Student Assessments

ATLAST is developing student assessments in force and motion, plate tectonics, and the flow of matter and energy in living systems; using the same process for each content area. Using information already gathered about student thinking, multiple choice assessment items related to the learning goal, prerequisite knowledge, and misconceptions are being written. To ensure that items measure what they purport to, cognitive interviews are conducted with middle school students, making sure to include students of varied backgrounds. Items are revised based on these interviews, reviewed for face validity by content experts and further revised as needed, and then piloted and field tested with thousands of students to develop a scale with the necessary psychometric properties.

The development process is summarized in the following graphic.

Development of Student Assessment

Sample student items for each of the content areas are linked below.

Sample student item for Flow of Matter and Energy in Living Systems
Sample student item for Force and Motion
Sample student item in Plate Tectonics

Close