Formative assessment is a systematic process of collecting evidence about students’ thinking and progress toward a learning goal to inform instruction while simultaneously promoting conceptual learning. It happens throughout the learning process. It is assessment for learning rather than assessment of learning; and sometimes it is assessment as learning.

In this session Page Keeley, the author of NSTA’s Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, will share how diagnostic probes reveal students’ thinking about core disciplinary ideas and then become formative when data from students’ responses are used to make informed instructional decisions. The session will address: 

• Why students’ ideas matter. All students bring ideas to their learning, many which develop outside of school. Explore where these ideas come from and why it is important for all students’ ideas to be surfaced and honored, regardless of whether they are right or wrong.
• What probes are. Examine how two types of probes, concept-based and phenomenon based, are constructed and what they reveal about students’ thinking. Learn how the teacher notes can build your understanding of the research on students’ ideas and effective response activities for addressing common misunderstandings.
• How to use probes. Learn how probes are used effectively to elicit students’ initial ideas, launch into sense-making, and revisited to provide evidence of conceptual understanding after they have had the opportunity to learn. Applications to two- and three-dimensional learning will be addressed.

All individuals receive a certificate of participation and 100 NSTA activity points for attending the live seminar and completing the end-of-program survey. A certificate of participation is not awarded for watching the recorded version of the program.

We invite you to register for upcoming web seminars at NSTA.