Using the ATLAST Assessments
The ATLAST project provides technical assistance (at no cost) to MSPs who are interested in using the student and/or teacher assessments we have developed. If you would like to use or review the assessments, please use the links at the bottom of the page. More information about using the assessments is given below.
What the Assessments Measure
The ATLAST project has developed student and teacher assessments in:
- Force and motion,
- Processes that shape Earth (Plate Tectonics), and
- Flow of matter and energy in living systems.
The student and teachers assessments measure knowledge of the science content, while the teacher assessment also measures a teacher's ability to use science content knowledge to analyze student thinking, and to make instructional decisions. All of the items on the teacher assessment are set in instructional contexts.
The assessments contain approximately 30 multiple choice items each, and take between 30 to 45 minutes to complete.
The assessments are designed to be used to gauge growth in knowledge about a specific content area as a result of instructional experiences. The assessments were not developed for making decisions/judgments about individual teachers or students. Therefore, the assessments may not be used to evaluate individual teachers or students, and the results may not be associated with any high-stakes consequence such as tenure, pay, hiring, or grades.
The assessments may only be used in their entirety, and the results must be analyzed by HRI. It is not possible to administer only selected items from the assessment.
Click here if you would like to learn more information about the ATLAST teacher assessments.
Administering the Assessments
All of the assessments may be administered either as a one-time assessment, as a pre/post assessment, or as a pre/post/delayed post assessment. It is also possible to administer the assessment in each of these ways with a comparison group.
The teacher assessments are available to be administered using paper test booklets and answer sheets, or they can be administered online. The student assessments are only available in paper format. It is your responsibility to obtain proper IRB and/or the appropriate district/school approval for your study and to follow the necessary requirements for obtaining principal, teacher, parent, and/or student permission/approval to administer to the assessment(s).
In the case of online administration, HRI will provide the links to each copy of the teacher assessment(s) being administered. For paper administration, HRI will mail all test booklets and answer sheets, and provide packaging materials for returning all of the assessment materials to HRI.
Analyses Offered
HRI provides the following analyses:
- Percent of respondents choosing each answer choice;
- Percent of respondents answering each item correctly;
- Group mean score; and
- Significance testing and computation of effect sizes for pre- and post-test group mean scores.
Assessment Requests
Click here to request to review teacher and/or student assessments.
Click here to request to administer teacher and/or student assessments.
