R.I. Department of Secondary and Elementary Education

Assessing Inquiry Skills and Knowledge Through Performance-Based Tasks: What You Need to Know to Prepare Your Students for Success on the NECAP Exam R.I. Department of Secondary and Elementary Education

Etwas zu trinken zon dem feurschlauch! (A drink from a firehose!)

"Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.” Chinese Proverb

Goals for Today’s Session • What does it mean to know and do inquiry? • What constitutes evidence of knowing and doing inquiry? • How can evidence be elicited from students? • What valid inferences can we make from the evidence?

What is Inquiry Scientific inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence derived from their work. Inquiry also refers to the activities of students in which they develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, as well as an understanding of how scientists study the natural world (NSES, p. 23)

Characteristics of Inquiry • Observation • Measurement • Experimentation • Communication • Mental Processes

Essential Questions for Assessing Inquiry • What does it mean to know and do inquiry? • What constitutes evidence of knowing and doing inquiry? • How can evidence be elicited from students? • What valid inferences can we make from the evidence?

Big Question… Where’s the Scientific Method in the RI Science GSEs?

Broad Areas of Inquiry • Broad Area 1: • Formulating Questions and Hypothesizing • Broad Area 2: • Planning and Critiquing Investigations • Broad Area 3: • Conducting Investigations • Broad Area 4: • Developing and Evaluating Explanations

Broad Area 1: Formulating Questions and Hypothesizing • Analyze information from observations, research, or experimental data for the purpose of formulating a question, hypothesis, or prediction: (DOK 3) 1a. Appropriate for answering with scientific investigation 1b. For answering using scientific knowledge • Construct coherent argument in support of a question, hypothesis, prediction (DOK 2 or 3 depending on complexity of argument) • Make and describe observations in order to ask questions, hypothesize, make predictions related to topic (DOK 2)

Broad Area 2: Planning and Critiquing of Investigations 4. Identify information/evidence that needs to be collected in order to answer the question, hypothesis, prediction (DOK 2 – routine; DOK 3 non-routine/ more than one dependant variable) 5. Develop an organized and logical approach to investigating the question, including controlling variables (DOK 2 – routine; DOK 3 non-routine) 6. Provide reasoning for appropriateness of materials, tools, procedures, and scale used in the investigation (DOK 2)

Broad Area 3: Conducting Investigations 7. Follow procedures for collecting and recording qualitative or quantitative data, using equipment or measurement devices accurately (DOK 1 – use tools; routine procedure; DOK 2 – follow multi-step procedures; make observations) 8. Use accepted methods for organizing, representing, and manipulating data (DOK 2 – compare data; display data) 9. Collect sufficient data to study question, hypothesis, or relationships (DOK 2 – part of following procedures) 10. Summarize results based on data (DOK 2)

Broad Area 4: Developing and Evaluating Explanations 11. Analyze data, including determining if data are relevant, artifact, irrelevant, or anomalous (DOK 2 – specify relationships between facts; ordering, classifying data) 12. Use evidence to support and justify interpretations and conclusions or explain how the evidence refutes the hypothesis (DOK 3) 13. Communicate how scientific knowledge applies to explain results, propose further investigations, or construct and analyze alternative explanations(DOK 3)

NECAP Schema for Assessing Inquiry- The Inquiry Constructs -

Broad Area 1: Formulating Questions and Hypothesizing • Grade 4: Task must provide students a scenario that describes objects, organisms, or events within the environment. The scenario must include information relevant to grade 4 students and sufficient for them to construct questions and/or predictions based upon observations, past experiences, and scientific knowledge. • Grade 8: Task must provide students a scenario that describes objects, organisms, or events that the student will respond to. The task will provide the student with the opportunity to develop their own testable questions or predictions based upon their experimental data, observations, and scientific knowledge. The task could include opportunities for the student to refine and refocus questions or hypotheses related to the scenario using their scientific knowledge and information. • Grade 11:Task must provide students a scenario with information and detail sufficient for the student to create a testable prediction or hypothesis. Students will draw upon their science knowledge base to advance a prediction or hypothesis using appropriate procedures and controls; this may include an experimental design.

Broad Area 2: Planning and Critiquing of Investigations • Grade 4: Task requires students to plan or analyze a simple experiment based upon questions or predictions derived from the scenario. The experiment and related items should emphasize fairness in its design. • Grade 8: The task will require students to plan or analyze an experiment or investigation based upon questions, hypothesis, or predictions derived from the scenario. An experiment must provide students with the opportunity to identify and control variables. The task will provide opportunities for students to think critically about experiments and investigations and may ask students to propose alternatives. • Grade 11: The task will require students to plan or analyze an experiment or investigation based upon questions, hypothesis, or predictions derived from the scenario. An experiment must provide students with the opportunity to identify and control variables. The task will provide opportunities for students to think critically and construct an argument about experiments and investigations and may ask students to propose alternatives. Task will require the student to identify and justify the appropriate use of tools, equipment, materials, and procedures involved in the experiment.

