Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments: A Report From the NAEP Technology-Based Assessment Project

Title:	Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments: A Report From the NAEP Technology-Based Assessment Project
Description:	This report describes results from the third and last field investigation in the NAEP Technology-Based Assessment Project, which explores the use of new technology in administering NAEP. (The first two focused on assessments of math and writing online.) In the TRE study, two extended scenarios within the domain of physical science were created for measuring students’ ability to solve problems using technology. The TRE Search scenario required students to locate and synthesize information about scientific helium balloons from a simulated World Wide Web environment. The TRE Simulation scenario required students to conduct experiments of increasing complexity about relationships among buoyancy, mass and volume. These scenarios were delivered via school computers or on laptop computers taken into the schools. The sample was nationally representative, consisting of over 2,000 public school 8th grade students tested in 2003. Students were randomly assigned to the assessment scenarios. The TRE project was intended as an exploratory study of how NAEP can use technology to measure skills that cannot be easily measured by conventional paper-and-pencil means. TRE Search produced a total score and two subscores, scientific inquiry and computer skills. The TRE Simulation scenario produced a total score and three subscores: scientific exploration, scientific synthesis, and computer skills. The results indicate that the TRE scenarios functioned well as assessment devices.
Online Availability:	Browse the Executive Summary of the report. Download, view and print the complete report as a pdf file. (5300KB) Download, view and print part 1 as a pdf file. (280KB) Download, view and print part 2 as a pdf file. (819KB) Download, view and print part 3 as a pdf file. (846KB) Download, view and print part 4 as a pdf file. (445KB) Download, view and print part 5 as a pdf file. (927KB) Download, view and print part 6 as a pdf file. (650KB) Download, view and print part 7 as a pdf file. (882KB) Download, view and print part 8 as a pdf file. (792KB)
Cover Date:	August 2007
Web Release:	August 16, 2007
Print Release:	August 16, 2007
Publication #:	NCES 2007466 General Ordering Information
Center/Program:	NCES
Authors:	Randy Elliot Bennett, Hilary Persky, Andrew R. Weiss, and Frank Jenkins
Type of Product:	Statistical Analysis Report
Survey/Program Areas:	National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Keywords:	NAEP Progress in Education Technology Use in Education
Questions:	For questions about the content of this Statistical Analysis Report, please contact: William Tirre.