Designing, developing, and conducting validation studies on assessments of Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT) science; examining and understanding validity issues associated with measures designed to assess science teachers’ instructional quality, including observational measures, value-added measures, student surveys, and performance-based tasks; and extending and studying the use of these knowledge and instructional practices measures of science teaching quality as summative assessment tools for licensure purposes and as formative assessment tools integrated within teacher education and professional development contexts. PI on two NSF DRK-12 studies. One study (#1621344) is designed to develop, pilot, and validate a set of performance-based tasks delivered within a simulated classroom environment in order to improve preservice elementary teachers’ ability to facilitate goal-oriented discussions in science and mathematics. The purpose of the other study (#1813254) is to examine and gather initial validity evidence for assessments designed to measure and build K-5 science teachers’ CKT about matter and its interactions in teacher education settings.
Elementary science teacher knowledge and practice | Science teaching competencies | Content knowledge for teaching science