NWEA to Explore New Science Experiences for Students on Roblox

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Apr 04, 2023, 05:00 ET

The research-based assessment organization embarks on a new project to innovate in science education.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA – a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students – announced today its new initiative focused on collaborative and immersive education opportunities on Roblox – a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences. Utilizing a Roblox Community Fund grant, the organization will explore innovative ways to use 3D immersive experiences to engage students in the study of science and assess their achievements in the subject.

While assessments are vital in traditional coursework, the results only demonstrate one small piece of a larger puzzle of what students know and are capable of achieving. Current assessments often leave out non-academic skills like student-decision making or progress toward reaching a goal. This is especially true when exploring Next Generation Science Standards.

"This collaboration allows us to explore science as a verb by looking at how students engage in solving science instead of science as a noun," said Dr. Abby Andres, Vice President of the Future Impact and Growth team at NWEA. "We're excited to create high quality science experiences that can lead to new (and richer) data, new measurement opportunities that are both academic and non-academic, and ultimately better insights for teachers."

As part of the Roblox Community Fund, Roblox has provided a grant to NWEA to work with Filament Games, an educational game developer known for such projects as the Mission: Mars designed for the Museum of Science, Boston and launched on the Roblox platform. Filament will build the unique science experience for NWEA to be launched on the Roblox platform.

NWEA Science content and measurement experts are providing the vision, direction, assessment, and research expertise for the project, which is set to begin this spring with the potential of a prototype available to Roblox participants in late 2023.

About NWEA

NWEA^® (formerly known as Northwest Evaluation Association) is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

SOURCE NWEA