This study reports a multitrait-multimethod analysis of evidence relating to the validity of reporting on subdomains in science from national tests at age 14 in England and Wales in 1993. Data support the policy decision to report only a single test level. A multitrait-multiform analysis is also described. (Author/SLD)

Discusses teaching the names, symbols, and charges of 53 common ions along with those of the elements. Provides an ion quiz sheet. (YP)

By creating science achievement tests that satisfy cognitive fidelity and process relevance criteria, educators will produce achievement indicators that serve a reporting function and still benefit the educational system. The true test of students' understanding is hands-on assessment in a laboratory situation. Includes eight references. (MLH)

Determined is the logical reasoning necessary to construct line graphs including a straight line with a positive or negative slope and an exponentially increasing curve. The responses of subjects (grades 6-12) were classified into one of nine categories fitting with Piagetian operational structures. (Author/YP)

The misconceptions related to the concepts of force and acceleration among college students are explored. Misconceptions are identified and their occurrence among a large percentage of students are observed. Provided are some implications for physics teaching and an eight-item test. (Author/YP)

Describes the use of a laboratory-based exam in mechanics that makes students use metersticks, stopwatches, and spring scales to examine physical situations, make some calculations to predict what will happen, and then test their predictions. Includes a description of the lab stations for the actual exam. (JRH)

Considers how computers might help broaden assessment practices by examining the types of test items that might be used in computer environments. Explores ideas from cognitive psychology and research on problem solving. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

Explored methods for detecting gender-based differential item functioning on a science test that was part of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Exploration of conditioning variables and interviews with 25 high school students show a large male advantage for one item in particular. Discusses the basis of gender differences. (SLD)

Discusses the performance of 11th-grade students from Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad (n=1216) on an Errors in Biological Labeling Test (EBLT). Concludes that performance was low in six categories of errors, and that girls performed significantly better on each category of error than did boys. Contains 15…

After scrambling to raise students' skills in math and reading, state and school administrators are beginning to place renewed emphasis on science, with the approaching mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) squarely in mind. That effort is taking shape on many fronts, from the design of new tests in science subjects to the revamping of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student understanding of the nature of science and their problem-solving strategies. Six hundred and twenty Year 8 students in Taiwan twice completed two conceptual problem-solving tests and a questionnaire on the nature of science. Four of these students were selected for follow-up…

Integration of subjects is something elementary teachers must do to insure required objectives are covered. Science-based Reader's Theatre is one way to weave reading into science. This study examined the roles of frequency, attitudes, and Multiple Intelligence modalities surrounding Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre. This study used…

This policy research document is intended for Louisiana policymakers to use when examining possible changes to the state assessment's alignment with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2009 NAEP test is not yet in existence, so the purpose of this report is to give policymakers a head start in determining where they might,…

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of learning activities based on conceptual change conditions and traditionally designed physics instruction on tenth-grade students' understanding of static electricity concepts and their attitudes toward physics as a school subject. Misconceptions related to static electricity concepts…

An online conference sponsored by the Executive Committee of the ACS Division of Chemical Education (DivCHED) was held on October 13-30, 2006. The conference is one of the CONFCHEM (CONFerences on CHEMistry) offerings of the Division's Committee on Computers in Chemical Education. Robert Belford (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) served as…