How to Build Educational Assessment and Evaluation for the Next Generation Science Standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) initiative is an inspired vision and strategic plan for how to take the best qualities of science and make them a living part of educational programs.  But, how will we know if this vision is being realized?  An information base is needed that provides how well students are attaining the standards, and it must take a form that will be useful to teachers in planning and evaluating their instruction. Without such a practical  information base The Next Generation Science Standards may take the path of using high-stakes, norm-referenced testing to evaluate instruction, a path that has led to the failure of  reform initiatives for more than a half a century. ACASE Directors Monica De Tuya and Paul Zachos tackle this challenge and offer practical solutions in their upcoming workshop — Educational Information is About to Change. The workshop demonstrates the necessity for working consciously with the essential elements of the educational process and provides the new basis for educational information needed to help the NGSS become a successful and sustainable educational initiative.  These essential elements then become the building blocks for enlivening a teacher’s daily efforts to engage students and maximize their learning.  Join us on Sunday November 4th in Rochester NY, at the 123rd Annual Science Teachers Association of New York State Conference,  for the demonstration of a new foundation for educational thinking and action, and for stimulating conversation on the challenges and opportunities associated with assessment of NGSS.