Assessment processes in science across the primary–secondary interface: an Australian perspective

Assessment guidelines in the Australian Curriculum: Science are outlined after the status and practice of science is overviewed. Available, but dated, empirical reports of teachers’ assessment processes and procedures across the interface are compared. Current assessment practices are inferred from indirect research data. Two Australian professional learning initiatives, Primary Connections and, at the secondary level, Science by Doing, may be changing the ‘face’ of science education. How primary teachers implementing Primary Connections are assessing pupils is outlined. Similar data do not exist for Science by Doing, but its potential impact on teachers’ assessment practices is presented. Implications for a smoother science assessment transition for pupils are suggested.