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Assessment & Learning Gains

The most convincing way to show a lesson worked is to measure the same students before and after and look at the improvement. This page gives you a ready-to-use pre/post quiz, a self-scoring interactive version, and a simple way to calculate and report the learning gain.

▶️ The interactive quiz (self-scoring)

Students take it before the lesson (it saves a baseline on their device), then after the lesson — it reveals the answers and shows each student their personal learning gain.

Open the quiz in a new tab →

How to run it

  1. Before class (5 min): students open the quiz, enter a nickname, pick Before class, answer, and submit. Their baseline score + confidence are saved on their device.
  2. Teach the lesson (any AIR stage).
  3. After class (5 min): students reopen the quiz, use the same nickname, pick After class, and submit. They see the correct answers, explanations, and their learning gain.

!!! tip "No devices? Use paper or a form." The question bank below is the same content. Print it, or drop it into a free Google Form and give it twice. Encourage honesty and offer anonymity — you want a true measure, not a test grade.

Measuring the learning gain

Percentages alone are misleading (improving 80%→90% is harder than 40%→50%). Use the normalised (Hake) learning gain, which accounts for how much room there was to improve:

gain (g) = (post% − pre%) ÷ (100% − pre%)
Normalised gain g Interpretation
> 0.7 High gain
0.3 – 0.7 Medium gain (typical for a good active lesson)
< 0.3 Low gain — revisit the activity

Example: a class averages 45% before and 80% after → g = (80 − 45) ÷ (100 − 45) = 0.64 → a solid medium gain. Report it as "the class achieved a normalised learning gain of 0.64." The interactive quiz does this maths per student automatically.

Also compare the confidence self-rating (1–5) before and after — growth in confidence is part of the story, especially for younger students.

Question bank

Ten questions covering the Classroom Track (Stages I–IV). ★ marks the correct answer.

  1. Why do scientists want to grow plants in space? Lighter spaceship · ★ For food, oxygen, and crew wellbeing on long missions · Plants can't grow in space · To test paint
  2. What is "gravitropism"? Growing toward light · ★ A plant's growth response to gravity · A fertiliser · A rocket
  3. What does the AstroCalibration sticker do in a photo? Decoration · ★ Gives a known size and colour so software can measure the plant · Feeds the plant · Blocks light
  4. Where in the root is the auxin maximum found? ★ At the very tip (quiescent centre) · In the leaves · In the flowers · Roots have no auxin
  5. What is "Green Area Index" a measure of? Greenness of the sky · ★ How much green canopy covers the growing area · Number of seeds · Temperature
  6. Why photograph plants the same way each day? Save battery · ★ So images can be fairly compared and measured · No difference · Only to look pretty
  7. Which free tool measures plants from photos using computer vision? ★ PlantCV · A thermometer · A ruler app · A microscope
  8. When a root is turned on its side, what happens to auxin? Stays even · ★ Builds up on the lower side, bending the root down · Leaves the plant · Moves to the leaves
  9. What makes data "FAIR" and shareable worldwide? Keeping it secret · ★ Clear methods + open tools and formats · Deleting it · Paper only
  10. Why are microgreens a good classroom crop? Take a year · ★ Germinate in days, so results fit a unit · Need a spaceship · Can't be measured

Want stage-specific questions, or a version aligned to your grade band? Edit this page (pencil icon) or open an issue on GitHub.