Closing the Gap Between STEM Teacher Classroom Assessment Expectations and Skills

摘要

With the onset of new national Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum will be pushed to center its instruction on higher-level critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to prepare U.S. students for college and future workforce needs (Achieve Inc., 2013; Common Core State Standards Initiative [CCSSI], 2012). This curricular and instructional shift brings with it the promise of more rigorous standardized assessments for students (Education First, 2013). If the expectation is that students are to be learning at higher levels where they are analyzing information and applying their knowledge rather than demonstrating that they are able to simply memorize and recall rote facts, then assessments must in turn appropriately adjust to be a valid indication of student learning.