STEM Formative & Summative Assessment 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mathematics teacher administers a district benchmark exam every nine weeks. These benchmarks are best categorized as:
- Informal formative assessments
- Interim/benchmark assessments (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic pre-assessments
- Anecdotal observations
Correct answer: Interim/benchmark assessments
Benchmark assessments administered periodically to measure progress toward standards fall into the interim/benchmark category.
Question 2: When a STEM teacher provides written comments on a draft report without assigning a grade, the feedback is best described as:
- Evaluative summative feedback
- Formative descriptive feedback (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced comparative feedback
- High-stakes summative evaluation
Correct answer: Formative descriptive feedback
Ungraded written comments on a draft constitute formative descriptive feedback aimed at improving future performance.
Question 3: Which scenario best illustrates assessment FOR learning rather than assessment OF learning?
- Administering a final exam to assign semester grades
- Using quiz results to identify which students need additional scaffolding (Correct answer)
- Reporting standardized test scores to the school board
- Calculating a grade point average for transcript purposes
Correct answer: Using quiz results to identify which students need additional scaffolding
Using quiz results to identify and address learning needs exemplifies assessment FOR learning, which informs instruction.
Question 4: In a STEM classroom, student self-assessment is most effective when students:
- Grade their own tests before the teacher reviews them
- Compare their scores to the class average
- Use clear criteria to evaluate their own work against learning targets (Correct answer)
- Submit anonymous feedback about classmates' projects
Correct answer: Use clear criteria to evaluate their own work against learning targets
Self-assessment is most effective when students use explicit criteria and learning targets to evaluate their own work.
Question 5: A STEM teacher notices that 80% of students answered the same question incorrectly on a formative quiz. The BEST instructional response is to:
- Move on, as most students still passed the quiz
- Re-teach the concept using a different instructional approach (Correct answer)
- Lower the difficulty of future assessments
- Have students retake the quiz without additional instruction
Correct answer: Re-teach the concept using a different instructional approach
When a large portion of students misses the same item, the teacher should re-teach that concept using an alternative approach.
Question 6: Which of the following is the BEST example of aligning formative assessment to a learning objective in a STEM class?
- Assigning a reading passage unrelated to the current unit
- Using a quick sketch-to-explain prompt that matches the day's engineering design objective (Correct answer)
- Giving a standardized test from a different grade level
- Asking students to write a personal narrative about science
Correct answer: Using a quick sketch-to-explain prompt that matches the day's engineering design objective
A sketch-to-explain prompt directly tied to the day's engineering design objective aligns assessment with the intended learning target.
Question 7: Triangulation of assessment data in STEM education refers to:
- Using geometric methods to calculate test scores
- Combining multiple assessment sources to form a more complete picture of student learning (Correct answer)
- Averaging three quiz scores for a summative grade
- Administering the same test three times to improve reliability
Correct answer: Combining multiple assessment sources to form a more complete picture of student learning
Triangulation involves using multiple data sourcesāobservations, products, and conversationsāto develop a comprehensive understanding of student learning.
STEM Formative & Summative Assessment 3
A mathematics teacher administers a district benchmark exam every nine weeks.
These benchmarks are best categorized as: