Developing Sample Assessment Tasks for Science AGLIs

Here is an example that may be used to help teachers better understand how to approach the AGLIs and develop assessment tasks. The table contains additional sample assessment tasks that were developed for each choice component at each grade level. The AGLIs that relate to each sample assessment task are included.

Example: Teachers who developed these tasks had in mind a student who has minimal attention skills is non-verbal and has an inconsistent communication system. The student is ambulatory and has gross and some fine motor skills. The student is diagnosed with pervasive developmental delay. The Lead Special Education Teacher (LSET) initially expects that significant prompts and assistance will be required. The LSET also expects that the repetition of prompting may decrease as understanding increases.

Below is a list of steps the LSET follows in order to develop sample assessment tasks for this student.

Step 1: Review the NYSAA Frameworks. Review the AGLIs within each of the four content areas to identify the content area(s) that may be difficult when trying to think of an assessment task that would align to an AGLI. For this example, the area that was found to be most difficult was science.

Step 2: Gather resources. Search the web for information on how to teach particular content areas. It may be helpful to talk to a general education teacher to strategize ways to teach a particular content area. For this example, the LSET visited several web sites about how to provide students the opportunity to learn science content and talked with a general education science teacher. The LSET identified activities that can be used or modified as appropriate for this student.

Step 3: Learn new vocabulary. The content areas may contain terminology that is not readily familiar. Use web references or general education teachers as resources for assistance in defining new or unfamiliar vocabulary, such as finding out what is meant by the process of scientific inquiry. For this example, the LSET used the information posted on the SED web site (http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/sci.html) and consulted with the science teacher.

Step 4: Create assessment tasks that use wording from an AGLI. This will help teachers create an assessment task that is aligned directly to the AGLI. It is important to keep a particular student’s knowledge, skills, and abilities in mind when developing the assessment task.

Below are additional sample assessment tasks for each choice component at each grade level in Science. These samples were developed with the student above in mind. Note: The underlining in the AGLI column indicates the key links from the AGLI to the sample assessment task.

Grade	Required Component	Choice Component	Pg.	AGLI	Sample Assessment Task
4	Standard 1-Scientific Inquiry	Key Idea 1	3	· interact with and/or make observations about objects (11101)	The student will interact with 5 sensory items after each object is put into his/her hand by holding it, smelling it, shaking it or tasting it.
4	Standard 1-Scientific Inquiry	Key Idea 2	6	· recognize scientific tools used in simple explorations (investigation) (12101)	Given a thermometer and a popsicle stick, the student will recognize the tool used to investigate the temperature of water by pointing to the thermometer.
4	Standard 4-Living Environment	Key Idea 3	10	· recognize the environment in which an organism is typically found (22104)	Given a nest and a fish bowl, the student will recognize the environment in which a bird is usually found by placing the bird in the nest.
4	Standard 4-Physical Setting/Earth Science	Key Idea 2	13	· identify at least one component of daily weather conditions (e.g. general wind speed or direction, general temperature, precipitation, and/or cloudiness) (32101)	Given two switches with weather choices, the student will identify the one that represents the weather of the day by hitting the appropriate switch.
8	Standard 1-Scientific Inquiry	Key Idea 2	17	· demonstrate one technique for conducting scientific investigations (12101)	Given a magnet, and a group of metal and nonmetal objects, the student will identify objects that are magnetic by picking them up with the magnet.
8	Standard 1-Scientific Inquiry	Key Idea 3	20	· recognize the results of investigations presented using concrete objects, graphs, diagrams, tables, or models (13101)	The student will determine if there are more boys or girls in class today using stack blocks that were placed in piles by students as they entered the classroom.
8	Standard 4-Living Environment	Key Idea 5	24	· recognize that organisms need food, water, air and/or sunlight to live and/or maintain health (23101)	Given a cup of water and crackers and asked to identify something a plant needs to live, the student will recognize that plants need water to live by touching the cup of water.
8	Standard 4-Physical Setting/Earth Science	Key Idea 3	29	· sort objects according to characteristics such as weight, length and/or size (33106)	Given a variety of small and large objects, the student will sort objects according to size by putting small objects inside a small box and large objects inside a large box.

HS	Standard 4-Living Environment	Key Idea 1	34	· identify a living thing (21104)	Given a rock, a book and a dog, the student will identify which object is a living thing by nodding his/her head when asked the question “Is this a living thing?”
HS	Standard 4-Living Environment	Key Idea 7	38	· demonstrate ways to minimize human impacts on the environment (24104)	The student will demonstrate one way to minimize human impact on the environment by giving a person a PEC symbol for recycling when recyclable items are presented.
HS	Standard 4-Physical Setting/Earth Science	Key Idea 1	45	· identify the earth, sun, moon and/or stars (31101)	Given objects that represent the sun, moon, earth and stars, the student will identify the star by grasping and holding on to the star when asked “where is the star?”
HS	Standard 4-Physical Setting/Earth Science	Key Idea 2	53	· identify that weathering and/or erosion break down the land (32205)	Given a box of sand as a model of mountain and valley formations, the student will demonstrate erosion using water or wind (from a fan).