Arkansas Science
Assessment Prescreener
Introduction
The purpose of the equity-focused Science Assessment Prescreen is to conduct a quick review of assessments to determine whether they might be designed for standards based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education, like the Arkansas K-12 Science Standards. Additionally, this Prescreen will also determine whether these assessments are equitably designed to elicit student thinking from diverse learners. The Prescreen is intended to reveal whether assessments include “red flags”—i.e., challenges commonly found in science assessments.
Evaluating assessments using the Prescreen questions will guide educators in deciding whether an assessment is worth diving into more deeply. Those interested in pursuing a more rigorous evaluation of assessments should use the Science Task Screener; which assumes a deeper understanding of A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Arkansas K-12 Science Standards. The Prescreener and the Task Screener are tools particularly relevant for assessments that are used as major components of a lesson or unit; used across multiple classrooms or schools; or used in other higher-stakes assessments as part of district or state-wide assessment systems. The Prescreen serves as a bridge to understand the key features of assessments developed for three-dimensional standards like the Arkansas K-12 Science Standards.
Because the Prescreen is a quick screen tool as opposed to a comprehensive evaluation tool, the questions in the Prescreen focus on features that are non-negotiable, easily identified, and reflect the most consequential weak points seen in the assessments. While there are many other critically important features of science assessments, they are excluded here for the purposes of screening and are addressed in the Task Screener.
Using the Assessment Prescreen to evaluate science assessments
The Prescreen is organized around a short series of yes-or-no questions. In applying the Prescreen to an assessment, follow these simple steps:
Because the Prescreen is applied at the level of the assessment rather than individual questions, reviewers will need to answer the questions based on evidence from the assessment as a whole. After reviewing the assessment using the Prescreen, reviewers should consider the red flags they have identified and determine, based on their needs, whether the assessment is:
A. Recommended for use. If the assessment has no red flags or if red flags are very minimal then the PLC can
agree to use the assessment.
B. Warrants further review. If the assessment has a few red flags, it might be an effective assessment and � would benefit from a deeper evaluation and potential revision before use.
C. Should not be used. Reviewers can use the red flags to determine that, for their current purposes, the � assessment should simply not be used.
Equity-focused design requires collaborative conversations
While it is possible for the Prescreen to be applied by an individual, attending to equity requires using the Prescreen as part of a collaborative professional learning community (PLC) where diverse perspectives are invited, heard, and understood. Additionally, the PLC process helps to build a common understanding of the Prescreen questions and what constitutes as evidence to address them. These high-level questions can drive very meaningful conversations about equitable science assessments and help reviewers come to a common understanding of features of assessments designed for the Arkansas K-12 Science Standards. Reviewers should carefully discuss their answers to the questions and the evidence in the assessment that led them to a common understanding of language and expectations. Some guiding questions are provided on page 3.
Before you begin: Complete the assessment as students would. First as a confident, on grade level or advanced science learner, then again as a student who might not be on grade level. Next consider any support materials provided to teachers or students, such as contextual information about the assessment and answer keys/rubrics.
Prescreen: Answer the following high-level questions to identify any major red flags ( ) in the assessment. If you find one or more red flags, consider the purpose of the assessment and the evidence gathered to determine whether the assessment warrants a deeper dive.
Question | Yes | No |
1. Is there a phenomenon or problem driving the assessment? | | |
2. Can the majority of the assessment be answered without using information provided by the assessment scenario? | | |
3. Can significant portions of the assessment be answered successfully by using rote knowledge (e.g., definitions, prescriptive or memorized procedure)? | | |
4. Does the assessment require students to use sense-making to successfully complete the assessment? | | |
5. Does the assessment require students to use some understanding of disciplinary core ideas to successfully complete the assessment? | | |
6. Do students have to use at least one science and engineering practice to successfully complete the assessment? | | |
7. Does the assessment require students to bring their understanding of CCC elements as reasoning tools to respond to prompts? | | |
8. Are the dimensions assessed separately in the majority of the assessment? | | |
9. Is the assessment coherent and comprehensible from the student perspective? | | |
10. Does the assessment allow students at various points along a learning progression to make their thinking visible? | | |
Based on your assessment needs and the assessment purpose recorded above, make a recommendation about this assessment moving forward (choose one):
Recommended for use. Warrants further review. Should not be used.
Science Assessment Prescreen �Task Title_________________________________Grade ______ Date _____________________�SEP: _______________________ DCI: _________________ CCC: _______________________�Task Purpose: (FA, CFA, SA)_______________________________________________________
Summarize your evidence and reasoning:
Questions to guide your collaborative conversations
For more information about how the Prescreen was developed and its relationship to the Task Screener, please see these Frequently Asked Questions .
Resources linked in this tool: