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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 8: 2005

NAEP Technical DocumentationScience Assessment Subscale Composition for New and Previously Administered Blocks at Grade 8: 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 8. 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 8 science combined national and state 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	126	0	4	0	59	26	8	1
Physical science	38	0	2	0	15	8	4	0
Earth science	42	0	1	0	17	9	1	0
Life science	46	0	1	0	27	9	3	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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2005 Science Assessment.

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