions.  Show me how you made two grams of a precipitate.  Do the same!  Ask your child to show you how they got the answer.  What is his reasoning?  How did she make the model?  Which organelle is which in a cell model?  How did he organize his information in the Atomic Theory Timeline?  Why?

It’s a good idea to have test or quiz samples for your digital portfolio.  But assessment is continuous.