2061 Connections
An electronic newsletter for the science education community

March 2012

This Just In…

SAVE THE DATE! Assessment Workshops in 2012
Project 2061 announces the 2012 schedule for our popular Developing and Using Assessments Aligned to Science Learning Goals workshop. Mark your calendar for the May 30–June 1 session or the October 17–19 session. Both workshops will be held at AAAS Headquarters in Washington, DC. Find out more!

Project 2061 March National and International Conference Presentations

NARST Annual International Conference

Cari Herrmann Abell, Jean Flanagan, and Jo Ellen Roseman will present Results from a Pilot Study of a Curriculum Unit Designed to Help Middle School Students Understand Chemical Reactions in Living Systems, a paper reporting on the first phase of their research and development work funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. The NARST session will take place during Session 10 of the conference on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, from 8:30–10:00 a.m., in Room 308 of the JW Marriott, Indianapolis, IN.

NSTA National Conference and NSELA
Also in Indianapolis on Friday, March 30:

  • As part of the NSELA Session at the NSTA National Conference, Cari Herrmann Abell will present Creating and Taking Tests on the AAAS Assessment Website from 8:00–9:00 A.M. Open to all participants.

  • NSTA Short Course, Ticketed Event: Cari Herrmann Abell and Ted Willard (former Project 2061 staff member) will present Aligning Science Assessment Items to Content Standards from 1:30–5:30 P.M. $24 in advance; $29 on-site. Limited attendance.

NSDL Workshops and Webinars
Project 2061 continues its series of workshops and webinars designed to help educators take advantage of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Science Literacy Maps, a unique search and browse tool that adds value to the exploration and use of digital STEM resources. Workshop participants will receive a free copy of the two-volume Atlas of Science Literacy.

Workshops:

  • March 21 at the College of Science & Technology, Temple University, 4-7 PM. Open to UTeach program participants.
  • March 31 at the NSTA National Conference in Indianapolis, IN, 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. The workshop is free but requires advance registration at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SCWTB3Q.
  • May 30 at the UTeach Institute-NMSI Conference, Austin, TX, 10 a.m. to 12 Noon. Open to conference attendees.

Webinar:

  • April 4. Online Webinar for the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Open to all Associate and State members of CSSS.

Weather and Climate Test Items Released
More than 165 new questions for testing middle school students’ understanding of basic concepts about weather and climate and seasonal differences are now available on the AAAS Science Assessment website (http://assessment.aaas.org). Developed with funding from NOAA and NASA, the new test items are designed to reveal common misconceptions students may have about the ideas as well as determine the state of their knowledge.

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