James Pellegrino, Professor Emeritus and Founding Co-Director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois Chicago
When we developed the CADRE report Classroom-based STEM Assessment: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives (Harris, Wiebe, Grover & Pellegrino, 2023), we explicitly noted the NSF DRK–12 program’s position on issues of assessment: “For assessment to be a driving knowledge engine that moves STEM education forward it must be integrated with systems of learning and teaching, with specific attention paid to the needs of practitioner communities and how assessments would be used in formal education settings” (NSF, 2020). The 2023 CADRE report highlights NSF’s foresight regarding critical issues for the integration of assessment into classroom teaching and learning, emphasizing the considerable knowledge gained from multiple R&D projects funded by NSF and other agencies. Topics include the implications of research on learning progressions for assessment design and classroom use, teacher knowledge and practices regarding assessment for learning (i.e., formative assessment), issues of diversity and equity in the design of instructional and assessment resources to help close STEM achievement gaps, and the role of technology in supporting various improvements in assessment, including its integration with curriculum and instruction in the STEM classroom. Suffice it to say, thanks to NSF, the cumulative knowledge base in 2023 was considerable, and yet many issues remained to be explored in bringing what we have learned, and what we still need to learn, to any reasonable level of scale in K–12 STEM education. The report outlines critical directions for future research as well as funding policy. I recommend that readers review those suggestions since they are as pertinent today as they were in 2023.
Fortunately, NSF has maintained support for assessment-related STEM projects focused on critical issues. Projects highlighted in the current CADRE Web Spotlight are excellent examples of such work, and there are many more in the NSF DRK–12 portfolio. Our knowledge of the power of well-designed and instructionally supportive assessment to enhance STEM education has continued to grow, which suggests that STEM education is well positioned to benefit from the many advances in AI, including generative AI, that have been made in recent years. Many of the design and implementation challenges associated with incorporating high-quality formative assessment materials and processes in STEM classrooms can now be overcome by using AI tools. But NOT to replace the teacher. Rather, the vision is “Teacher-in-the-Loop,” whereby AI tools augment teacher and student activities in fostering development of students’ understanding of critical STEM concepts and reasoning practices. The goal is knowledge and expertise that moves well beyond rote and procedural knowledge in STEM. For an excellent example of such work, see the Harris et al. project highlighted in the current Spotlight.
But herein lies the rub and the question mark in my title. With the sunsetting of NSF’s DRK–12 Program, how will the STEM R&D community build on all the advances to date? Who will step up to the plate to generate the vision necessary to capitalize on everything learned to date while also providing the much-needed fiscal support to advance the knowledge base? My hope is that the legacy of the DRK–12 Program’s classroom assessment R&D will not be lost as the federal government reconfigures its support for NSF and IES.
References
National Science Foundation. (2020). NSF 20-600: Discovery research preK-12 (DRK-12) program solicitation.
https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2020/nsf20600/nsf20600.htm
Harris, C.J. Wiebe, E., Grover, S., & Pellegrino, J.W. (Eds.) (2023). Classroom-Based STEM assessment: Contemporary issues and perspectives. Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE). Education Development Center, Inc.