Brain Friendly Assessments

Increase learning with effectively designed assessments based on neuroscience.Assessment and testing serve distinctly different purposes in education. Whereas testing gives teachers a snapshot of what each student knows at a given moment, assessment provides a way to continually monitor student progress and give feedback and support to increase learning. Brain-Friendly Assessments: What They Are and How to Use Them guides teachers on this journey as they work to determine what, whom, where, and how to assess. Bestselling author David A. Sousa empowers teachers with valuable research findings from educational neuroscience as he describes critical factors to consider when designing and selecting assessment techniques to accurately gauge how well students learn and retain information. In this book, Sousa explores clear, practical, effective ways to: ‧ Develop and administer assessments that are in the best interest of students ‧ Design brain-friendly assessments to deepen students' understanding ‧ Fairly assess all students, including English-language learners and those who are homeschooled Effectively designed assessments help improve student performance as well as qualities that standardized test scores alone cannot measure, such as creativity, curiosity, higher-order thinking, and collaboration. Brain-Friendly Assessments will help teachers impart these critical skills and traits to students to consistently foster long-term academic success.

Dr. David A. Sousa is an international consultant in educational neuroscience and author of 15 books that suggest ways that educators and parents can translate current brain research into strategies for improving learning. A member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, he has conducted workshops in hundreds of school districts on brain research, instructional skills, and science education at the Pre-K to 12 and university levels. He has made presentations to more than 100,000 educators at national conventions of educational organizations and to regional and local school districts across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.Dr. Sousa has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bridgewater State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in science from Harvard University, and a doctorate from Rutgers University. His teaching experience covers all levels. He has taught senior high school science, served as a K-12 director of science, a supervisor of instruction, and a district superintendent in New Jersey schools. He has been an adjunct professor of education at Seton Hall University and a visiting lecturer at Rutgers University.Prior to his career in New Jersey, Dr. Sousa taught at the American School of Paris (France), and served for five years as a Foreign Service Officer and science advisor at the USA diplomatic missions in Geneva (Switzerland) and Vienna (Austria).Dr. Sousa has edited science books and published dozens of articles in leading journals on staff development, science education, and educational research. His most popular books for educators, all published by Corwin Press, include: How the Brain Learns, fourth edition; How the Special Needs Brain Learns, second edition; How the Gifted Brain Learns; How the Brain Learns to Read; How the Brain Influences Behavior; and How the Brain Learns Mathematics, which was selected by the Independent Publishers' Association as one of the best professional development books of 2008. The Leadership Brain suggests ways for educators to lead today's schools more effectively. His books have been published in French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and several other languages.Dr. Sousa is past president of Learning Forward (formerly NSCD). He has received numerous awards from professional associations, school districts, and educational foundations for his commitment to research, staff development, and science education. He recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award and an honorary doctorate from Bridgewater (Massachusetts) State University, and an honorary doctorate from Gratz College in Philadelphia.Dr. Sousa has been interviewed by Matt Lauer on the NBC Today Show and by National Public Radio about his work with schools using brain research. He makes his home in south Florida.