PALS - Tech Quality Information

Measurement: Using the balance

Technical Quality Information

Contributed by: Illinois Science Teachers Association (ILS)

The development of this task was sponsored by the Illinois State Teachers Association in cooperation with school districts in Southwestern Illinois in 1993.

The Hands On Tests for Science (HOTS) is an assessment instrument developed by the Illinois Science Teachers Association under a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education. The purpose of the HOTS is to provide school districts in Illinois with physical models of tests that can be used to determine what students can do in science. The HOTS instruments can be copied, or better yet, modified to meet the science assessment needs of the local districts Learning Assessment Plan for Science.

Development Process:

Content Review	Science Teachers and Science Educators
How were tasks reviewed?	Aligned with Illinois state goals. Review was completed by teachers to see if they followed scoring procedures.

Administration Information:

Demographics of Students Tested

Gender	Represented
Ethnicity	Represented
Socio-economic status	Represented
Disability	Represented

Number of Students Tested

For each task, more than 1000 students per grade level were tested.

Reliability and Additional Analyses:

Interrater Reliability

Some items have interrater reliabilities. Used Spearman-Rho Rank Order.