To guide the teaching of how reliable knowledge is produced by the community of scientists, educators need tools to assess student understandings of how science works.
This page provides access to assessments designed to help teachers evaluate their students’ grasp of the scientific process, as well as of how science is used to aid personal and societal decision-making.
The questions below, curated with the generous help of many colleagues, are of three types: multiple choice, agree/disagree reflection, and open-ended.
Multiple-Choice Questions
Use these questions to provoke and reveal student thinking
From the Essential Cell Biology textbook (7 questions)
Best for: High school and college
From the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) (10 questions)
Best for: High school and college
Agree/Disagree Reflection Questions
Use these 23 Likert-scale questions to reveal students’ preconceptions and to provoke class discussions.
Best for: Middle school through college
- Science and society
- Scientific practice
- How scientists behave
Open-Ended Questions for Deeper Thinking
Use these questions to encourage written reflection, small-group dialogue, and class discussions.
7 open-response prompts explore:
- What makes science different from other disciplines?
- The role of creativity in science
- How scientists draw conclusions from shared data
Adaptable for: Elementary to college classrooms