The SAILS project developed frameworks and materials for assessing inquiry skills in science education. It aimed to help teachers evaluate key skills like scientific reasoning, literacy, and collaboration. The project reviewed approaches across Europe, created assessment tools, and piloted them with teachers. It produced example science units focusing on skills like planning investigations and developed supports for teachers implementing inquiry-based learning and the associated assessments.

1. Strategies for Assessment of
Inquiry Learning in Science
Eilish McLoughlin
CASTeL, Dublin City University
BRUSSELS
24-26 OCTOBER
2 0 1 4
The SAILS project has received funding from
the European Union’s Seventh Framework
Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under grant
agreement n° 289085

2. SAILS - A European approach
FP7: 2012-2015
Coordinator: Dr. Odilla Finlayson, Dublin City University

3. IBSE skills and competences
Unified approach of implementing all the necessary components for
transforming classroom practice - sustainable model for IBSE.

4. SAILS OBJECTVES
• Provide materials incorporating inquiry
assessment strategies and frameworks.
• Partner with teachers to identify and
implement assessment strategies and
frameworks to evaluate key IBSE skills and
competences in the classroom.
• Prepare teachers not only to be able to
teach through IBSE, but also to be
confident and competent in the
assessment of their students’ learning
through inquiry.

5. SAILS Approach
Review and Mapping
• role of inquiry in national curriculum and assessment
• national projects or initiatives on IBSE
• links between IBSE and skills/competences
Assessment frameworks and instruments
• evaluate inquiry skills, scientific reasoning, scientific
literacy in a specific context
• paper-and-pencil / computer-based assessment.
Piloting and evaluation
• expert IBSE practitioners
• physics, chemistry, biology concepts

6. What is inquiry?
“[Inquiry is] the intentional process of:
diagnosing problems, critiquing experiments,
distinguishing alternatives, planning investigations,
researching conjectures, searching for information,
constructing models, discussing with peers
and forming coherent arguments.”
Linn, M. C., Davis E.A., & Bell, P. (2004).

7. Curriculum and Assessment –
Lower Secondary
Diagnosing
problem
Critiquing
experiments
Distinguish
alternatives.
Plan
Investigations
Researching
conjectures
Search for
information
Constructing
models
Debating
with peers
Forming
coherent
arguments
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Sweden
Turkey
UK
Curriculum Only
Curriculum and Assessment

8. Curriculum and Assessment –
Diagnosing
problem
Critiquing
experiments
Distinguish
alternatives.
Plan
Investigations
Researching
conjectures
Search for
information
Constructing
models
Debating
with peers
Forming
coherent
arguments
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Sweden
Turkey
UK
Curriculum Only
Curriculum and Assessment
Upper Secondary

9. SAILS assessment in science
Focus on:
– scientific reasoning
– scientific literacy
– planning investigations
– developing hypotheses
– working collaboratively
– forming coherent arguments
The assessment of skills in a way that teachers can:
(1) diagnose whether students possess an appropriate level of that skill, and
(2) provide feedback and guidance to their students in order to improve
students’ performance.

10. Planning investigations
.. intentional thinking processes necessary before
beginning an experiment ..
(a) decide what you want to do to find out the
answer to the question,
(b) decide what materials you need,
(c) decide how to record the information,
(d) decide how to analyse the information,
(e) decide how to report the findings.
Fradd, S.H., Lee, O., Sutman, F.X., & Saxton, M.K. (2001). Promoting science literacy with English language learners
through instructional materials development: A case study. Billingual Research Journal, 25 (4), 417-439.

11. SAILS Units
Physics
Collision of an egg
Ultraviolet radiation
Electricity
Light
Speed
Floating orange
Global warming
Up there… how is it?
Chemistry
Polymers
Acids, bases, salts
Black tide: Oil in the water
Reaction rates
The proof of the pudding
Which is the Best Fuel?
Household vs natural
environment
Biology
Food labels
Plant nutrition
Sports nutrition
Wood lice
Natural selection
Inquiry skills assessed:
planning investigations
developing hypotheses
working collaboratively
forming coherent arguments

12. Unit Overview
• Topic/Concepts
• Teaching
Approach
• Inquiry Skills
• Scientific Literacy
/ reasoning
• Assessment
Draft Unit
• Rationale of approach
used
• Proposed learning
sequence
• Skills assessed
• Proposed assessment
Case
Study 1 Case
Study 2
Case
Study 3
SAILS Unit Structure

13. Case studies (Teacher Stories)
(i) How was the learning sequence adapted?
Teachers’ reasons for their approach. What questions they used? How did the learners
respond? What did the teacher notice?
(ii) How were the skills assessed?
How did they plan to make their judgements (during/after the inquiry? What model of
assessment was used?
(iii) Criteria for judging assessment data:
What were the teachers looking for in terms of satisfactory response to the inquiry? What
were their expectations?
(iv) Evidence Collected:
Teacher opinion, Observer notes, Sample Student artefacts.
(v) Use of Assessment Data
What did the teachers do next? How did they feed back to their learners? How did
doing the inquiry affect their planning and decisions about next steps in learning?

