Abstract for:Designing Assessments to Judge Attainment of High Level Learning Goals: One Step in Propagating System Dynamics in Education (Stage 1: Background)

The goal of this study is to design sample assessments that are useful to researchers as they conduct studies that illuminate the difference in student learning that System Dynamics (SD) infused lessons provide. 

Stage 1 of this study prepared the background for our assessment efforts.  In this paper we will identify some of the higher level educational goals used in several curricular disciplines in US secondary schools.  We will identify core concepts embedded in an SD approach to analyzing a systems problem.  We will describe some learning outcomes that have been identified by six secondary school teachers that differentiate their students that have used SD modeling techniques from students who have not used SD modeling in their classes over more than 20 years.  Finally,  we will set the stage for part 2 of this assessment study that will identify a generic assessment template designed to capture this differentiated SD learning. In stage 2 we will provide some example assessment questions applied to two specific disciplines, and report on the results of tests that were performed in several classrooms.