Tier 1 Instructional Strategies To Improve K-4 Reading Comprehension
Category: Student Learning
Instrument Overview
Expert Notes AvailableView expert commentary on strengths and cautions for this instrument
Strengths
Designed using evidence-centered design to align tasks, evidence, and scoring directly with specific NGSS engineering performance expectations
Cautions
Targets complex, multi-dimensional engineering practices, which can make tasks and scoring more challenging to implement consistently without sufficient training and detailed rubrics
This assessment consists of a set of task-based instruments designed to measure upper elementary students’ proficiency with engineering design concepts aligned to NGSS performance expectations. The assessment includes multiple tasks that target key aspects of engineering design, such as defining problems, generating and comparing solutions, and testing and improving designs.
Each task presents a design scenario and includes a combination of selected-response and constructed-response items. Students are asked to evaluate solutions, justify their choices, and apply criteria and constraints within the context of the problem. Tasks may be presented in either everyday contexts or in contexts that integrate science content, allowing for assessment of engineering design both independently and in combination with disciplinary knowledge.
Student responses are scored using rubrics aligned with specific evidence statements that define features of proficient performance. These rubrics focus on how students use criteria, constraints, and reasoning to support their decisions.
The assessment is designed to examine how students apply engineering design practices and concepts through structured problem-solving tasks.
Organization
Topic
Collection Category(ies)
Content
Grades
5th Grade,
6th Grade
Languages
English
Respondent
Student
Administration Information
Length
9 items
Administration
Paper
Access and Use
Developer
Kevin W. McElhaney, Satabdi Basu, Tallie Wetzel, Jared Boyce (SRI International, Education Division)
Price
No fee
Contact
Kevin W. McElhaney: kmcelhaney@digitalpromise.org
Open Access
No
Psychometrics (additional guidance)
Psychometric References
McElhaney, K. W., Basu, S., Wetzel, T., & Boyce, J. (2019, March). Three-dimensional assessment of NGSS upper elementary engineering design performance expectations. In NARST Annual International Conference.
Item Type
Multiple choice
Open response
Populations of Validation
Validated with a pilot sample of 397 upper-elementary students (123 fifth graders and 274 sixth graders), 51% of whom were from groups underrepresented in STEM.
