The science achievement of various subgroups on alternative assessment formats

The purpose of this study was to examine the science achievement outcomes f or different subgroups of students using different assessment formats. A na tionally representative sample of approximately 3,500 ninth grade science s tudents from 13 high schools throughout the United States completed a serie s of science assessments designed to measure their level of achievement on the national science education standards. All of the schools were using a c urriculum designed to meet the standards. The assessments included a multip le-choice test, a written open-ended test, a hands-on lab skills test, and a hands-on full investigation. The results show that the student outcomes o n the different assessment formats are more highly correlated for higher ac hieving students than for lower achieving students. Patterns for different cultural groups also vary by assessment format. There were no differences f ound for sex. The results support the notion that different assessment form ats assess different competencies and that the achievement of students from different subgroups varies by assessment format. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Son s, Inc.