New Website for Informal Science Assessment Tools

New Searchable Website of Assessment Tools for Informal Science Learning

PEAR (Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency), Belmont, MA

A new resource designed to help practitioners, evaluators, researchers and policymakers select instruments to assess science learning and child outcomes in out-of-school programs is now available.  PEAR, a Harvard University-McLean Hospital team led by Dr. Gil Noam, has developed a searchable database of assessment tools for evaluating program quality and outcomes.

Afterschool programs are gaining recognition as settings that hold great potential for increasing scientific literacy and engagement in youth.  Yet some questions remain:  How do we know when afterschool programs achieve their goals?  What evaluative tools should we use when assessing afterschool science programs?  How can we be sure the evaluative tools we use are valid and reliable -- are they appropriately measuring science programming and outcomes?
 
Evaluating afterschool science programming is essential for ensuring and improving the quality of informal science experiences for youth.  Sites that assess science programming are also better positioned to gain additional resources and are more attractive to funders and potential partners.  The Noyce Foundation, a leading strategic funder in the afterschool science field, requisitioned a yearlong study on the current state and needs of the informal science assessment world. The design for the PEAR study is based on an evaluative framework developed in a recent National Science Foundation report by Alan J. Friedman, David A. Ucko and committee. The PEAR study yielded an in-depth, analytical review of existing evaluation tools.  Results are documented in a report "Toward a Systemic Evidence-Base for Science in Out-of-School Time: The Role of Assessment."  The new, searchable ATIS website makes information about these assessment tools easily accessible.
 
Come explore the website at atis.pearweb.org.  Read reviews and ratings by practitioners who are using these tools.  You are also invited to write reviews on instruments that you are using.  The site will be continuously updated in collaboration with youth development researchers at 4-H.
 
For further information about this website, please contact us or visit pearweb.org.