1. multiple choice Are there alternatives that can exist at scale? © 2009 Stroup Use by individuals & non-commercial or news organizations is hereby granted

2. Credible Alternatives within Existing Constraints A question frequently asked in relation to our analyses of the current approach to high stakes testing is: Are there alternatives that would be sensitive to instruction and could therefore better suport the educational goals of the current accountability movement? Even if we wouldn’t want to simply return to prior approaches to test development because some of the limitations in these designs are what motivated, at least in part, the shift to IRT-based methodologies, there are indeed alternatives. We also realize that to be credible, the assessments must be able to be implemented “at scale” (e.g., across the State of Texas), for a reasonable cost (at or below the fraction of the current $250M, five year, contract focused specifically on STEM related disciplines), and tell us about instruction in ways that would support rigorous, transparent, subject-specific, accountability at every level in the systems (from students, to states and even countries).

3. Constraints Continued We can even accept the constraint of using only the existing testing infrastructure including bubble-in, multiple choice tests that would use a format consistent with current requirements for using high-speed scanning and scoring technologies. Instead of only having one correct answer for each item, however, we would make use of the feature of these existing technologies to support multiple responses. As is shown in the examples that follow, items can have more than one correct answer. A specific feature of the research-based psychology that informs the design of these items is that these responses would not be broken out into separate items. Binary coding (only right or wrong) and the elaborate (and largely opaque) process of turning raw scores into scale scores would be replaced by the straight-forward use of histograms as the starting place for meaningful, domain-focused, learning- and teaching- related analyses. Responses for each student and any relevant groupings of students (e.g., by classroom, specific teacher, school, teacher-certification program, economic status or a student’s self-reported first language) could be contrasted with expert responses (or even other groups of students) in ways that would provide all stakeholders in the educational system with information they could use immediately to pursue accountability at every level of the system. Additional metrics and forms of aggregation could be developed to attend to specific purposes and issues -- including domain-situated efforts to compare results from year to year -- but these would all build up from the basic displays of the distributions for each item. The transparency of this system would better support the meaningful participation of both educators and the broader public in shaping the outcomes of educational system.

4. ( ) a. Y = 2 (x + 6) ( ) b. Y = 2 (x + 3) ( ) c. Y = 4 ( x/2 + 1.5) ( ) d. Y = 1 + x + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 (0.5x + 1) ( ) e. none of these [1] The graph of Y = 2x + 6 is shown. Which of the following would be equivalent?

5. ( ) a. Y = 2 + x + x + x ( ) b. Y = 3x + 2 ( ) c. Y = 45.68x + 1004 ( ) d. Y = 1.5x + 1.5x + 3 ( ) e. none of these [2] Which of the following functions would not intersect with this function: Y = x + x + x + 2

6. [3] Which of the shown movements of only one vertex could keep the area of triangle ABC constant? ( ) i. ( ) ii. ( ) iii. ( ) iv. ( ) v. None of these

7. ( ) a. H 2 O ( ) b. H + ( ) c. H 2 ( ) d. OH - ( ) e. none of these [4] Which of the following molecules or ions can be found in pure liquid water:

8. [5] Person A stands at the position shown in this top-view picture. A flat mirror is hung on the wall. From which of the locations shown could B see A's image reflected in this flat mirror. ( ) i. ( ) ii. ( ) iii. ( ) iv. ( ) v. none of these

9. ( ) a. methane ( ) b. Freon-12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane) ( ) c. CO 2 ( ) d. water vapor ( ) e. none of these Which of the following is considered a greenhouse gas? [6]

10. ( ) a. 2/3 ( ) b. 3/4 ( ) c. -7/8 ( ) d. 0.2/0.3 ( ) e. none of these Which of the following represent a number that is greater than 1/3? [7]

11. ( ) a. the rate of decomposition would increase ( ) b. the rate of hydrogen peroxide production would increase ( ) c. at equilibrium more hydrogen peroxide will have been produced than would have been the case without using the MnO 2. ( ) d. the reaction will reach equilibrium more rapidly than the reaction would have been the case without MnO 2. ( ) e. none of these A catalyst, manganese(IV) oxide, MnO 2, is used to reduce the overall activation energy for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. In a closed system, this would mean: [8]

12. Answers 1)b, c, & d 2)d 3)i & iv 4)a, b, & d 5)i 6)a, b, c & d* 7)a, b & d 8)a, b & d * - the current consensus is that water should be considered a greenhouse gas.

13. Greenhouse Reference National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Greenhouse Gases - Frequently Asked Questions http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/gases.html