Brief Overview of the Physical Setting/Earth Science

(Regents Earth Science) Course and Exam

Dr. Michael J Passow (Revised June 2015)

Physical Setting/Earth Science (RES)

Based on:

NYS Learning Standards for MST http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/math/standards/

Resource Guide with Core Curriculum http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/earthsci.pdf

Topics Included in the RES Curriculum

About the RES Course

• Teacher should be certified in ES (may have other certification and teach ‘out of area’)

• Classes must meet equivalent time as other core courses + additional 1,200 minutes (minimum) for hands-on activities that must be accounted for in “acceptable” lab reports

• Cannot sit for exam unless the 1,200-minute requirement has been fulfilled

Current RES Exam Format

• Part A (Q 1 – 35): Individual Multiple-Choice

• Part B-1 (Q 36 – 50): Multiple-Choice, mostly in groups with diagram

• Part B-2 (Q 51 – 65): Constructed Response

• Part C (Q 66 – 85): Constructed Response

• Part D: Performance (Hands-on/Lab) Test (15) Must be given in 2 weeks before written test

• Offered three times each year: Jan, Jun, Aug

Each Student Receives

• Examination booklet

• Answer booklet

• Reference Tables

• Calculator (4-function or scientific)

• Exam available in several languages

Teachers Receive

• Examination booklet

• Answer booklet

• Reference Tables

• Scoring Key and Rating Guide (varies)

• Conversion Chart (varies) Past exams available: http://www.nysedregents.org/EarthScience/

Representative Statistics from Recent Exam Administrations

• https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb-external/2008statewideCIR.pdf

• https://reportcards.nysed.gov/statewide/2012statewideRC.pdf

Year Total tested % Passing

at 55 % Passing at

65 % Passing at

85

2011-12 161,637 85 73 35

2010-11 165,998 84 72 30

2009-10 165,230 85 74 31

2008-09 169,920 84 72 30

2007-08 164,517 82 70 27

2006-07 167,389 85 73 27

2005-06 159,802 90 74 31

Statistics from Council of Chief State School Officers (for 2006)

• 68% of NYS students take 1 year of Earth Science (Table 1.3)

• Approximately 2,900 NYS Earth Science teachers (grades 9 – 12), out of 16,200 in nation (Table 2.2)

• Approximately 6,200 NYS grade 7-8 Science teachers, out of 76,000 in nation (Table 2.4)

• 77% certified in ES (Table 2.5)

http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2007/State_Indicators_of_Science_and_Mathematics_2007.pdf

More Recent Surveys of the Status of ES Nationally

• AGI Center for Geoscience education and Public Understanding http://geocntr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ESS_sec_status_report_10_17_13.pdf

• 2015 Report in Preliminary Draft print version

RES Exams Go Back to 1941

• Recent exams (2006 – present)

• Archived exams (1941 – present)

• Even in the first (1941) exam, diagrams included that required spatial thinking http://www.regentsearth.com/Regents%20Archive/ES%20Jan41.pdf

From the 1941 New York State Exam in Earth Sciences

From the 1941 New York State Exam in Earth Sciences

From the 1941 New York State Exam in Earth Sciences

Grading Exams

• Schools must follow State guidelines

• Best practice involves teams of teachers (at least 2) scoring each exam against guidelines

• Cannot score own students

• Parts A and B-1 scored electronically or using answer booklet

• Parts B-2 and C evaluated by teams, with different teachers scoring sets of questions

• Total raw score converted into scale score

Factors that May Influence Future RES Exams

• “Statewide Strategic Plans for Science”

• A Framework for K-12 Science Education”

• "Next Generation Science Standards“

• “Common Core Standards” for ELA and Math

• Potential changes in graduation requirements

MST Learning Standards 1 & 2

• STANDARD 1—Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

• STANDARD 2

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.

MST Learning Standards 3 & 5

• Standard 3: Mathematics (Revised 2005) Students will understand the concepts of and become proficient with the skills of mathematics; communicate and reason mathematically; become problem solvers by using appropriate tools and strategies; through the integrated study of number sense and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and statistics and probability. Standard 5: Technology Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

**MST Learning Standard 4**

• Standard 4: Science Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

MST Learning Standards 6 & 7

• STANDARD 6—Interconnectedness: Common Themes

Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

• STANDARD 7—Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Students will apply the knowledge and thinking

skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

PS:ES Key Idea 1

The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.

• 1.1 Explain complex phenomena, such as tides, variations in day length, solar insolation, apparent motion of the planets, and annual traverse of the constellations.

