Participants explore assessments developed in the SimScientists Physical Science Links project, and discuss whether the developers successfully integrated the three dimensions of the NGSS.
The SimScientists Physical Science Links project aims to develop a multi-level system of assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at the middle school level. The first suite developed focuses on energy. The first iteration of these assessments have been developed and tried out in the classroom of a teacher co-developer with five classes of students.
In this session, the presenters hope to gather feedback on the alignment of the assessments to the NGSS, with a particular focus on three-dimensional assessment. The session includes a description of the SimScientists program—including the current project, SimScientists Physical Science Links—and provides opportunities to explore the assessments, review data from the first tryout, and discuss alignment to the NGSS. The description of the project includes a discussion of the design process, including the roles of evidence-centered design, model-based learning, formative assessment, and universal design for computer-based assessment.