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Grade
Year

2011 Science Assessment

Grade 5

The fifth grade 2011 Science Assessment consisted of

1 inquiry scenario
2 system scenarios
1 application scenario
5 stand alone items

There were 25 multiple choice items (1 point), 1 completion item (1 point) and 4 short answer items (2 points) for a total of 34 points.

The points were equally balanced between physical, Earth/space and living systems.

Application of Science

Scenario Description Item Description
Item Type **

Cognitive
Complexity ***

State
Performance +

Applying the technological design process in a living system
Which research would help solve the problem?
MC

93.1%

Describe how to design and test a solution to a technological design problem.
SA

0.97

What is the function of one part of an organism?
MC

64.0%

What will happen to the living system in the absence of sunlight?
MC

65.2%

How could inheriting a characteristic allow an organism to better survive in an ecosystem?
MC

78.8%

What would happen to a system if one of the subsystems was missing?
MC

80.7%

Inquiry in Science
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Controlled experiment with an earth system	How could a solution to a technological design problem be scientifically tested?	MC		59.6%
	Which properties caused layers of soil to form?	MC		62.5%
	Plan a simple controlled experiment to answer a new question.	SA		0.57
	Which variable was the changed (manipulated) variable in the experiment?	MC		87.0%
	Which variable was the measured (responding) variable in the experiment?	MC		81.0%
	What could be done to be sure results are reliable?	MC		76.7%
	What could be learned about an ecosystem by studying a model?	MC		79.2%
	Write a conclusion to the experiment.	SA		0.91

Systems of Science
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Description of a living system	How does a change to an ecosystem affect erosion in the system?	MC		67.9%
	What is the source of energy for a plant?	MC		71.3%
	What is the role of an organism in an ecosystem?	MC		75.4%
	How does an animal population benefit an ecosystem?	MC		75.7%
	An organism is a subsystem of which system?	MC		45.4%

Description of a physical system	What problem is trying to be solved?	MC		42.4%
	Describe two possible causes and solutions to a problem in the system.	SA		0.99
	What question could be answered with the given data?	MC		66.5%
	Which of three objects moved a given distance the fastest?	MC		84.6%
	What form of energy makes something happen in the system?	CI		0.44
	What causes sound to be produced?	MC		89.4%

Stand alone
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Stand Alone Items	Why does the Sun appear larger than any other star?	MC		49.5%
	How could erosion affect an ecosystem?	MC		67.1%
	Which describes the speed of two objects?	MC		81.6%
	Which describes the amount of matter after a substance dissolves?	MC		36.7%
	How does the total mass of all the pieces of a broken object compare to the mass of the unbroken object?	MC		60.5%

* Scenario Description (view detail description)
Item Type MC: Multiple Choice item (1 point) CI: Completion item (1 point) SA:** Short Answer item (2 points)
*** Cognitive Complexity Levels
	=	Recall & Reproduction
	=	Skills & Concepts
	=	Strategic Thinking
(view detail description)
+ State Performance (view detail description)

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