Links 

Science Assessment in the Service of Reform
Science Assessment in the Service of Reform
edited by Gerald Kulm and Shirley M. Malcolm, 1991
ISBN 0-87168-426-8

Assessment of Authentic Performance in School
Mathematics
Assessment of Authentic Performance in School Mathematics
edited by Richard Lesh and Susan J. Lamon, 1992
ISBN 0-87168-5

AAAS-1333 H Street,NW
 AAAS-1333 H Street,NW
 Washington,D.C.,20005

American Association for the Advancement of
Science
 http://www.aaas.org/

These two publications are companion pieces. They contain thoughtful, comprehensive analyses of practices and policies for charting student progress as critical "components of complex, dynamic, and continually adapting educational systems." The authors, representing all educational constituencies, view assessment as an integral, ongoing process in science and math instruction.

Here are previews of the contents in each volume: Volume One: Science Assessment in the Service of Reform: policy issues (equity, fairness in testing, control of assessment); reform (curricular implications, classroom practices, national initiatives, new performance testing); instruction (lessons from the European community, forms, accelerated assessment, group assessment, portfolios, dynamic); examples from the field (use of creative drama, earth science, collaborative learning in chemistry, figural responses).

Volume Two: Assessment of authentic Performance in School Mathematics: objectives (trends, framework, conjecturing in geometry); new procedures and perspectives (extended tasks, thinking strategies); new types of scoring and reporting (problems with several levels, learning progress maps); new directions (intellectual price of secrecy in mathematics assessment).

Here is a general scoring rubric for open-ended questions (Lesh, p. 159):

Recommendations---Sort papers first into three stacks: good responses (5 or 6 points), adequate responses (3 or 4 points), and inadequate responses (1 or 2 points). Each of those three stacks then can be re-sorted into 2 stacks...

Good Responses(1)Demonstrated Competence: (a) Exemplary=6 points: gives a complete response with a clear, coherent, unambiguous, and elegant explanation; includes a clear and simplified diagram; communicates effectively to the identified audience. shows understanding of the open-ended problem's..ideas and processes; identifies all the important elements of the problem; may include examples and counterexamples; provides strong supporting arguments. (2)Competent=5 points: gives a fairly complete response with reasonably clear explanations; may include an appropriate diagram; communicates effectively to the identified audience; shows understanding of the problem's..ideas and processes; identifies the most important elements of the problem; presents solid supporting arguments.

(2)Adequate Responses: (a)Satisfaction=4 but minor flaws; completes the problem satisfactorily but the explanation may be muddled; argumentation may be incomplete; diagram may be inapropriate or unclear; understands the underlying...ideas and uses them effectively. (b)Nearly satisfactory=3 but serious flaws; begins the problem apropriately but may fail to complete or may omit significant parts of the problem; may fail to show full understanding of ideas and processes; may make major computational errors; may misuse or fail to use correct terms; response may reflect an inappropriate strategy for solving the problem.

(3)Inadquate Responses: (a) Begins but fails to complete problem=2; explanation is not understandable; diagram may be unclear; shows no understanding of the problem situation; may make major computational errors; (b)Unable to begin effectively=1; words do not reflect the problem; drawings misrepresent the problem situation copies parts of the problem but without attempting a soution; fails to indicate which information is approriate to problem. (c)No attempt=0.