School for Tomorrow to serve as DC-area pilot for innovative, game-based science assessment program

ROCKVILLE, MD, May 14, 2012 (Press-News.org) School for Tomorrow (SFT), an independent secondary school located in Rockville, Maryland, has been selected to pilot SAVE Science, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded science assessment program, in the DC area. SAVE stands for Situated Assessment Using Virtual Environments.

SAVE Science is a game-based assessment of middle school science learning. The program's contemporary gaming platform utilizes a cutting-edge, engaging method to evaluate students' understanding of time-tested science curricula. Using a database of student interactions in a virtual environment, evolving patterns of scientific understanding among students are captured and analyzed.

SFT is incorporating SAVE Science this (third) trimester of the 2011-12 academic year. The program is an ideal fit, as the modules (games) that are being implemented dovetail with material already being covered in SFT's middle school science curriculum.

SAVE Science is a collaborative research project between researchers at the University of Maryland College Park, Temple University, and Arizona State University. It is made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). While SFT's pilot is the first in the DC area, the program has been implemented for two years in Pennsylvania.

Student responses to the SAVE Science assessments have included: "It's like being a scientist because you have to gather information and answer questions to find your answer." and "It didn't seem like [a test] because tests aren't fun and [it] made you want to do it again."

Aaron Rabin, SFT faculty member, is the liaison and contact for SFT's implementation team. He can be reached at 301-460-4747 or arabin@schoolfortomorrow.net. For more information about SAVE Science, visit http://www.savescience.net.

School for Tomorrow is an innovative secondary school (grades 5-12) located in Rockville, Maryland. SFT offers a customizable, student-centered program - designed in and fit for the 21st century - that prepares every student for post-secondary success. SFT aims to serve as a model for others and, ultimately, as a motivator for transformational change in American education.

SFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

School for Tomorrow is an innovative secondary school (grades 5-12) located in Rockville, Maryland. SFT offers a customizable, student-centered program - designed in and fit for the 21st century - that prepares every student for post-secondary success. SFT aims to serve as a model for others and, ultimately, as a motivator for transformational change in American education.