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National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) Science Toolkit |
| Assessment Area |
Science
|
| Year level |
7-8 |
| NZ origin? |
Yes |
| Standardised? |
No |
| Administration to individual or group? |
Individual |
| What does it assess? |
Assessment for Year 7-8 students in relation to to levels in the New Zealand Curriculum. |
| Purpose |
This toolkit is designed to assist teachers to assess, understand, and support Year 7 and 8 students’ learning in science. Its development followed concerning results from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA). |
| Validity |
|
| Reliability |
|
| What measures does it give? |
Compare results from Assessments 1 and 2, looking for changes in science understandings. |
| How long does it take to administer? |
While there is no time limit, it is suggested that students be given 45 to 50 minutes to complete each test. |
| How much training is needed? |
No training required. Information for administering the test is provided on the ARBS site https://arbs.nzcer.org.nz/node/24574 |
| Scoring and data analysis |
Half of the questions in each test will be automatically marked. The remaining questions need to be marked manually. Use the rubric to determine each student's score. Then download the "List report" generated. |
| Does it provide 'what next' strategies? |
Yes It provides descriptions of the important science concepts involved and suggested next steps for each question. |
| Is it available in te reo Maori? |
No |
| Cost? |
There is no cost. The resources are available on the NZCER website; registration is necessary. |
| Author, date of publication and publisher |
NMSSA - University of Otago; NZCER; Ministry of Education. 2021. |
| Availability |
Available on the NZCER website. Registration is required. |
| Further Information |
What is the purpose of the toolkit?This toolkit is designed to assist teachers to assess, understand, and support Year 7 and 8 students’ learning in science. Its development followed concerning results from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA). It could be useful for teachers inquiring into their own or their school’s practice. With this toolkit schools can:
- use the NMSSA Science capabilities (SC) scale to assess students in relation to levels in the New Zealand Curriculum
- identify aspects of the science learning area that each student does or does not understand
- find teaching and learning activities to address identified areas of need
- monitor student progress over time.
What is in the toolkit?
- Two parallel online assessments – a pre-test (Assessment 1) and a post-test (Assessment 2). Each assessment includes both selected-response and open-ended questions.
- Rubrics for marking open-ended questions.
- Reports on student achievement. These include an overall score for all students and information about how students scored on each question.
- Descriptions of the important science concepts involved and suggested next steps for each question.
- Links to other resources to support teaching and learning in science.
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