The three Sample Items which follow use the Language Guidelines for Biology to demonstrate how an item may evolve from its "original form" to its "final form." "Final form" is, however, a relative term. To quote Barbara Smith, Biology Content Editor at CTB/McGraw-Hill in Monterey, CA,
"An item is never finished. Even when you think it is as good as it can be, when you look at it the next time, you can still find ways to improve it." |
The original and revised items included below have been taken from the set of Biology Prototypes found on the MSDE Web site. Each item is presented in original, better, best format, where better is a replica of what appeared in the High School Assessments Prototypes. |
Guideline Sets:
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DESCRIPTION: A LABORATORY SETconsists of a cluster of items that are based on the same stimulus. The stimulus is usually provided in the form of a narrative and describes a situation which leads the students into the investigative process. Data tables or graphs may also be provided. The questions that are based on the information provided may ask the student:
- to analyze the content of the scientific investigation or the adequacy of the experimental design and research methods;
- to identify variables or controls;
- to provide an hypothesis or rationale for the experiment;
- to apply the results of this experiment to a new situation; or
- to use the information provided in the narrative to solve a scientific problem.
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EXAMPLE: Prototype items 4, 5, 6 represent a LABORATORY SET ORIGINAL NARRATIVE
Scientists were studying conditions for growing fish in hatcheries in order to determine the optimal growth conditions. Fish were grown in several different tanks and the percentage of fish reaching a maximum size was calculated. The computer-generated graph below shows the results of this experiment.ORIGINAL GRAPH
 View Evolution of Prototype Items
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DESCRIPTION: A TECHNICAL PASSAGE SET consists of a 250 to 350-word reading passage that has been adapted from an actual scientific periodical or journal, and several questions about the information presented in the reading passage. (In certain circumstances, the technical reading passage may be created for test purposes.) The questions may ask students to respond to the background information leading to the issue or discovery, to look for and/or respond to the presence of bias in the article, or to judge the adequacy of the results or conclusion drawn by the author. Additionally, the questions may also ask students to:
- identify the research question or hypothesis;
- evaluate the investigative procedures;
- determine the adequacy of controls or variables;
- evaluate the accuracy of conclusions;
- offer ways in which the investigation could be improved;
- interpret data from graphic representations included with the technical reading passage;
- describe the implications of the scientific findings presented in the technical reading passage;
- use prior knowledge to answer questions about the concepts, processes, or terms mentioned in the passage.
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EXAMPLE:Prototype items 8, 9 represent a TECHNICAL PASSAGE SET ORIGINAL TECHNICAL PASSAGE:
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION IS KILLING AMPHIBIANS
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation passing through Earth's thinning ozone layer is responsible for a worldwide decline in frogs, toads, and salamanders.
The impact of UV radiation on some frog and toad eggs was reported by a team of researchers from Oregon State University. The basic conclusion is that UV radiation kills frog eggs in nature. Field experiments indicate that when UV radiation is filtered out, the frogs hatch more quickly and successfully, and the death rate is lowered.
Over the last six years, biologists have reported that many of the world's 4500 known species of amphibians are declining in number. Some species have nearly disappeared. Hard-hit areas include desert, rain forest, lowland, and mountain environments in the western United States, Australia, and Central and South America.
View Evolution of Prototype Items
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| DESCRIPTION: Discrete items are those that stand alone rather than as part of a set. |
EXAMPLE: Prototype item 15 represents a DISCRETE SELECTED RESPONSE “Norma and Jeff are both affected by colorblindness, a trait that is sex-linked and recessive. When their daughter Jessica grew up, she married a man named Mark who was not color-blind and they had several sons and daughters. Which of these statements best describes Jessica and Mark's children?” View Evolution of Prototype Items |
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Sometimes the stimulus of an item is rich enough to spawn a whole set of items. Such is the case with the following piece of stimulus material. Prototype Items 18, 19, and 20 are selected response items that measure the student's basic understanding of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem and the impact that increases or decreases in the population of one organism may have on another.
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Prototype item 21 represents a MULTIPLE RESPONSE ITEM This item shows a Brief Constructed Response Item (BCR) from the Laboratory Set. It is the original item that was conceived in the mind of the item writer.
    
The food chain above gave rise to the food web below that was used for Prototype Items 18 - 21. Even though the item writer's original intent was to ask one question based on the food chain, four questions evolved from the stimulus material.
Item 21, a Brief Constructed Response Item (BCR) from the Laboratory Set, is the original item that was conceived in the mind of the item writer.
View Evolution of Prototype Items |
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