If you want the latest research about assessment techniques that really work, you want Assessment in Science. This collection of informative, up-to-date reports is by authors who are practicing K-12 classroom teachers and university-based educators and researchers. Working in teams, they tried out and evaluated different assessment approaches in actual classrooms. The research is sound, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard to grasp. The book stays true to its title by capturing practical lessons in accessible language. As the introduction notes, the reports feature “classroom testing stories, standards-based assessment techniques, teaching-testing dilemmas, portfolio struggles and triumphs, and knowledge of the research on assessment.”

The 18 chapters are structured for ease of comprehension, moving from a detailed description of how the research was carried out, to research findings, to concrete implications for the classroom. There is also a “Links to the Standards” box and resources list in each chapter. Included throughout are 28 tables and 25 figures, some of which are classroom rubrics teachers can actually use.

Though it’s enlightening for classroom teachers at all levels, Assessment in Science is also ideal for curriculum supervisors and professors who teach science education—and anyone else who needs to know what’s most current in proven assessment techniques.