Assessment Overview
Each unit in BSCS Biology includes an assessment system, designed to take advantage of multiple opportunities for assessment of different types that are designed to function together. For more on this program’s approach to assessment, see the Teacher Handbook.
CHAPTER 7
Lesson 1
FORMATIVE | Pre-assessment: initial models: Students create initial models to show their understanding of how we can use scientific and social understandings of nutrition and natural resources to improve a food system.
Lesson 2
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students’ understanding of this lesson, and specifically their facility with identifying patterns, and with the basics of system modeling, can be assessed using what they record in their Model Tracker.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing.
Lesson 3
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: The explanation students develop is a good opportunity to informally assess students’ ability to synthesize information across lessons and texts.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing.
Lesson 4
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Student analogy maps are a good opportunity to assess success with understanding of the transfer of energy between and within systems.
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Model Tracker: After completing this lesson and before the next (Synthesize) lesson, use the Model Tracker Formative Assessment Tool to assess individual student progress across this chapter and whole-class readiness for the Synthesize Lesson.
FORMATIVE: Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing.
Lesson 5
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students are tasked to create a list of problems related to societal issues in their science notebooks.
Chapter 7 Assessment
SUMMATIVE | This assessment requires students to use core ideas, science practices, and crosscutting concepts to make sense of phenomena. Some of the phenomena used are similar to the ones the students experience in the classroom, while others are new and require students to apply what they learned. Scoring guidance is provided. This task is appropriate for grading.
CHAPTER 8
Lesson 6
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Listen to group conversations as students discuss the patterns they recorded on their Student Sheet 3.6.A: Typical Lunch Tray and how it relates to the question: “Where do the organisms that provide our food get their matter and energy?”
Lesson 7
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Student arguments are a good opportunity to assess success with this lesson’s learning goals.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 8
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students will collaboratively develop an investigation plan on day 2. This is an opportunity to check students’ understanding of controls and independent variables.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 9
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Model Tracker: After completing this lesson and before the next (Synthesize) lesson, use the Model Tracker Formative Assessment Tool to assess and provide feedback on individual student progress across this chapter, and to assess whole-class readiness for the Synthesize Lesson.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 10
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students use the Argument Tool to make a claim about a solution’s ability to meet the criteria and constraints related to one aspect of a food system: food waste.
Chapter 8 Assessment
SUMMATIVE | This assessment requires students to use core ideas, science practices, and crosscutting concepts to make sense of phenomena. The phenomena and contexts are new and require students to apply what they learned. Scoring guidance is provided. This task is appropriate for grading.
CHAPTER 9
Lesson 11
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: In the discussion around the Driving Question Board you can take stock of how the practice of asking questions gives direction to student thinking.
Lesson 12
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students will work with a small group to articulate a clearly stated definition of the problem to be solved in a particular case study. Monitoring their conversations, written products, and class presentations will allow assessment of their ability to define problems and initial conditions of food systems.
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Student Sheet 3.12.B: Criteria for Your Case will include students’ articulation of relevant, clear, specific, measurable criteria for a particular case study. These aspects of their understanding of designing criteria can be assessed.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 13
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students will work on an in-depth analysis of a case in small groups. These analyses are a good opportunity to assess student understanding of the criteria they developed in Lesson 12, and connections between a design solution’s potential impact and the science ideas depicted in their chapter 7 and chapter 8 consensus models.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 14
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Student thinking can be revealed in what they chose to note in their I2 statements as well what they write about the justification for their label choices and the design solutions.
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Model Tracker: After completing this lesson and before the next (Synthesize) lesson, use the Model Tracker Formative Assessment Tool to assess and provide feedback on individual student progress across this chapter, and to assess whole-class readiness for the Synthesize Lesson.
FORMATIVE | Student self-assessment: Students will use the Model Tracker Self-Assessment and Feedback Tool to monitor their own progress in modeling the learning they are doing, taking into account any feedback from you at the end of the last chapter.
Lesson 15
FORMATIVE | Formative assessment: Students will update their criteria and constraints from lesson 10 to include more precise language and incorporate design aspects from chapter 9.
Unit Assessment
SUMMATIVE | The Unit Assessment is a scenario-based three-dimensional assessment that requires understanding of the unit’s DCIs, transfer of those ideas to a new context, as well as its focal practices and crosscutting concepts. Scoring guidance is provided. This task is appropriate for grading.