Teachers face numerous challenges in evaluating student learning. Those new to the model-based classroom may find quizzes or exams that attempt to capture content mastery may not accurately reflect a student's overall performance in the classroom. We recognize students are doing well in MBER classrooms when they are able to apply their model ideas to new phenomena, drawing upon not only their content knowledge, but also the scientific practices related to sense-making (e.g. arguing from evidence, constructing explanations, using mathematical reasoning). Adding writing prompts that solicit student ideas around phenomena can be a great way to fairly assess student performance across the practices, but grading 150 essay questions provides its own set of challenges! Beyond incorporating evaluation during Formative Assessment, what else can teachers do?

You can find a series of summative assessment items provided by our community of teachers on the Assessments page. In addition to the actual exams and quizzes, there are often rubrics and samples of student work that correspond to the assessment. These resources have been vetted by the MBER team, and new resources will be added periodically. Be sure to continually check back as we add to the list.

If you are looking for general advice or have a specific questions (e.g. how do you break-down points in an MBER classroom?), post your inquiry to the Forums to draw upon the wisdom of other teachers who may have been doing the work of model-based instruction for much longer.