Aligning science curriculum renewal efforts and assessment practices

Abstract

There is ample evidence that failure lies ahead when curriculum renewal goals are not (or are inadequately) reflected in assessment approaches, procedures and instruments to be linked with the renewal. Changes in curriculum goals require concurrent changes in assessment and examination policies and practices. However, restructuring assessment is one of the most significant challenges facing science education curriculum reform. This chapter focuses on the importance of the alignment between science curriculum renewal efforts and assessment of learning by means of external exit examinations, and the traps involved in seeking this alignment. Three recently completed science curriculum renewal pilots in senior secondary education in the Netherlands (2007-2010) are used as exemplifying cases. These subject-specific pilots aimed at the development and piloting of new so-called examination programmes, outlining the goals to be attained and tested in the internal and external exit examinations for physics, chemistry and biology. The focus in all three renewals is on a context-based approach. The three pilots have been supported by an extensive, independent evaluation study. It aimed at finding out to what extent the intended curriculum reforms have resulted in programmes that are, amongst other things, assessable by means of external pilot examinations. Data have been collected about the process of constructing external pilot examinations, the content of the external pilot examinations and the performances of the pilot students on these exams. The evaluation findings demonstrate the delicacy of finding a proper balance between the science education reform perspective and psychometric concerns about reliability and comparability. A too strong focus on psychometric issues tended to be the cause of some renewal ambitions and ideas being in danger of being overlooked.