Asking the Wrong Questions About American Science Education: Insights from a Longitudinal Study of High School Biotechnology Lab Instruction

The discussion of American science education is often framed by the questions: Why do American precollege students do poorly on international science assessments and what we are doing wrong? Rather we need to ask: Why do so many international students come to US universities for science, what are we doing right in science, and how do we stay ahead in science education? Poor scores on international assessments belie the fact that the U.S. has the best science education system in the world. Our study of 6,200 high school teachers in 1998 and 2018 documented striking success in retooling classrooms for lab-based instruction in biotechnology and provided a pre-COVID-19 snapshot of what is right with American biology education. However, it also highlights the need revitalize our precollege teaching resource with a renewed National Science Foundation commitment to in-service training.

Impacts on Head Start Dual Language Learning Children’s Early Science Outcomes

The present study examined the roles that language of assessment, language dominance, and teacher language use during instruction play in Dual Language Learner (DLL) science scores. A total of 255 Head Start DLL children were assessed on equated science assessments in English and Spanish. First overall differences between the two languages were examined, then associations between performance on science assessments were compared and related to children’s language dominance, teacher quantity of English and Spanish, and teachers’ academic science language. When examined as a homogeneous group, DLLs did not perform differently on English or Spanish science assessments. However, when examined heterogeneously, Spanish-dominant DLLs performed better on Spanish science assessments. The percentage of English and Spanish used by teachers did not affect children’s science scores. Teachers’ use of Spanish academic science language impacted children’s performance on science assessments, but English did not. The results have implications for the assessment of DLLs and teacher language use during instruction.

Transient demographic approaches can drastically expand the toolbox of coral reef science

Coral communities are threatened by an increasing plethora of abiotic and biotic disturbances. Preventing the ensuing loss of coral coverage and diversity calls for a mechanistic understanding of resilience across coral species and populations that is currently lacking in coral reef science. Assessments into the dynamics of coral populations typically focus on their long-term (i.e. asymptotic) characteristics, tacitly assuming stable environments in which populations can attain their long-term characteristics. Instead, we argue that greater focus is needed on investigating the transient (i.e. short-term) dynamics of coral populations to describe and predict their characteristics and trajectories within unstable environments. Applying transient demographic approaches to the evaluation and forecasting of the responses of coral populations to disturbance holds promise for expediting our capacity to predict and manage the resilience of coral populations, species, and communities.

STUDENT ATTITUDES AND BEST PRACTICES ON SCIENCE PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Performance –based science assessments provide students with valuable experiences and opportunities to improve students learning. Understanding the attitude of both teachers and students is an important aspect to design suitable performance-based assessment to ensure quality science education. Thus, this study was crafted to determine the teachers and students attitude towards performance-based science assessment and best practices of teachers. This descriptive survey explored the attitude of teachers and students about performance – based assessment. While, Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyzed the significant difference between the teachers and students attitude towards science performance – based assessment. Findings, suggest that students viewed the test performance positively in terms of grading the students fairly in getting good marks in science. While science teachers, believe that class presentations provide opportunities for students, to demonstrate their ability and knowledge during science discussion. Mann-Whitney U test indicates a mismatched between the teachers and students attitude on the performance-based science assessments. While, best practices of science teachers on science performance –based assessment are focused on student-centered activities such as simulation, student journals, exhibits, debates, community based project, project based learning, presentation of science investigatory project, and open-ended questions. Thus, it is necessary for the schools to strengthens the teachers professional development especially in the development and innovations of effective science performance-based assessment tool in order to increase learners achievement. It is also necessary to strengthens students understanding about the role and importance of the different science performance task implored by the teacher.