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NAEP Analysis and Scaling → Estimation of NAEP Score Scales → NAEP Scales → Scale Composition by Item Type for New and Previously Administered Blocks → Science Assessment Subscale Composition for New and Previously Administered Blocks at Grade 12: 2005

NAEP Technical DocumentationScience Assessment Subscale Composition for New and Previously Administered Blocks at Grade 12: 2005

Each science assessment includes blocks of new items and blocks of items from previous assessments. For the new items and for the previously administered items in each science scale, the number of multiple-choice, dichotomously scored constructed-response and polytomously scored constructed-response items are provided at grade 12. The item counts are available for each scale as defined in the final Item Response Theory (IRT) scales.

There were no trend items for the 2005 assessment due to the change in item presentation across blocks; therefore, only information pertaining to new items is shown here.

Subscale composition by item type for new items as defined after scaling, grade 12 science national main assessment: 2005
Scale Multiple-choice items Dichotomously scored constructed-response items Polytomously scored constructed-response items
Scaled Dropped Scaled Dropped Polytomous (uncollapsed) Dichotomous collapsed Polytomous collapsed Dropped
Total 115 2 4 0 44 25 15 1
Physical science 47 1 1 0 13 8 7 0
Earth science 38 0 3 0 15 10 4 0
Life science 30 1 0 0 16 7 4 1
NOTE: "Dropped" denotes items that were deleted from the final scaling. "Collapsed" denotes items that had categories that were combined and recoded for scaling. Some items were administered previously under different contexts.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2005 Science Assessment.

Last updated 21 July 2009 (JL)

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