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Assessments

Assessment items have been developed through various projects. You can browse them by the project through which they were developed or by associated NGSS statements across all projects.

The goal of the Assessing Students' Progress on the Energy Concept Using Three-Dimensional Items (ASPECt-3D) project was to develop a set of three-dimensional tasks that measure students ability to use science and engineering practices and cross-cutting concepts along with disciplinary core ideas to explain energy-related phenomena. These tasks present a phenomenon or scenario followed by a series of constructed-response and multiple-choice items that scaffold students sense-making. For some tasks, we developed two versions. One version contains multiple-choice versions of items, and the other contains constructed response versions. Users of the task can select which version they think will be the best option for their purpose. The multiple-choice versions are easier to respond to and score. The constructed-response versions require more time and effort, but can provide a deeper insight into students' ability to construct models, explanations, and arguments.

Assessment Items


Select a science topic to see a list of the key ideas for that topic and options for viewing items and additional information.

Life Science

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Physical Science

Earth Science

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Nature of Science

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Task Files


These files include the full tasks and supporting information including alignment with the NGSS, rubrics, and sample student responses.

File Description
DescriptionThis file explains the format of the task files.
AP003006Coolants Task File
AP005008Spacecraft Task File
AP007007Sunlight Experiment Task File
AP009006 & AP035006Pool Task File
AP010006 & AP036005Bowling Task File
AP011006 & AP051004Crash Tests Task File
AP012005 & AP038006Catapult Task File
AP013005Newton's Cradle Task File
AP014006 & AP054004Stacked Bounce Task File
AP015005 & AP055005Spinning Fan (Middle School) Task File
AP016006Bouncing Balls Task File
AP017006 & AP056004Candle & Fan (High School) Task File
AP018007 & AP052004Beetles in a National Park Task File
AP021006 & AP022006Dying Seaweed in an Ocean Ecosystem Task File
AP029005 & AP030006Creating Water Droplets Task File
AP031006Hibernating Bear AP31-6 Task File
AP032006Bees Task File
AP033006Hummingbird Food Task File
AP034006Eclipse & Trees Task File
AP040006 & AP063002Solar Car Task File
AP042006 & AP059004Hibernating Bear AP42-6&AP59-4 Task File
AP043006Engines Task File
AP044006Aluminum Bottles Task File
AP047004 & AP062003Natural Gas Task File
AP048004 & AP061003Thawing Soup Task File
AP049004Gas Simulations Task File
AP050004Heating Water Bottles Task File

Field test data summaries


These files provide summaries of student performance during the field tests conducted in elementary, middle, and high schools across the U.S. in spring of 2021 and 2022.

File Description
Field TestOverall Field Test Data Summary
AP003006Coolants Task Data Summary
AP005008Spacecraft Task Data Summary
AP007007Sunlight Experiment Task Data Summary
AP009006Pool MC Task Data Summary
AP010006Bowling MC Task Data Summary
AP011006Crash Tests MC Task Data Summary
AP012005Catapult MC Task Data Summary
AP013005Newton's Cradle Task Data Summary
AP014006Stacked Bounce MC Task Data Summary
AP015005Spinning Fan (Middle School) MC Task Data Summary
AP016006Bouncing Balls Task Data Summary
AP017006Candle & Fan (High School) MC Task Data Summary
AP018007Beetles in a National Park CR Task Data Summary
AP021006Dying Seaweed in an Ocean Ecosystem CR Task Data Summary
AP022006Dying Seaweed in an Ocean Ecosystem MC Task Data Summary
AP029005Creating Water Droplets MC Task Data Summary
AP030006Creating Water Droplets CR Task Data Summary
AP031006Hibernating Bear AP31-6 Task Data Summary
AP032006Bees Task Data Summary
AP033006Hummingbird Food Task Data Summary
AP034006Eclipse & Trees Task Data Summary
AP035006Pool CR Task Data Summary
AP036005Bowling CR Task Data Summary
AP038006Catapult CR Task Data Summary
AP040006Solar Car CR Task Data Summary
AP042006Hibernating Bear CR Task Data Summary
AP043006Engines Task Data Summary
AP044006Aluminum Bottles Task Data Summary
AP047004Natural Gas CR Task Data Summary
AP048004Thawing Soup CR Task Data Summary
AP049004Gas Simulations Task Data Summary
AP050004Heating Water Bottles Task Data Summary
AP051004Crash Tests CR Task Data Summary
AP052004Beetles in a National Park MC Task Data Summary
AP054004Stacked Bounce CR Task Data Summary
AP055005Spinning Fan (Middle School) CR Task Data Summary
AP056004Candle & Fan (High School) CR Task Data Summary
AP059004Hibernating Bear MC Task Data Summary
AP061003Thawing Soup Task MC Data Summary
AP062003Natural Gas Task MC Data Summary
AP063002Solar Car MC Task Data Summary

Related Publications


Below are publications that resulted from the ASPECt-3D project.

File Description
Creating & Using Models PaperPaper about assessing students' ability to create and use models to explain energy-related phenomena presented at the NARST Annual International Conference in 2019.
Preliminary Explanation Rubric PaperPaper discussing the development of a scoring rubric for evaluating students explanations of energy-related phenomena that was to be presented at the cancelled 2020 AERA Annual Conference.
Comparability Study PaperPaper investigating the comparability of constructed-response and multiple-choice versions of questions within the three-dimensional tasks. Presented at the 2022 NARST Annual International Conference.
Rasch Measurement PaperPaper describing how Rasch modeling was used to develop the three-dimensional tasks. Presented at the 2023 AERA Annual Conference.

How can the ASPECt-3D resources be used?


ASPECt-3D resources are designed as open educational resources that are licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0. This license allows educators to use, modify, and reuse all of our resources to meet their needs. This license does require appropriate attribution, which means you must give credit to the author, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests that BSCS Science Learning endorses you or your use. You may not use the materials for commercial purposes. If you modify or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. When the resources include content that licensed in a different manner, it will be noted on the final page of the resource. © 2023 BSCS Science Learning.

Project Funder


The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A180512 to the BSCS Science Learning. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.