All Resources

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Promoting Rapid Learning in the Histology Laboratory by Integrating Technology

This paper describes the results of incorporating technology in the histology laboratory by using high-resolution video-imaging equipment (VIE). The study sought to determine if (1) the VIE would allow students to more easily and rapidly find histolo...

Journal Article

Case Study: Sex and Vaccination

This case study is centered upon the recent debate concerning the decision by Texas Governor Rick Perry to mandate the compulsory vaccination of girls in the Texas public school system against the human papillomavirus (HPV) prior to entering the sixt...

Journal Article

Teacher’s Toolkit: Information literacy for science education—Evaluating web-based materials for socioscientific issues

Students who engage in scientific inquiry must be able to evaluate the processes and evidence used to reach conclusions about scientific issues, regardless of whether the process is conducted in the classroom or through an information search on the i...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Environmental stewardship in action

Texas Watch is an environmental stewardship-in-action program that works with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to collect environmental data and to address nonpoint source pollution issues. V...

Journal Article

Science Shorts: Wind at Work

Many children enjoy evaluating products and designing improvements. Activities that promote investigation and product design lend themselves to assessments that demonstrate communication skills, focus on reasoning ability, and illustrate levels of co...

Journal Article

Making Science Relevant

By connecting science learning to important societal issues, teachers can motivate students to both enjoy and engage in relevant science (Bennet, Lubben, and Hogarth 2007). To develop that connection, teachers can help students take an active role in...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: In search of whale food

A middle school science teacher from Texas shares his professional development experience as part of the ARMADA Project, which partners science teachers with field research scientists. He was paired with a group of oceanographers studying the ecology...

Journal Article

The Prepared Practitioner: Why Theories <em>Never</em> Become Laws

One of teaching’s challenges comes when the teacher communicates clearly and students appear to understand—but instead students ascribe different meanings to the words than intended by the teacher. This happens often when words have different mea...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Nanoscale in perspective

Nanoscale science is a growing field, and to appreciate the work of scientists in this field, it is important for students to understand the scale of work being done. This activity, designed to bring nanoscale into the familiar macroworld, is from a ...

Journal Article

Action Research Meets Engineering Design

Engaging in sustained and collaborative action research is one way science teachers can build the bridge between improving student learning and their own professional learning as teachers and teacher-researchers. This article presents a series of pra...

Journal Article

Career of the Month: An Interview With GIS Specialist Ronald Wilson

In October 2002, in the midst of the terrifying Washington D.C. sniper attacks, a team of specialists was asked to help search for the suspects. Independent of the official investigation, the team analyzed and mapped attack locations to identify wher...

Journal Article

Methods and Strategies: Integrated Assessments for ELL

Despite the challenges posed by increased time, specialized vocabularies, and balance, integrating writing and drawing with science investigations is beneficial for teachers and students. This month’s column explains why this integrated approach is...

Journal Article

Cougars and the Community

In a research collaboration with government biologists and university educators, K—12 students in the Cle Elum-Roslyn (CER) School District in eastern Washington are investigating where cougars go when their habitat gives way to new housing develop...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Of moons and rings

When the planet Saturn is mentioned, most probably picture the spectacular rings above the planet’s equator. The rings are not unique to Saturn (planetary rings encircle the four Jovian planets), but they are the only ones visible from Earth. Despi...

Journal Article

Ask the Experts—April/May 2008

In this month’s column, the experts address the following questions: • How does temperature regulate the gender of sea turtles (and other organisms) as they incubate? Also, how can XX females become male turtles simply due to temperature lev...

Journal Article

How Accurate Are Student-Collected Data?

The purpose of this study was to teach upper elementary and high school students to monitor two estuarine creeks using an adaptation of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Adopt-A-Stream protocol. Data collected by students were then compare...

Book Chapter

Improving Learning in Science With Formative Assessment

In recent years, the No Child Left Behind law has focused attention on student achievement in science across the United States, but there are more important reasons for being concerned with student achievement. The focus of this chapter is about how ...

Book Chapter

Using Standards And Cognitive Research To Inform The Design And Use Of Formative Assessment Probes

In their work with teachers, the authors use a process called Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) developed through our National Science Foundation–funded project, “Curriculum Topic Study–A Systematic Approach to Utilizing National Standards and Cogni...

Book Chapter

Assessment Linked To Science Learning Goals: Probing Student Thinking Through Assessment

The focus of this chapter is on how to design science assessment items that are linked to the content standards in Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the National Science Education Standards....

Book Chapter

Assessing Science Literacy Using Extended Constructed-Response Items

The authors’ goal in this chapter is to provide teachers with information that will make them better formative and summative assessors; better judges of the quality of state, national, and international assessments that their students experience; a...

Book Chapter

Aligning Classroom-Based Assessment With High-Stakes Tests

In this chapter, the authors will focus on the types of assessments found on high-stakes tests that can and should be used in middle-grades science classrooms. The authors provide a model for analyzing the kinds of information these types of assessme...

Book Chapter

Systems For State Science Assessment: Findings of The National Research Council’s Committee on Test Design For K–12 Science Achievement

This chapter summarizes some of the findings and recommendations of the National Research Committee (NRC) on Test Design for K-12 Science Achievement and is based on the committee’s final, book-length Report—Systems for State Science Assessment (...

Book Chapter

From Reading To Science: Assessment That Supports And Describes Student Achievement

This chapter is based on a presentation made to the National Science Teachers Association’s conference on assessment, “Science Assessment: Research and Practical Approaches for Grades 3-12 Teachers and School District Administrators”, held in N...

Book Chapter

What Research Says About Science Assessment With English Language Learners

This chapter addresses what research says about science assessment with English Language Learners (ELL) students. Specifically, the authors draw from our ongoing research and development efforts to promote science and literacy achievement of ELL stud...

Book Chapter

Washington State’s Science Assessment System: One District’s Approach To Preparing Teachers And Students

This chapter describes how elementary science staff in the Seattle Public Schools extended the district’s infrastructure and support system to help teachers prepare their students for the state assessment tests (Washington Assessment of Student Lea...

Book Chapter

Linking Assessment To Student Achievement In A Professional Development Model

This chapter reviews assessment as a key component in a professional development model implemented in a National Science Foundation–funded program entitled Toledo Area Partnership in Education: Support Teachers as Resources to Improve Elementary Sc...

Book Chapter

Using Assessment Design As A Model Of Professional Development

In this chapter, the authors describe a professional development model in which teachers collaborated with science content experts, assessment experts, and researchers to create a series of formative assessments to accompany each of their science uni...