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Re: [Phys-l] Ca mandates 8th-grade algebra test



Here are both tests designed by Lawson. I think the non-scantron one is
more accurate. The scantron one has 4 questions at the end which test the
"theoretical level", while the first one is straight Piaget/Inhelder. The
theoretical level seems to be necessary for easy understanding of things
that are invisible or that could not be seen either with a microscope, or
over long periods of time. Geological processes can be visualized over a
long time so they are intermediate, but evolution is much harder to see. A
flower opening is easy to see over a relatively short period of time. So
the scantron test may be more appropriate for college. The non-scantron one
is published in his book, and more interpretation is available there. The
reference is in the key.

Regards,
John


John,

I would love to see a copy of the materials (s) you used for this
testing!
I too work in a private college prep school (Oakland CA rather than
Texas) and have often considered testing my ninth grade conceptual
physics students to see how many are at the formal operation level
and measure their ability to understand (and/or apply) proportional
reasoning.

Owen von Kugelgen
Oakland, CA