Integrated STEM Concepts Assessment (Dyehouse et al., 2011)
Expert NotesStrengths:Designed as developmentally appropriate, scalable student knowledge tests that can be administered across large numbers of elementary classrooms.
Cautions:Relies heavily on multiple-choice and short-response formats, which may not fully capture students’ deeper understanding of engineering design processes or their ability to apply concepts in authentic problem-solving contexts.
Topics: Student LearningThis assessment consists of grade-level student knowledge tests designed to measure elementary students’ understanding of engineering design, science, and technology concepts. Separate versions of the test are developed for different grade levels, with each version containing a set of items aligned…Integrated STEM Concepts Assessment (Dyehouse et al., 2011)
Expert NotesStrengths:Designed as developmentally appropriate, scalable student knowledge tests that can be administered across large numbers of elementary classrooms.
Cautions:Relies heavily on multiple-choice and short-response formats, which may not fully capture students’ deeper understanding of engineering design processes or their ability to apply concepts in authentic problem-solving contexts.
Topics: Student LearningThis assessment consists of grade-level student knowledge tests designed to measure elementary students’ understanding of engineering design, science, and technology concepts. Separate versions of the test are developed for different grade levels, with each version containing a set of items aligned…Tests of Conceptual Understanding
Expert NotesStrengths:Cautions:Topics: Student LearningThe assessment includes approximately ten items that target students’ understanding of scientific concepts, processes, and reasoning. The instrument is designed to capture students’ depth of understanding of science concepts and their ability to apply scientific ideas in explanatory and inquiry…Formative Assessment Bundling Literacy and Elementary Science (FABLES)
Expert NotesStrengths:Includes teacher guides for pre-instruction and post-instruction tasks
Cautions:Formative not summative assessments.
Topics: Student LearningA set of Grade 3 classroom-based formative assessment resources with accompanying professional learning to support teachers in monitoring and enhancing their students' integrated science and literacy learning.Evolution Concepts Assessment (McGowan-Smyth, 2020)
Expert NotesStrengths:This evolution assessment targets multiple core concepts of evolution (e.g., variation, inheritance, adaptation, speciation, extinction, domestication) through structured items and justifications.
Cautions:Relies heavily on multiple-choice items with written justifications, which may not fully capture students’ underlying reasoning.
Topics: Student LearningThis assessment is designed to measure primary school children’s understanding of evolution, specifically for students aged 10–11. The assessment is based on a theoretical framework of six core evolutionary concepts: variation, inheritance, adaptation, domestication, speciation, and extinction…Beginners Computational Thinking Test (BCTt)
Expert NotesStrengths:Integrates validated pre/post measures (the BCTt) with in-game analytics to track both learning gains and skill progression over time, providing evidence of not just outcomes but also how students develop computational thinking during the learning process.
Cautions:Depends on a specific custom-built game environment
Topics: Student LearningThe Beginners Computational Thinking Test (BCTt) is a multiple-choice assessment designed to provide a standardized measure of early computational thinking development, particularly focusing on core programming concepts appropriate for primary-level learners. The test is organized into six sections…3D Science Performance Assessment Tasks
Expert NotesStrengths:These 3D assessments are not only aligned to the NGSS but also to Common Core ELA and Mathematics standards.
Cautions:Require multiple class periods, materials, and coordination (e.g., group work, presentations, and multi-day tasks), which may be difficult to implement within tight instructional schedules
Topics: Student LearningThe 3D Science Performance Assessment Tasks (3DSPA) are a suite of curriculum-embedded, performance-based assessments designed to measure elementary students’ three-dimensional science learning aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Each assessment is organized around a specific…