Assessment Reform in Science: Fairness and Fear

Fairness and Fear ? I was startled at the subtitle of the book when I first heard it! Our series has some imaginative titles but none so evocative as this one. But “fear” and “fairness” capture much of teacher thinking about assessment. Indeed, teachers struggle to be fair with students, certainly c- cerned (and often fearful) of failures to be fair, and repercussions that teachers can face as a result. Then there is the fearful enterprise of imposed assessment regimes that many teachers face. Dr. Yung’s book allows us to hear from the teachers on these concerns ? this is no top-down policy statement. His account is readable and highly instructive, and I hope that copies will find their way to the desks of many school administrators and policy personnel. We are indeed pleased to release this volume. William W. Cobern Book Series Editor (2000-2005) Foreword by Peter Fensham Two things are very clear to me about formal educational systems. • What is assessed in these systems determines what teachers and students recognize as knowledge of worth. • Teachers in general are conscientious in doing their best to ensure that their students will learn this knowledge of worth well. Science has now been widely acknowledged to be a core or key subject in the overall curriculum of schooling at all levels.