A Learning Culture: Formative Assessment Design 1.0

When assessing students, teachers can gather information, analyze data, make connections, and observe patterns to make decisions on enhancing the learning process. It only makes sense that assessment is and should be an integral part of the learning process rather than a finishing point. I would like to design a formative assessment "that can be used as a part of instruction to support and enhance learning" (Shepard, 2000, p. 10).

Through each students' learning path, I want to be able to check mastery of content and development of skills. Similarly, I would assess the effectiveness of tools and instructional strategies used in the classroom.

Science is filled with many theories, laws, and abstract ideas that continuously evolve with time. I believe that science education should not only focus on scientific knowledge, but also the methods and societal issues needed to increase students' scientific literacy. Through inquiry based learning, students can develop their 21st century skills they need to become successful citizens of tomorrow.

The formative assessment that I wish to design, involves inquiry and project based learning with effective new technological tools that I would like to implement. So, below are my initial design plans!

Objectives: The standard from the NGSS that I will be focusing on is MS-LS1-2. From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes.

Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function.

Students will be able to:

• describe the relationship between structure and function.

• describe the structures of the animal cell and their specialized functions.

• develop a model that represents the processes of an animal cell.

Name of assessment: Building Blocks of Life

Description: Even though science involves many phenomena and interactions that are visible around us, there are many concepts that must be taught that are abstract and unfamiliar to students. I would like this assessment to allow students to make connections between animal cells and the real world.

Students have learned about the many organelles and their main functions within an animal cell. The formative assessment I will develop involves students to design a city with various components that will be fully functional with the rest of the world. They will also design buildings or areas within their cities that match the function of that entity. For example, a fire station usually has a pole installed to allow firefighters to respond to emergencies faster. Students will be able to submit their initial designs by uploading their work on Canvas. A special Padlet will be created, where students can upload a range of media formats.

The end goal is that students make connections between their design of their city and the structure of an animal cell. Students will think, pair, and share with their colleagues how their cities resemble the structure and functions of a cell. In turn, I believe that this assessment for learning will assess students, not only on their ability to recall scientific knowledge, but also develop their cognitive skills.

Instructions: The following is a first draft of the instructions for students.