14. E.g. teacher judgement
Planning an investigation
The student gives recomendations on how the experiment should be carried out, but is
unable to proceed and does not understand the process.
The student gives recomendations on how the experiment should be carried out and
understands the process, but is unable to proceed
The student gives recomendations on how the experiment should be carried out and
understands the process, can proceed with the planing of the experiment.
Teacher questions:
 How can the experiment be implemented?
 Which physical variable should be studied?
 How can connection be found between variables?
 What can you do in order to accurately fix the measurements?
 More exact questions in teacher support.

15. E.g. teacher feedback, Electricity Unit
Skill:
Student can formulate hypothesis (predictions) based on a
question. Hypothesis may include comparisons (eg. metal
will provide brighter light than graphite).
Teacher Oral Feedback:
• Student can formulate an appropriate hypothesis and state it
appropriately (eg. gold will provide the brightest lamp).
• Student can formulate a hypothesis but with an inappropriate
statement (e.g. lamp will light with salty water)
• Students cannot formulate a good hypothesis.

16. E.g. teacher criteria, Electricity Unit
1 2 3 4 5 6
Student
doesn’t draw
mind map or
draws it
putting words
not
connected to
topic (can’t
explain the
connection to
the topic).
Student can
draw a mind
map containing
5 words
connected to
the topic, but
there is a lack of
connections
and relations
between them.
Student can draw a
mind map containing
more than 5 words
connected to the
topic and the
majority of the words
are from common
language. There is a
lack of connections
and relations
between words.
Student can draw a
mind map with
more than 8 words
connected to the
topic (majority of
words are from
common language).
Student draw the
connections
between some
words.
Student can draw a
mind map with
more than 10
words connected to
the topic (most of
words are from
common language).
Student draws
connections
between words but
the structure is not
very much
expanded.
Student can
draw a mind
map with more
than 10 words
connected to
the topic and
most of words
are scientific.
Student draws
proper relations
and
connections
between words.
Skill: assess scientific literacy using mindmaps

17. E.g. teacher feedback, Electricity Unit
Skill:
assess scientific literacy using mindmaps
Teacher Oral Feedback:
Student A – mark: 3 – mind map with more
than 10 words. Mind map only included
a few scientific terms.
Student D – mark: 6 - drew the mind map using
more than 10 words with a lot of key words.
Student used a lot of scientific terminology
and showed the relations between them.

18. Forms of evidence
18
Worksheet
Student-teacher dialogue
Peer assessment
Teacher observation (Listening / Watching)
Progress Report
Student experimental workings, journal, plan, predictions,
results, experiment report etc.
Ample Cups / Traffic Light System
During
Activity:
Worksheet
Summative test
Portfolio
Poster
Peer assessment
Student experimental workings, journal, plan, predictions,
results, experiment report etc.
Newspaper story
Presentation
Post
Activity:

19. SAILS Teacher Education Programmes
• Experience inquiry and experience /
realise assessment opportunities
• Support teachers trialling in school -
planning, implementing, reflecting
• Support teachers developing own
units/materials
• Based on SAILS Units
– Teacher approach and rationale
– Modes of Assessment
– Teacher judgements and criteria
– Evidence collected
– Feedback to students
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Turkey
Sweden
UK

20. Getting Involved - SAILS CoP
Overall Purpose
To encourage practitioners throughout
Europe in the use of IBSE and the assessment
frameworks developed in the project.
COP members avail of the following benefits:
– Publications Access to units and other publication from
the SAILS project
– Forums Discuss Inquiry-based Science Education (IBSE)
issues with other likeminded contributors (nationally and
internationally)
– Events Access to information on upcoming events as well
as the opportunity to promote them
1 international CoP + 12 National CoPs
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Turkey
Sweden
UK

21. SAILS Community of Practice
All Contributions
Thinking Assessment in Science and
Mathematics Conference, Dublin 2014

22. Outcome of SAILS
• Framework for assessment of inquiry skills
including scientific literacy and scientific reasoning and
illustrative examples.
• SAILS Units
>20 science topics presenting inquiry and assessment
activities and case studies of teachers classroom practice.
• Models for teacher education
culturally adapted programmes in inquiry and integrated
assessment.
• European Community of practitioners
active in the teaching, learning and assessment of inquiry
in science and sharing classroom experiences.

23. SAILS Collaborators
• Odilla Finlayson, Eilish McLoughlin, Paul van Kampen, James Lovatt, Sarah
Brady, Deirdre McCabe, Dublin City University
• Marian Kires, Zuzana Jeskova, et al, Safarik University in Košice, Slovakia;
• Pawel Bernard, Dagmara Sokolowska et al, Jagiellonian University Poland;
• Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Brian Matthews, King's College London, UK;
• Beno Csapo, Csaba Csíkos, et al, University of Szeged, Hungary;
• Gunnar Friege, Maximilian Barth, Universität Hannover Germany;
• Mats Lundström, Malmö University, Anders Jönsson,
Kristianstad University, Sweden;
• Claus Michelsen, Morten Rask Petersen, University of South Denmark,
• Cecília Galvão, Cláudia Gonçalves, Instituto de Educação da Universidade
de Lisboa, Portugal;
• Gultekin Cakmakci , Yalcin et al Hacettepe University Turkey;
• Simeos Retalis, Yannis Psaromiligkos, University of Piraeus, Greece;
• Sally Reynolds, Joasia van Kooten, Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT; Wim Peeters,
Belgium;
• Mark Melia, Joe Greene, Intel PLS Limited, Ireland.
www.sails-project.eu