Services
FACET Innovations (FI) provides services & tools to educators, schools and educational programs in:
Diagnostic assessment: Accessing and monitoring the development of learner understandings through formative assessment is critical to diagnostic assessment. FI provides assistance to schools and districts in designing and developing diagnostic science assessments aligned with their curriculum as well as assistance in interpreting and reporting results.
FI also maintains Diagnoser.com, a website providing free web-based learning and assessment tools for teachers to use with and in service of their students. Expanding Diagnoser tools is an ongoing collaborative effort with other researchers and classroom teachers.
Professional development: FI designs and delivers professional development for teachers to help them attend to learners' preconceptions and promote deep learning in science. Much of our PD work has focused on supporting teachers in their effective use of FI online diagnostic tools (see Diagnoser.com) and more broadly in support of their implementation of a "diagnostic learning environment," with emphasis on effective formative assessment.
Research: FI has conducted research on student understandings in science and applied research around teachers' skills in eliciting and acting upon those understandings. More recently, we have also been looking at teachers' understandings of assessment, the impact of professional development on their professional practice and the support of diverse learner needs in mainstream science classrooms. The FI staff has expertise in research design, statistical techniques and qualitative analysis.
Evaluation: FI provides external evaluation services for several NSF-funded STEM education projects across the U.S. These projects tend to be multifaceted, involving awide variety of activities and including stakeholders from multiple professional "cultures." We employ a multiple methods approach, including surveys, interviews, document review, and observation techniques to provide both formative and summative feedback to clients. However, we envision our evaluator role as one of "critical friend," emphasizing the priority of formative information in our work.
