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Re: [Phys-l] physics assessment



On 09/24/09 14:33, Anthony Lapinski wrote:
.... We have kids who have "excellent" math
scores who do not do well in honors physics. They struggle with concepts,
motion graphs, or solving multi-step math problems. A pre-test might give
us some ideas as to who should/should not be in the courses.

a) We agree that some kids with "excellent" math skills
and solid motivation will not do well in honors physics.
b) The converse is a much stronger proposition: almost
all kids with weak math skills and flimsy motivation
will get massacred in honors physics.

I test for group (b) because I know how to do it. I
would like to test for group (a) but I don't know how.
Whenever I think of questions to test for physics
concepts and/or multi-step questions, they wind up
looking like goals applicable to the end of the
course, rather then prerequisites applicable to the
beginning of the course.

Specific suggestions on how to do better would of
course be welcome.