The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) delineate three interrelated dimensions that describe what students should know and how they should engage in science learning. These present significant challenges for assessment because traditional assessments may not be able to capture the ways in which students engage with content. Science…

The purpose of this study was to explore how students with high- and low-prior-knowledge employed multiple representations in argumentation evaluation and generation tasks. The argumentation performance and eye-movement behaviors of 96 college students in these tasks were investigated. The number of participants who proposed complex argumentation…

The acquisition of early literacy skills prior to school can positively influence later educational outcomes. However, children from culturally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds often lack stimulating educational activities at home. This analysis provides empirical evidence for 31 education systems on the association between parental…

The pervasive use of visual representations in textbooks, curricula, and assessments underscores their importance in K-12 science education. For example, visual representations figure prominently in the recent publication of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States in Next generation science standards: for states, by states.…

Many articles and reports have reviewed, researched, and commented on international assessments from the perspective of exploring what is relevant for the United States' education systems. Researchers make claims about whether the top-performing systems have transferable practices or policies that could be applied to the United States. However,…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the most ambitious study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement to date. TIMSS developed and administered tests and questionnaires in three student populations to study achievement in participating countries and the factors associated…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) developed and administered tests and questionnaires in three student populations to document the quality of mathematics and science education in 45 participating countries. Study design, instrument development, and research procedures were achieved through a complex collaborative…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is designed to monitor the transition of a national sample of young adults as they progress from junior to senior high school and then to postsecondary education or the world of work. An in-depth description is provided of the rationale, development, and psychometric properties of the…

Article attempted to shed some light on some of the problems candidates might encounter in a choice examination. Specifically, the primary aim of the geography study was to discover if candidates could successfully choose, under examination conditions, the questions where they would demonstrate their best performance. (Author/RK)

Sixty tables are presented, which examine the test achievement of a national probability sample of eighth graders in public and private schools. Statistics were obtained from the base-year student survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The NELS:88 monitors the transition of a national sample of young adults as they…

Statewide results of South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) are provided in terms of the percentages of students meeting statewide performance standards in reading, mathematics, writing, and science. BSAP tests were administered statewide on April 23-27, 1990, in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8. The BSAP Exit Examination was administered…

Article describes a word test given to seventh-grade students that revealed a list of science words that should prove to be helpful to teachers in the teaching of science. (ML)

In the context of Phase Four of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Science Attribute Study, this report includes a discussion of item attributes, an overview of the item attributes used in the study, some psychometric characteristics of the blocks analyzed, a general description of the rule-space methodology, the results…

This summary of Dearborn high school student performance on four achievement tests of the American College Testing Program (ACT) presents data for 768 junior and senior students who took the test during the 1981-82 school year. The ACT mean composite score for Dearborn students continues to be above the national norm. Students scored consistently…

Sex differences in performance of year-11 British students in science are being explored in an ongoing study. Some early results and tentative conclusions are reported. Double award science was introduced in England to improve scientific literacy, to reduce sex imbalances in later science pursuits by females, and to encourage generally greater…