NSF Award
9550020
9550020 Prigo The Continuous Assessment in Science Project's main goal is to pilot and evaluate a model of professional development aimed at advancing teacher's skills in conducting everyday assessment of students and improving their science content knowledge. It is hoped that through this model teachers will build an understanding of continuous assessment: its position in the context of documenting and reporting student growth; and its match with the use of hands-on, inquiry-based approaches for developing scientific concepts, processes and dispositions. The elementary school teachers are expected to develop strategies for conducting such everyday assessment of student learning that are integrated and compatible with instructional activities and classroom management. The project will begin by working closely with twelve teachers to plan, practice, document and evaluate strategies for continuous assessment and the professional development necessary for preparing teachers to use them. During the second year the project will work with working a larger number of teachers to evaluate the model. During the final year of the project an action guide will be published to support the dissemination of the model through Vermont's SSI project. The cost sharing will be 18 percent of the NSF portion. ***
