Classroom-based assessment strategies may influence the development of conceptual understanding and motivational beliefs among elementary learners in science. A contextual analysis of how young children (65 second graders) responded to classroom-based assessment—and the impact that assessment may have had on science learning—suggests that these young children enjoyed learning about science. Their positive attitudes may have developed because of the opportunities for active exploration they were given and the intellectual stimulation that resulted from new and unexpected discoveries in science. Successful assessment experiences may also have contributed to the enthusiasm that these students expressed for science.