Resources

Formative assessment is an ongoing process that involves gathering and analyzing evidence of students’ thinking, then using what is learned to inform instruction.

This collection of formative assessment science tasks is specifically designed as a tool to allow students to share their thinking.

The tasks:

• Go beyond facts or simple recall and encourage students to think
• Require students to decide what knowledge to apply and when
• Can be solved in a variety of ways
• Give students a chance to explain their thinking and ways of figuring things out
• Ask students to communicate in different ways, for example, through words or drawings
• Are accessible and interesting

These tasks are an ideal complement to WestEd’s Making Sense of Student Work protocol — a guide that supports groups of teachers collaboratively analyzing and interpreting student work to inform their instruction.

Note: There are many ways to use these tasks to augment existing instructional activities. The tasks are not intended for use as end-of-unit tests or final assessments, nor are they a complete curriculum.

Additional Formative Assessment Task Banks:

SCIENCE

• Matter for Grades 5-8
• Energy for Grades 6–8
• Force & Motion for Grades 6–8
• Genes & Traits for Grades 5–12

MATHEMATICS

• The Number System for Grades 6–8
• Equations & Expressions for Grades 6–8

Visit the Making Sense of Student Work website for more information about the Making Sense of Student Work protocol and professional learning opportunities.