Science Assessment ~ Ideas ~ Motion energy (kinetic energy) is associated with the speed and the mass of an object.

Key Idea: Energy can be transferred electrically when an electrical source is connected in a complete circuit to an electrical device.

Sub-Ideas
Items & Student Performance
Misconceptions
NGSS

Students should know that:

Electrical sources, such as batteries or generators, can transfer energy to electrical devices, such as a light bulbs, speakers, heaters, or motors, when they are connected in a complete conducting circuit [a complete path of conductors through which an electric current can travel].
If the electrical circuit is not complete, energy will not be transferred from the electrical source to the electrical device.
The transfer of energy electrically can produce motion, sound, heat, or light.

Boundaries:

This idea is not quantitative. Assessment items do not ask students to calculate how much energy is transferred electrically in a particular situation (e.g. Power = current X voltage).

Percent of students answering correctly (click on the item ID number to view the item and additional data)
Item ID Number	Knowledge Being Assessed	Grades 4–5	Grades 6–8	Grades 9–12
NG053003	Energy is transferred electrically from a battery to a light bulb in a flashlight only when the flashlight is switched on because energy can be transferred electrically only when there is a complete circuit.	61%	69%	72%
RG215001	If a battery and a light bulb are connected in a complete circuit, energy can be transferred. If the battery and light bulb are not connected in a complete circuit, energy cannot be transferred.	32%	59%	70%
RG216001	Energy is transferred from the battery to all of the hands on a wall clock because all the hands are moving.	42%	59%	63%
NG054003	Energy is transferred electrically from a power plant to a light bulb in a lamp only when the lamp is turned on because energy can be transferred electrically only when there is a complete circuit.	60%	48%	53%

Frequency of selecting a misconception
Misconception ID Number	Student Misconception	Grades 4–5	Grades 6–8	Grades 9–12
NGM056	Electrical sources such as batteries transfer energy all the time, even when there is not a complete circuit (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).	25%	21%	19%
EGM010	Students fail to identify appropriate energy sources in given systems and, therefore, incorrectly think that some objects, such as an electrical outlet, produce or store energy (Papadouris et al., 2008).	10%	10%	10%
NGM055	Energy cannot be transferred electrically from one place to another (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.).	6%	5%	5%

Frequency of selecting a misconception was calculated by dividing the total number of times a misconception was chosen by the number of times it could have been chosen, averaged over the number of students answering the questions within this particular idea.

NGSS Statements
Code	Statement
PS3.B Grade 4	Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy.