Assessing science understanding : a human constructivist view / edited by Joel J. Mintzes, James H. Wandersee, Joseph D. Novak.

Companion volume to Teaching science for understanding. 1998.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Learning, teaching, and assessment : a human constructivist perspective / Joseph D. Novak, Joel J. Mintzes, and James H. Wandersee -- Assessing science understanding through concept maps / Katherine M. Edmondson -- Assessing science understanding : the epistemological vee diagram / Joel J. Mintzes and Joseph D. Novak -- "What do you mean by that?" : using structured interviews to assess science understanding / Sherry A. Southerland, Mike U. Smith, and Catherine L. Cummins -- Dialogue as data : assessing students' scientific reasoning with interactive protocols / Kathleen Hogan and JoEllen Fisherkeller.

Designing an image-based biology test / James H. Wandersee -- Observation rubrics in science assessment / John E. Trowbridge and James H. Wandersee -- Portfolios in science assessment : a knowledge-based model for classroom practice / Michael R. Vitale and Nancy R. Romance -- SemNet software as an assessment tool / Kathleen M. Fisher -- Writing to inquire : written products as performance measures / Audrey B. Champagne and Vicky L. Kouba -- Relevance of multiple-choice testing in assessing science understanding / Philip M. Sadler -- National and international assessment / Pinchas Tamir -- On the psychometrics of assessing science understanding / Richard J. Shavelson and Maria Araceli Ruiz-Primo -- Cautionary notes on assessment of understanding science concepts and nature of science / Ronald G. Good -- Epilogue : on ways of assessing science understanding / Joseph D. Novak, Joel J. Mintzes, and James H. Wandersee.

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.