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 Todays 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

Wheres 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

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?

Broad Area 1: Formulating

Questions and Hypothesizing
1. 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
2. Construct coherent argument in support of a
question, hypothesis, prediction (DOK 2 or 3
depending on complexity of argument)
3. 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 nonroutine)
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 -

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?

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 use
qualitative and quantitative data to communicate 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.

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?

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):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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 onesentence 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):
1. 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
5. Items will require high school students to consider
the following Inquiry Constructs in relation to a
selected data set.
6. 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 familys 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 cant 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?

Whats the Construct?

Time (min)

Soil Temp
(C)

20

21

22.5

24

26

27.5

29.5

30.5

32

Water Temp
(C)

20

21.5

23

23.5

24

25.5

26

27.5

28.5

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.

Whats the Construct?

1. 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 16C. 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

SoHow Do I Use This in My

Classroom?
Explainexplainexplain
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