This 155-page book supports active, performance-based assessment by describing a variety of tools for evaluating hands-on science teaching and learning. Information is provided on how elementary teachers can develop, interpret, and score active assessments.

The purpose of the book is to assist elementary school teachers in assessing hands-on science instruction.

Active Assessment for Active Science provides an up-to-date view of assessment techniques consistent with a constructivist view of learning. The authors address a myriad of assessment issues in elementary education and describe many techniques, including the use of drawings, concept maps, notebooks, folders, portfolios, workstations, and individual experiments to assess student understanding. Student work and diagrams effectively illustrate each technique; as would be expected with the presentation of authentic student work, several examples have content errors. One reviewer noted that most of the active assessment techniques described in the book aid the teacher in determining what the student knows but are less helpful in determining what the student does not know.

The seven chapters are logically organized. The first chapter presents arguments for the need for active assessments and the second chapter describes forms of assessment. The third chapter guides teachers in their transition toward management of active assessments and how to build support among parents. Additional chapters discuss the development of assessments and how to interpret and score students' work; a final chapter covers the role of assessments in meeting national goals. Hein and Price acknowledge that active assessments are very time-consuming and logistically more complicated than traditional ones, and they provide suggestions for selecting and managing the assessments to minimize the increase in workload.

Assessment methods in the book focus on the individual elementary child and the context of the classroom environment and learning objectives, leading to equitable assessment where individual differences in students can be accounted for and included in the evaluation of their performance. In addition, a short section at the end of the text addresses equity issues.

Ideally, educators utilizing this book would already be comfortable teaching hands-on science, have strong science content knowledge, and have an understanding of and belief in the philosophy of constructivism. The book could be read by the individual teacher, but it would be most useful and beneficial in a group setting as part of a professional development program or for elementary teachers who are revising their curriculum, exploring new ways to teach science, and investigating new methods of assessment. In an extended professional development series, teachers would have a chance to try ideas in the classroom, work in cooperation with another teacher or team of teachers, reflect on the success of their efforts, and discuss their findings and challenges with a group of peers.

Sufficient information is provided on almost all techniques to assist the reader in understanding the forms of assessment and to allow the educator to utilize these techniques. One reviewer noted, however, that the description of concept mapping is less detailed; professional development providers may wish to supplement this book with additional resources about that particular assessment strategy.