Broad Area 3: Conducting Investigations • Grade 4: The procedure requires the student to demonstrate simple skills (observing, measuring, basic skills involving fine motor movement). The investigation requires the student to use simple scientific equipment (rulers, scales, thermometers) to extend their senses. The procedure provides the student with an opportunity to collect sufficient data to investigate the question, prediction/hypothesis, or relationships. Student is required to organize and represent qualitative or quantitative data using blank graph/chart templates. Student is required to summarize data. • Grade 8: The procedure requires the student to demonstrate skills (observing, measuring, basic skills involving fine motor movement) and mathematical understanding. The materials involved in the investigation are authentic to the task required. The procedure provides the student with an opportunity to collect sufficient data to investigate the question, prediction/hypothesis, or relationships. Student is required to organize and represent qualitative or quantitative data. Student is required to summarize data to form a logical argument. • Grade 11: The procedure requires the student to collect data through observation, inference, and prior scientific knowledge. Mathematics is required for the student to determine and report data. The task scenario is authentic to the realm of the student. The task requires the student to collect sufficient data to investigate the question, prediction/hypothesis, or relationships. Student is required to organize and represent qualitative or quantitative data. Student is required to summarize data to form a logical argument

Broad Area 4: Developing and Evaluating Explanations • Grade 4: Task must provide the opportunity for students to use data to construct an explanation based on their science knowledge and evidence from experimentation or investigation. • Grade 8: Task must provide the opportunity for students to use data to construct an explanation based on their science knowledge and evidence from experimentation or investigation. The task requires students to usequalitative and quantitative data tocommunicate conclusions and support/refute prediction/hypothesis. • Grade 11: Task must provide the opportunity for students to use data to construct an explanation based on their science knowledge and evidence from experiment or investigation. The task requires students to use qualitative and quantitative data to communicate conclusions and support/refute prediction/hypothesis. The task provides students the opportunity to recognize and analyze alternative methods and models to evaluate other plausible explanations.

Inquiry Targets

Linking A Set of Items

LS1 - All living organisms have identifiable structures and characteristics that allow for survival (organisms, populations, & species). • LS1 (K-4) - INQ+POC -1 Sort/classify different living things using similar and different characteristics. Describe why organisms belong to each group or cite evidence about how they are alike or not alike. • LS1 (5-8) – INQ+ SAE-1 Using data and observations about the biodiversity of an ecosystem make predictions or draw conclusions about how the diversity contributes to the stability of the ecosystem. • LS1 (9-11) INQ+SAE+FAF -1 Use data and observation to make connections between, to explain, or to justify how specific cell organelles produce/regulate what the cell needs or what a unicellular or multi-cellular organism needs for survival (e.g., protein synthesis, DNA replication, nerve cells).

What About Complexity? • Each target has a Depth of Knowledge “Ceiling” • Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 • No target goes above a Level 3 ceiling • No target goes below a Level 2 ceiling

Standard Flow of NECAP Science Inquiry Performance Tasks (Grades 4 & 8): • Directions read aloud by Test Administrator (basic information) • Scenario read aloud by Test Administrator (task context) • Description of the model and materials explained by Test Administrator (the model needs to link to the scenario in a one-sentence statement) • students make a prediction individually • students conduct investigation with partner • students clean up kits/experiment with partner • students return to desks with their own Task Booklet to work individually • Test Administrator distributes Student Answer Booklets to students • Students copy data from Task Booklet to Student Answer Booklet (non-scored) • Students answer 8 scored questions in Student Answer Booklet

Standard Flow of NECAP Science Inquiry Data Analysis Tasks (Grades 8 & 11): • Test Administrator distributes Student Answer Booklets to students 2. Directions read aloud by Test Administrator (basic info). 3. Scenario read aloud by Test Administrator (task context). 4. Students answer questions in Student Answer Booklet • Items will require high school students to consider the following Inquiry Constructs in relation to a selected data set. • Upon completion of the task students sit quietly and read until dismissal.

Sample Scenario – Grade 4 “Up the Hill” Alex and Mia were in their family’s car one day, driving to a favorite summer campground. When the car started to travel up a hill, they noticed that the engine seemed to get louder. Mia thought about the force and motion ideas that her class investigated before school closed for the summer. She wondered if the engine got louder because the car needed more force to go up the hill. When she shared her ideas with Alex, he said, “I think you have a good prediction Mia, but we can’t test it because experimenting with a car engine would be too dangerous.” Mia agreed, but she added, “We could experiment with a toy car as a model and see if the amount of force needed to move the car up a ramp changes when you make the ramp (hill) steeper. Since Alex and Mia will be camping for the next couple of weeks, they are depending on you to complete the investigation for them. Your investigation question is: Does the force needed to move a toy car up hill change when the hill gets steeper?

What’s the Construct? 2. Use the grid below to graph the data from the table. Then analyze the results to determine whether the data supports or refutes your prediction. Be sure to label each axis clearly.

What’s the Construct? • At a beach that has white sand, you measure the temperature of the sand and the temperature of the seawater at 9:00 a.m. You find that both have a measure of 16C. If it is clear and sunny all morning, what do the data from the classroom experiment predict about the temperature of the white sand compared to the seawater at noon? Explain your answer.

Fostering Inquiry • Inquiry Learning Environments must: • Model science • Be creative • Be flexible • Use effective questioning strategies • Empower thinking skills and content

So…How Do I Use This in My Classroom? • Explain…explain…explain • Organizing data • Charts • Tables • Graphs • Identifying patterns and trends • Working with partners • Give kids experiences in the Broad Areas

Closing Comments

Resources For Sample Tasks Performance Assessment Links in Science http://pals.sri.com/tasks/index.html For Sample Questions: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls/

Questions? RIDE Science Specialists Peter J. McLaren Peter.mclaren@ride.ri.gov 401-222-8454 Kate Nigh Kate.nigh@ride.ri.gov 401-222-8489

R.I. Department of Secondary and Elementary Education