The new practical assessment resources and strategies can be used by researchers and busy teachers to assess learning associated with inquiry and laboratory performance. Development and use of assessment resources is also a very important area for further disciplinefocused research in science education. Such research could also serve as a foundation for developing assessment protocols for teachers to use effectively in their own classrooms without expending large quantities of their very limited time. In addition, such assessment protocols should provide feedback for teachers to improve the effectiveness of their own teaching. That feedback, of course, could also be used to help students understand how they are progressing as learners. Gitomer and Duschl (1998, p. 803), wrote: