Describes the construction of assessments on inclines and friction from blueprints--or shells--which address the tasks of planning, hands-on, analysis, and application. Examines the reliability and validity of the assessments as well as the comparability of the assessments generated with the shell. Contains 48 references. (Author/WRM)

The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a multiple-choice test designed to monitor students' understanding of force and related kinematics. Reviews the development of the FCI, outlines its structure, and reviews findings from its implementation. Makes the case for the FCI as a powerful tool for improving both learning and teaching of mechanics.…

High School students' understanding about the particulate theory of matter and their use of particulate terminology is investigated. The Physical Changes Concepts Test (PCCT) was administered in two forms, an applied version and a theoretical version, to determine whether students scientifically understood the concepts well enough to apply them to…

This paper reports the findings of a study of student attitudes and student improvement in conceptual understanding using conceptests with an electronic response system in lecture courses. Students and instructors valued the feedback and interaction that the response system afforded. For a majority of the chemistry topics studied, student…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the use of group works and demonstration experiments based on conceptual change approach in the elimination of misconception about the subject of photosynthesis and respiration in plants in pre-service science teachers. This study was conducted with 78 pre-service science teachers including…

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a system of international assessments administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that measures 15-year-olds' performance in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy every 3 years. This report focuses on the performance of U.S.…

This article reports on reactions to the U.S. Department of Education's first time decision to sit out an international study designed to show how advanced high school students around the world measure up in math and science. Mark S. Schneider, the commissioner of the department's National Center for Education Statistics, which normally takes the…

This study compares overall laboratory averages and individual test scores along with a student survey to determine the effects of using virtual microscopy in place of optical microscopes in a large undergraduate human anatomy course. T-tests revealed that the first two laboratory examinations (of four) and the overall laboratory averages were…

There is evidence that student beliefs about science and classroom instructional strategies are related to achievement outcomes. This study was designed to examine relationships between student beliefs about science, instructional activities, and science achievement of elementary-school students in Japan. Students included in this analysis were…

In 1992, RAND received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the technical quality of performance assessments in science and to evaluate their feasibility for use in large-scale testing programs. The specific goals of the project were to assess the reliability and validity of hands-on science testing and to investigate the cost and…

This document contains the Framework and rationale for assessing science achievement of students throughout the United States in 1996. It provides a general overview of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), describes the 1996 NAEP Science Framework adopted by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), and reviews the process…

The achievement of the 44 Crockett high school students, in Austin, Texas, who participated in the Principles of Technology Program during the 1987-1988 school year was assessed, with the following findings; (1) 14 second-year students answered 30 percent more items correctly on the posttest than on the pretest; (2) the second-year students…

The performance of college students in introductory physics courses has been studied using conventional examination procedures as a measure of content mastery. Retesting over the same physics content using repeatable equivalent examinations results in a significant increase in the students mastery of physics. (Author/GS)

Physics 30 is a twelfth-grade physics course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the major examination for the course. Both English and French versions of the test are provided. Intended for administration during January, 1987, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are…

Chemistry 30 is a twelfth-grade chemistry course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the final test for the course. Intended for administration during January, 1987, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included…