Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Evolution and Natural Selection ~ Item EN054002 ~ Student Performance

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What is TRUE about maple trees and lizards?

There are both similarities and differences between maple trees and lizards.
There are similarities but no differences between maple trees and lizards.
There are differences but no similarities between maple trees and lizards.
There is no way to tell if maple trees and lizards have similarities or differences.

Pre-Test

Distribution of responses (prior to studying evolution in high school)
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
		n = 572	6–8 n = 18	9–12 n = 502	Male n = 245	Female n = 283	English n = 511	Other n = 18
A.	There are both similarities and differences between maple trees and lizards.	38%	17%	39%	38%	38%	38%	33%
B.	There are similarities but no differences between maple trees and lizards.	4%	6%	4%	7%	1%	5%	0%
C.	There are differences but no similarities between maple trees and lizards.	37%	61%	36%	36%	39%	38%	28%
D.	There is no way to tell if maple trees and lizards have similarities or differences.	20%	17%	20%	18%	21%	20%	39%

Post-Test (Control)

Distribution of responses (following typical high school instruction on evolution)
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
		n = 274	6–8 n = 14	9–12 n = 230	Male n = 119	Female n = 130	English n = 237	Other n = 9
A.	There are both similarities and differences between maple trees and lizards.	43%	43%	45%	43%	45%	45%	44%
B.	There are similarities but no differences between maple trees and lizards.	3%	0%	2%	4%	1%	2%	0%
C.	There are differences but no similarities between maple trees and lizards.	33%	43%	32%	33%	32%	33%	22%
D.	There is no way to tell if maple trees and lizards have similarities or differences.	21%	14%	21%	20%	22%	20%	33%

Post-Test (Treatment)

Distribution of responses (following completion of an evolution curriculum module)
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
		n = 278	6–8 n = 4	9–12 n = 248	Male n = 130	Female n = 131	English n = 251	Other n = 5
A.	There are both similarities and differences between maple trees and lizards.	62%	75%	61%	61%	64%	62%	40%
B.	There are similarities but no differences between maple trees and lizards.	3%	0%	2%	3%	2%	2%	0%
C.	There are differences but no similarities between maple trees and lizards.	24%	0%	25%	23%	24%	24%	60%
D.	There is no way to tell if maple trees and lizards have similarities or differences.	11%	25%	12%	13%	10%	12%	0%