The Disciplinary Nature of Science Teachers’ Talk in the Process of Formative Assessment Design

Abstract

Formative assessment is an important instructional practice in K-12 science classrooms and yet continues to be difficult for teachers to enact. Designing science-specific formative assessments requires teachers to leverage their understanding of science ideas, as well their understandings of how student understanding of content develops over time. In addition, it requires their understandings of pedagogical strategies that draw out student thinking. In this study, we analyze teacher conversations during the process of formative assessment co-design during a two-year professional development. We found heterogeneity in teachers’ contributions both within and across meetings as teachers engaged in co-design. We document how the structure of the professional development process surfaced varied contributions on the part of the teachers, which led to the collaborative design and revision of a formative assessment task.