• 1.2 Describe current theories about the origin of the universe and solar system.

PS:ES Key Idea 2

Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.

• 2.1 Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns, seasonal changes, and the movements of Earth’s plates.

• 2.2 Explain how incoming solar radiation, ocean currents, and land masses affect weather and climate.

PS :ES Key Idea 3

Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity.

• 3.1 Explain the properties of materials in terms of the arrangement and properties of the atoms that compose them.

• “Note: Key Idea 3, Performance Indicators 3.2 - 3.4, are not included because they will be addressed in the Chemistry Core Curriculum.”

Performance Test (Part D)

• Administered in two weeks before written exam

• Must have met ‘1200-minute requirement’

Three stations:

• Mineral and Rock Identification

• Locating an Epicenter

• Constructing and Analyzing an Asteroid’s Elliptical Orbit

Preparing for the ‘Performance Exam’

• Many questions about what teachers and students can do to prepare for Part D Example of YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=socKhVh2La4

• Gathering necessary materials and setting up stations properly

• Administering to all students

• Grading in accordance with established guidelines

Creating and Scoring a Regents Exam http://www.p12.nysed.gov/osa/concht/scoring-regents.html

• Complex process that derives student scores from the number of questions answered correctly on a test, level of difficulty of the questions and skills each question measures.

• Not a simple percentage or number of correct answers, nor the same as the raw

Scoring a Regents Exam, cont’d.

• NYSED develops Regents exams in accordance with procedures for test development recognized by the American Education Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Testing.

Determining What a Test Will Measure

• Before a test is created, teachers and other educators develop a "test map" of key concepts to be tested -- what students need to know and skills they need to have in order to pass the test.

• Based on the Regents Standards of what students need to know and be able to do at each grade level.

Creating Test Questions

• Questions for each test are based on the ‘test map’

• Measure how well students taking the test can perform these skills

• Some questions written to be more difficult than others, based on what skills they require students to use.

• All questions written by New York State teachers under the direction of the Department.

Determining Passing Score

• Before a test is administered, questions go through several rounds of field-testing in classrooms

• Representative sample of questions then ranked by level of difficulty from the easiest to the hardest

• Committees of teachers then go through several rounds of review, determining which questions reflect minimum amount of information students must know to pass exam (65)

• Same process used to determine which questions students must get right to pass with distinction (85)

• These are the cut points or anchor points on the scale

Scale Scores

• This information is subjected to statistical analysis that places questions on a scale of scores according to their level of difficulty

• Regents examinations use a scale of 0 to 100

• Raw scores must be converted to the equivalent scale score.

Equating and Ensuring Fairness

• Each subsequent test is then equated to the established scale

• If there is a greater/lesser number of difficult questions one year, number of questions that must be answered correctly is adjusted.

• Helps ensure that all tests are equated -- no test is harder/easier to pass from year to year.

April 2011 ‘Regents Part D’ Discussion

http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2011Meetings/April2011/411p12d1.pdf

Issue(s) for Discussion What review process does the Board of Regents want to

initiate pertaining to the laboratory requirement pursuant to clause 100.5(b)(7)(iv)(d) of Part 100 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education?

What changes should be considered to amend this Part 100 regulation pertaining to the laboratory requirement to reflect the advancements in science, developments of new technologies, and current research on science education (teaching and learning) and cognitive science that will better prepare learners for the demands of citizenry, college and careers?

‘Regents Part D’ Recommendations It is recommended that the Regents direct department

staff to convene a group of science, technology, and education stakeholders including teachers and leaders from school districts, institutions of higher education, and business and industry to:

• review and evaluate the science laboratory requirement;

• consider and appraise current available research on teaching and learning in science; and

• make recommendations to the Board of Regents regarding amendments to current clause 100.5(b)(7)(iv)(d) of the Commissioner's Regulations.

Factors to be considered: • hands-on, inquiry-centered laboratory experiences

are essential foundations for college and career readiness, and citizenry in a scientific and technological global economy

• the College Board unequivocally supports hands-on laboratory or field experiences as required for course approval

• the long history of the laboratory requirements

• an increasingly scientific and technological world demands the ability to conduct scientific inquiry through investigation, exploration, and discovery of the natural world

• non-traditional settings and the provision of equitable access and opportunities for satisfying the laboratory requirement

• limited empirical research on the effectiveness of online, simulated, or virtual laboratory experiences in relation to increasing student achievement or mastery of the content, concepts, and process skills in the sciences

• input from the field regarding the need to amend the current regulations surrounding the laboratory requirement