DEADLINE EXTENDED - Register before 12/8/2017

AAAS Project 2061 is recruiting 8th, 9th, and 10th grade science teachers who are able to administer one 30-item online multiple choice test to their students by 1/19/2018. The test covers middle and early high school ideas from the life, physical, and earth and space sciences. We are specifically looking to recruit classes that have a significant number of students (between one-third and two-thirds of the class) whose primary language is Spanish. If you fall into this category and are interested in participating, please register no later than December 8, 2017.
Background:

AAAS Project 2061 is working with WestEd to help all students be more successful on standardized tests in science. We especially see the need for tests to more accurately reflect the knowledge that students whose primary language is other than English have, so that these students have the opportunity to succeed in school. The project looks at the way that language is used in the test items themselves. We are looking to find out whether certain words or phrases make the test sentences harder to understand when a student is learning English.

Our ultimate aim is to inform test developers, so they can better understand how elements of language may be responsible for differences in the test performances of English learners and native English speakers. With that knowledge, they can then be prepared to create test items that more accurately reveal what students actually understand in science.

To this end, we are recruiting 9th grade science teachers with significant numbers of Spanish-speaking students willing to administer a 30-item multiple-choice test to their students. These tests will be administered online and should take no longer than 45 minutes to complete. All students in the class, regardless of their native language, should take the test.

About the tests:

Each test contains a set of multiple choice items. Students will be asked to select the answer choice they think correctly answers the question. Students should complete as many questions as they can in a single class period. The test will be administered through the AAAS web-based testing utility.

The test items cover basic ideas from the life, physical, and earth and space sciences. It is not necessary for your students to have had formal instruction on any particular area of science at the time of testing. The test questions target primarily middle school science ideas. These tests are not intended to evaluate teachers’ or students’ knowledge of science. Individual student and teacher data will remain strictly confidential and individual students will not be identifiable. Our only interest is to learn how students respond to these test items so that we can design tests that are more valid measures for both English and non-English speakers.

In order to participate:
  • You must be a science teacher in the United States.
  • Your students must be in the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade.
  • Your classes should consist of between 1/3 to 2/3 native Spanish speakers.
  • You must obtain permission to participate from the appropriate school or district personnel. Please do not register until you obtain permission.
  • You must reserve enough computers (desktops, laptops, or tablets) that have a reliable internet connection for all students in your classes on the day of testing (1 per student).
As a thank-you, each participating teacher will receive a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact us at cabell@aaas.org or at 202-326-6648.
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