# Transcript

Sandra Amos
Hello. I'm Sandra Amos the author of this course. I've worked for many years in science education both as a teacher in secondary schools and as a teacher/educator in university.
Assessment is a challenging aspect of a science teacher’s work. Science is not simply a fixed collection of facts but a complex discipline. Consequently assessment in secondary science should not be concerned only with what facts students can recall. Rather attention needs to be paid to the different elements of science including students' conceptual understanding of key ideas, their technical competence, investigative skills and understanding of the nature and processes of science.
There also has to be some notion of what it means to make progress in these elements which must be agreed and shared to provide a framework for assessment. As a teacher, it’s important that you have a clear understanding of what progress means and how best to help students move forward.
Through studying this course you will draw on your own experiences of and ideas about assessment in order to consider its impact on students and their learning. You will consider what is assessed in science and the principles underpinning how assessment can support students’ learning. You will also be introduced to different techniques that can be used to assess students’ conceptual understanding rather than simply what they can recall.
In the final session you are asked to consider the value and importance of involving students in assessment and ways in which this can be achieved.
I hope that you enjoy this course and find it useful in developing your assessment practise in the future.