| CODE | MSS5006 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Assessment in the Science Classroom: Issues and Practice | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Mathematics and Science Education | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit reviews the main discourses around assessment starting with a discussion of the main purposes of assessment, how the public understands assessment and the historical, political and social contexts that have shaped the way in which we think about assessment. It considers the role of formative assessment in Science and Geography, and its key strategies (learning outcomes; assessment tasks that elicit evidence of learning; questioning techniques; feedback that enhances learning; self-reflection, keeping track and peer learning, etc.). Moving from theory to practice the study-unit will provide student-teachers with the practical tools to implement assessment strategies in their science/geography classroom that actively engages students in their own learning. The study-unit will discuss various aspects of summative assessment: item and test construction and design, analytical tools, information about student learning; assessment of group work, practical and inquiry skills; development of portfolios; and issues related to school-based assessment. The study-unit will consider: the social impact of assessment and testing on learners, teaching and learning; issues of fairness, equity and social justice; and the impact of assessment activity on curricula and educational policy. Student-teachers will reflect on the development of assessment policies with specific reference to the MATSEC examinations and the implementation of these policies in science classrooms. Study-Unit Aims: - To understand the main purposes and uses of assessment practices, and to distinguish between formative and summative purposes; - To implement the strategies of formative assessment; - To effectively use information obtained from assessment tasks to provide feedback that enhances students' learning; - To familiarise themselves with issues of validity, reliability, fairness and trustworthiness; - To design appropriate items and tests, mark schemes, specification grids, etc.; - To understand and appropriately use item and error analysis as means of obtaining feedback on test items and student attainment; - To discuss the impact of social and educational context on the development of assessment policies and their implementation; - To critically reflect on the complex issues surrounding assessment practices and their impact on students, teaching, learning and the curriculum; - To think about issues of fairness in relation to assessment practices. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the different purposes of assessment; - Distinguish between formative and summative assessment use; - Use the key strategies of formative assessment; - Identify appropriate assessment tasks in relation to learning outcomes; - Discuss various methods of providing students with qualitative feedback; - Discuss issues of validity and reliability of assessment practices; - Prepare appropriate test items and tests related to specific learning outcomes; - Analyse items and test results and extract appropriate information; - Evaluate critically the impact of assessment practices on learners, teaching and curriculum; - Reflect on the key issues of equity, fairness and social justice in relation to assessment practices; - Reflect on local examination practices and discuss their impact on teaching and learning; - Discuss the implications of changes in MATSEC examinations including School Based Assessment; - Discuss the impact of international achievement studies on local and international educational policy on assessment; - Discuss the impact of social and educational contexts on the development of assessment cultures; - Develop an 鈥榓ssessment literacy鈥� based on their knowledge and understanding of assessment. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Write learning outcomes; - Design assessment tasks to match intended learning outcomes; - Design assessment tasks that facilitate and provide information about student learning; - Design creative school-based assessment tasks; - Use information from the assessment tasks to give students qualitative feedback about their learning; - Construct appropriate test items and tests; - Construct appropriate test items for the different Learning Outcome Levels outlined in the SEC syllabi; - Write mark schemes, specification grids, rubrics and criteria to provide students with feedback about their learning in different classroom activities (including practical and inquiry skills); - Carry out appropriate statistical analysis to evaluate the assessment items and tasks and elicit appropriate information for learners; - Use assessment information to plan teaching; - Record information about student learning and develop tools to communicate this information; - Design assessment tasks that involve students in self and peer assessment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall., Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. McGraw-Hill: Open University Press. - Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded Formative Assessment. Bloomington: Solution Tree. - Lamprianou, I. and Athanasou, J.A. (2009) A Teacher's Guide to Educational Assessment (Revised Edition). Sense Publishers. Supplementary Readings: - Attard, R., & Chetcuti, D. (2024). Policy to practice: Assessment reform in Maltese science classrooms. Maltese Review of Educational Research, 18(2), 255-275. - Camilleri, S., Chetcuti, D., & Falzon, R. (2019). 鈥楾hey labelled me ignorant鈥�: Narratives of Maltese youth with dyslexia on national examinations. - Chetcuti, D. and Grima, G. (2001). Portfolio Assessment. Malta, Ministry of Education. - Chetcuti, D. (2001). Meeting the challenge of equity: the introduction of differentiated examination papers in Malta (pp. 95 鈥� 120). In Sultana, R. G. (Editor). Challenge and Change in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. Peter Lang. - Chetcuti, D., and Cutajar, C. (2014). Peer assessment in a post-secondary (16-18) physics classroom. International Journal for Science Education, 36(18), 3101- 3124. - Murphy, R., and Ventura, F. (1998). The impact of measures to promote equity in the Secondary Education Certificate Examinations in Malta: An Evaluation. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies 3(1), 47-73. - Pirotta, D. and Musumeci, M. (2015). The 鈥楥urrency鈥� of Coursework in National Examinations: SEC Physics as a Case Study (New Perspectives in Science Education, 4th Edition, Florence, 2015). http://conference.pixel-online.net/NPSE/files/npse/ed0004/FP/1304-SSE805-FP-NPSE4.pdf. - Ventura, F. (2018). Meeting the challenges of change in assessment systems: a Maltese perspective. In D.A. Chetcuti, M.A. Buhagiar, & M.M. Musumeci (eds.). Frank Ventura: Reaching for the stars with a passion for science and education. Malta, University of Malta. - Zahra, E., & Farrugia, J. (2022). To trust or not to trust? School-Based assessment in physics high-stakes examinations in Malta. Malta Review of Educational Research, 16(1), 45-64. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Deborah A. Chetcuti Josette Farrugia Doreen Mizzi |
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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