Steven Schneider

Integrating Literacy and Science in Biology: Teaching and Learning Impacts of Reading Apprenticeship Professional Development

This study examined the effects of professional development integrating academic literacy and biology instruction on science teachers’ instructional practices and students’ achievement in science and literacy. The intervention consisted of 10 days of professional development in Reading Apprenticeship, an instructional framework integrating metacognitive inquiry routines into subject-area instruction to make explicit the tacit reasoning processes, problem-solving strategies, and textual features that shape literacy practices in academic disciplines. The study utilized a group-randomized, experimental design and multiple measures of teacher implementation and student learning and targeted groups historically unrepresented in the sciences. Hierarchical linear modeling procedures were used to estimate program impacts. Intervention teachers demonstrated increased support for science literacy learning and use of metacognitive inquiry routines, reading comprehension instruction, and collaborative learning structures compared to controls. Students in treatment classrooms performed better than controls on state standardized assessments in English language arts, reading comprehension, and biology.

Management of scoring sessions in alternative assessment: the computer-assisted scoring approach

Abstract We describe a computer-assisted scoring approach in educational assessment. In this approach, scores are captured and analyzed as scoring takes place; information on scoring quality is used to provide immediate feedback to raters and make timely re-calibration and dismissal decisions. We present a conceptual model for computer-assisted scoring and describe how we used this approach to manage the scoring sessions of an assessment for teacher certification. We found that computer-assisted scoring: (a) allowed us to provide immediate feedback to raters about their scoring quality and make accurate re-calibration and dismissal decisions; and (b) did not affect the dependability of the scores or the flow of the scoring sessions. We also confirmed that, with appropriate software, raters can be trained readily to score complex performance with the aid of computers even when they have no prior experience with computers. The conceptual model allowed us to identify how close our scoring sessions were to optimal efficiency.

Chapter 6 Developing a National Science Assessment for teacher certification: Practical lessons learned

Creating something entirely new, something important, something for which there is no agreed upon “right way,” set model, or solid precedence is exciting – and, at times, frustrating. Developing the Adolescence and Young Adulthood assessment for science teachers (AYA/S) of students aged 14 to 18+ for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a case in point. This chapter describes our experiences as an Assessment Development Laboratory (ADL) and looks at some of the challenges inherent in developing a large-scale assessment that is complex, strives to be innovative, and must be closely aligned with a given set of standards. Some of the external challenges we faced included shifting and unclear expectations, the conflicting needs of multiple stakeholders and a deadline that was dramatically shortened midway through the process. Within the assessment development process itself we also needed to consider how best to involve teachers, address issues of equity and standardize the process to maximize efficiency. We share some stories to illustrate not only the challenges but also the insights gained and lessons learned during the early years if the project with the hope that they provide a useful historical perspective relevant for other large-scale assessment development projects.