Subject: Science
Grade Level(s): K – 8
Measures Growth: Yes
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The Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum includes a fully integrated assessment component that permits continual monitoring of student progress during a module as well as summary information on student performance. The methods range from totally unobtrusive observation of students while they engage in their science investigations to tightly designed evaluative tools.
Pros: Assesses a range of students, including those from far below to far above grade level • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Cons: Not aligned to the standards I teach • Does not assess higher-order thinking
Pros: Easy to administer • Results returned quickly • Helps me track my students' learning gains over the course of the school year
Cons: It is hard to use the data
Does not teach scientific method; does not transfer well to standardized tests.
Inquiry method does cultivate sense of discovery; helps to form generalizations; students take a more active role in forming hypotheses; inquiry activity is more demanding of the learner; sharpens process skills--if process skills are explicitly taught first.
Teacher planning can be overly intense.
Submitted by Val in Montana on April 9, 2013
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