National Assessment Program : science : Year 6 : 2003 : technical report

Publication Date

6-2005

Abstract

This report describes the technical aspects of the National Year 6 Science Assessment and summarises the main activities associated with the data collection, the data collection instruments and the analysis and reporting of the results. Chapter 2 reviews the sample design for the assessment and describes the sampling process and the sample achieved. Chapter 3 summarises the test development and implementation procedures and the procedures for instrument construction and compliance with the test specification. Chapter 4 reviews the assessment administration procedures, discusses the cleaning of data collected in the assessment and the treatment of missing data and invalid students. Chapter 5 addresses the main features of the procedures used for weighting the student data and the replication procedures used to account for the sample design. Chapter 6 summarises the results of the analyses undertaken, concentrating on the results of the Rasch analysis and providing information about the calibration procedures for item locations and student ability estimates. Chapter 7 describes and analyses the procedures undertaken to review the quality of the links between the various test forms and for the equating of the various test forms and their scaling for reporting. Chapter 8 discusses the results in terms of students proficiency on the scientific literacy scale. The scale links students results to descriptions of their understandings and skills in the assessment domain. Chapter 9 comments on some issues that may be relevant in the 2006 iteration of the sample study and may need further consideration in terms of the test construction, its equating to the 2003 assessment and its analysis.

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