Teacher Resource Tool

Science: Grade 5

Grade
Year

The fifth grade 2012 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.

Inquiry Scenario

Scenario Description Item Description
Item Type **

Cognitive
Complexity ***

State
Performance +

Controlled experiment with an earth system
Which variable was kept the same (controlled) in the experiment?
MC

83.7%

What could be done to be sure results are reliable?
MC

66.7%

Write a conclusion to the experiment.
SA

1.0

What causes the Sun to be different in appearance than other stars?
MC

52.0%

What tool is used to solve a given problem?
CI

0.7

What should be done with unexpected results to an experiment?
MC

72.9%

What causes day and night on Earth?
MC

72.5%

Plan a simple controlled experiment to answer a new question.
SA

0.7

Systems Scenario
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Description of a living system Released Scenario	What is the role of an organism in an ecosystem?	MC		77.4%
	What is the source of energy for a plant?	MC		75.7%
	An organism is a subsystem of which system?	MC		53.9%
	How does an animal population benefit an ecosystem?	MC		76.8%
	How does a change to an ecosystem affect erosion in the system?	MC		71.9%

Description of a physical system Released Scenario	What form of energy makes something happen in the system?	CI		0.6
	What question could be answered with the given data?	MC		68.8%
	Describe two possible causes and solutions to a problem in the system.	SA		1.0
	What problem is trying to be solved?	MC		44.4%
	What causes sound to be produced?	MC		90.3%
	Which of three objects moved a given distance the fastest?	MC		88.4%

Application Scenario
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Applying the technological design process in an earth system	What form of energy is present as something happens in the system?	MC		88.7%
	What part of an organism performs a given function?	MC		89.8%
	What caused erosion in the system?	MC		80.7%
	What question could be answered with the materials set up as shown in the diagram?	MC		62.1%
	How could a solution to a technological design problem be scientifically tested?	MC		72.7%
	Describe two careers which use knowledge about the system.	SA		0.6

Stand Alone
Scenario Description	Item Description	Item Type **	Cognitive Complexity ***	State Performance +
Stand Alones	Which characteristic can an organism inherit from the organism's parent?	MC		74.9%
	Which property of an object does a spring scale measure?	MC		58.2%
	How does the total mass of all the pieces of a broken object compare to the mass of the unbroken object?	MC		61.5%
	How could erosion affect an ecosystem?	MC		67.7%
	Which is a nonliving part of the ecosystem?	MC		83.4%

* 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)

Additional Information

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