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Assessment of Achievement Programme:
Report of the Sixth AAP Survey of Science (2003)
Preface
The 2003 Science Survey was the sixth survey to be
carried out in this curriculum area within the Assessment
of Achievement Programme (AAP), but the first to report
pupils'
Knowledge and understanding in science in terms of
5-14 levels and the first to explore pupils' informed
attitudes. Core skills assessment also featured for the
second time in a national survey.
The stages assessed were P3, P5, P7 and S2, with pupil
testing taking place in May and June 2003. Almost 9000
pupils in just under 600 mainstream schools across Scotland
took part in the survey: around 2000 pupils in around 155
primary schools at each primary stage, and just over 2000
S2 pupils in 130 secondary schools. All the survey schools
participated in written assessments - science, numeracy,
reading and writing - and more than half also participated
in practical assessments - science investigation skills and
ICT skills. To provide a context for the attainment and
attitude findings, participating schools at P7 and S2 were
invited to complete a questionnaire about the resources
available to them for science and about their science
provision, and just under half their sample pupils were
invited to complete questionnaires about their science
learning experience.
The 5-14 National Assessment Bank provided large numbers
of the assessment tasks used in the survey, supplemented by
tasks developed by staff in the University of Aberdeen
('Knowledge and understanding' in science), the University
of Strathclyde (science investigation tasks), the Scottish
Qualifications Authority (reading and writing, numeracy)
and individual consultants (ICT, with CDs prepared by
Learning and Teaching Scotland). School and pupil
questionnaires were developed by SEED. The SQA was
responsible for printing the test booklets and distributing
these to schools. The survey schools organised and
supervised their own written test sessions, but the
practical assessments were the responsibility of 148
itinerant field officers - practising primary teachers or
secondary science teachers released by their 28 education
authorities for survey involvement. Completed test booklets
were received and processed by SEED. The pupil response
data were keyboarded by Lindata Services and analysed by
Assessment Europe. The survey report was produced by Sandra
Johnson (Assessment Europe) and Jackie Heaton (University
of Aberdeen).
This report presents a rich snapshot view of the
situation in Scottish schools today as regards science and
core skills 3-18. The survey was an ambitious exercise that
has resulted in a wealth of information about pupil
attainment in these important areas, and about pupils'
informed attitudes in science, set within the context of
learning circumstances and experiences both within and
outside the classroom. The findings presented and discussed
in this report will be of great value in informing the
newly launched curriculum review of Science 3-16, while the
reservoir of attainment and questionnaire data on which the
findings are based offers great potential for focused
secondary analysis.
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