Through Course Task (TCT)
Expert NotesStrengths:This NGSS assessment inlcudes detailed scoring guidance and annotated student work samples, which help teachers interpret student responses more consistently and understand what different levels of performance look like in practice.
Cautions:Scoring TCTs can be subjective and requires calibration among teachers, since evaluating open-ended student responses depends on interpretation of rubrics rather than strictly objective scoring.
Topics: Student LearningThrough Course Tasks (TCTs) are a set of performance-based science assessment tasks designed to measure students’ three-dimensional science learning within classroom instruction. They are implemented across grade levels, including elementary, as part of a broader, balanced assessment system that…Through Course Task (TCT)
Expert NotesStrengths:This NGSS assessment inlcudes detailed scoring guidance and annotated student work samples, which help teachers interpret student responses more consistently and understand what different levels of performance look like in practice.
Cautions:Scoring TCTs can be subjective and requires calibration among teachers, since evaluating open-ended student responses depends on interpretation of rubrics rather than strictly objective scoring.
Topics: Student LearningThrough Course Tasks (TCTs) are a set of performance-based science assessment tasks designed to measure students’ three-dimensional science learning within classroom instruction. They are implemented across grade levels, including elementary, as part of a broader, balanced assessment system that…Through Course Task (TCT)
Expert NotesStrengths:This NGSS assessment inlcudes detailed scoring guidance and annotated student work samples, which help teachers interpret student responses more consistently and understand what different levels of performance look like in practice.
Cautions:Scoring TCTs can be subjective and requires calibration among teachers, since evaluating open-ended student responses depends on interpretation of rubrics rather than strictly objective scoring.
Topics: Student LearningThrough Course Tasks (TCTs) are a set of performance-based science assessment tasks designed to measure students’ three-dimensional science learning within classroom instruction. They are implemented across grade levels, including elementary, as part of a broader, balanced assessment system that…Through Course Task (TCT)
Expert NotesStrengths:This NGSS assessment inlcudes detailed scoring guidance and annotated student work samples, which help teachers interpret student responses more consistently and understand what different levels of performance look like in practice.
Cautions:Scoring TCTs can be subjective and requires calibration among teachers, since evaluating open-ended student responses depends on interpretation of rubrics rather than strictly objective scoring.
Topics: Student LearningThrough Course Tasks (TCTs) are a set of performance-based science assessment tasks designed to measure students’ three-dimensional science learning within classroom instruction. They are implemented across grade levels, including elementary, as part of a broader, balanced assessment system that…Block-based Coding Assessment
Expert NotesStrengths:Includes both block recognition and block sequencing tasks, allowing it to capture multiple dimensions of programming knowledge
Cautions:Relies on paper-based representations of programming tasks rather than the actual ScratchJr environment, which may not fully reflect how children demonstrate their understanding during authentic, hands-on coding experiences.
Topics: Student LearningThis assessment is a programming knowledge measure designed to evaluate young children’s understanding of foundational coding concepts after completing a multi-week instructional unit using ScratchJr. The assessment consists of a series of structured tasks that require students to interpret,…Creative Coding Rubric
Expert NotesStrengths:Uses a hands-on, manipulable physical system to elicit children’s reasoning, allowing researchers to directly observe how preschoolers infer and test causal relationships rather than relying solely on verbal explanations or abstract questions.
Cautions:Only applies to apply to coding applications that use block-based programing, e.g. ScratchJr; measures outcome only, not process of creating coding projects; have not yet tested how easily teachers can use the rubric
Topics: Student LearningEvaluates coding skills and project design across 13 categories. Unahalekhaka & Bers (2022) validated with 228 ScratchJr projects.Unahalekhaka & Bers (2022) developed the first version, "ScratchJr Project Rubric"; Blake-West et al. (2025) redesigned the rubric to treat creative coding as a…STEM Design Portfolio (Bartholomew et al., 2019)
Expert NotesStrengths:Uses design portfolios with drawings, explanations, and iterative prompts across planning and evaluation stages, enabling it to capture students’ decision-making processes and approaches to problem solving over time rather than just final products.
Cautions:Depends heavily on interpreting young children’s drawings and researcher-recorded explanations, which can introduce subjectivity and potential inconsistencies in how students’ ideas are understood and coded.
Topics: Student LearningThis design portfolio measure is an assessment approach used to document and analyze young students’ thinking and decision-making during open-ended design tasks. The measure is designed to examine students’ design processes and reasoning over time within authentic, open-ended STEM learning…Science-K Inventory (SK-I)
Expert NotesStrengths:Provides a comprehensive assessment of scientific reasoning by covering multiple core dimensions (experimentation, data interpretation, and understanding the nature of science).
Cautions:Relies on multiple-choice, story-based items, which may limit its ability to capture students’ full reasoning processes or how they perform scientific reasoning in hands-on or open-ended inquiry situations.
Topics: Student LearningThe Science-K Inventory (SK-I) is an assessment instrument designed to measure primary students’ scientific reasoning skills through structured, scenario-based tasks. The instrument consists of 30 multiple-choice items organized into three components: experimentation, data interpretation, and…