ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the shifting terrain of formative assessment in the field of science education over the last decade. It examines connecting formative assessment as it has been traditionally defined in science education by domain-general studies. The chapter describes shifts in theoretical perspectives in educational research. It focuses on how reframing goals for science learning has begun to change ways that formative assessment activity is defined and enacted in science classrooms, and the resultant influence these changes have had on conceptualizations of formative assessment classroom practice. Sociocultural learning perspectives have shaped the ways in which assessment in general, and formative assessment in particular, is positioned in science classrooms. Formative assessment tools may facilitate the systematic collection of data on the range of student thinking, provide a focal point for teacher talk about student thinking, and inform the next steps in the classroom.
