Extra Credit

We are judged by a test, and so by a test we shall rise or fall.

Is this fair?

3.2 SCIENCE TEST SPECIFICATIONS 3.2.1 Standards The 2018–19 MEA Science test items were aligned to the content standards of “D: The Physical Setting” and “E: The Living Environment,” as described in the Science and Technology section of Maine’s Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction. No other science content standards were subject to statewide assessment. Content specialists used the content standards, performance indicators, and descriptors to help guide the development of test questions, which may address one or more of the performance indicators listed below. D. The Physical Setting D1: Universe and Solar System—Students explain the physical formation and changing nature of our universe and solar system, and how our past and present knowledge of the universe and solar system developed. D2: Earth—Students describe and analyze the biological, physical, energy, and human influences that shape and alter Earth systems. D3: Matter and Energy—Students describe the structure, behavior, and interaction of matter at the atomic level and the relationship between matter and energy. D4: Force and Motion—Students understand that the laws of force and motion are the same across the universe. E. The Living Environment E1: Biodiversity—Students describe and analyze the evidence for relatedness among and within diverse populations of organisms and the importance of biodiversity. E2: Ecosystem—Students describe and analyze the interactions, cycles, and factors that affect short-term and long-term ecosystem stability and change. E3: Cells—Students describe the structure and function of cells at the intracellular and molecular levels, including differentiation to form systems, interactions between cells and their environment, and the impact of cellular processes and changes on individuals. E4: Heredity and Reproduction—Students examine the role of DNA in transferring traits from generation to generation, in differentiating cells, and in evolving new species. E5: Evolution—Students describe the interactions between and among species, populations, and environments that lead to natural selection and evolution. Chapter 3—Test Design and Development 13 2018–19 MeCAS Technical Report Part I 3.2.2 Item Types The science test includes multiple-choice and constructed-response items. Each multiple-choice item requires students to select the correct response from four choices. Each type of item is worth a specific number of points in the student’s total science score, as shown in Table 3-1. Table 3-1. 2018–19 MEA Science: Item Types Item Type Possible Score Points MC 0 or 1 CR 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 MC = multiple-choice CR = constructed-response Consistent with the new annual release policy, 25% of the multiple-choice items and 50% of the constructed-response items were released from the 2018–19 MEA Science test. A practice test comprising released science items is available on the Maine DOE website at http://www.maine.gov/doe/Testing_Accountability/MECAS/supports. Schools are encouraged to incorporate the use of the released items in their instructional activities so that students will be familiar with the types of questions found on the test.

Take the PEW Science Test in front of me and Score 11/11. 20pts

Research something from What Works and describe how to make it work at MEAA. 20pts

The MEAA experiment. Ten points for each actionable and successful suggestion.

Hypothesis: By assigning a set of simple questions and placing the questions in a quiz format, most if not all students will accomplish the task within a week. The lack of any knowledge barrier and the enticement of easy points should result in an overall return rate of 90%. From that point subsequent assignments can be judged for level of appropriate difficulty based partially on return rates. The goal is to achieve high return with high accomplishment levels.

Experiment: Quiz 1

Raw results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ev0q0CTGj1vvC3y1LAFqYg78Uy9uezfPhwVp4D0Hjhs/edit?usp=sharing

Conclusion: What percentage of return is optimal? How do we improve? Is there a cultural norm that fosters a set level of tardiness in excess of a week? Should the experiment be continued until the end of the term? What results are we seeing in other classes and who has the highest rate of engagement? What are they doing to achieve that engagement?

Chem 7 is pleasantly surprising because of its high level of engagement. How do we get all the classes to that level?

This is not a MEAA specific problem. Statewide, this is the same trend we see in science education. Maine is outperforming the rest of the country as a whole. How do we make science literacy higher?

California Wildfires

Research the CA wildfires and the plans in place to stop the wildfires in the future. Apply to Maine. 50 pts.

LA Times wildfires map https://www.latimes.com/wildfires-map/

NY Times article https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/fires-california.html

Factcheck https://www.factcheck.org/2019/11/trump-again-misunderstands-californias-wildfires/

Fox News: A new "Fire Age?" https://www.foxnews.com/science/california-wildfires-signal-a-planetary-fire-age

CH4+4O2→CO2+H2O (plus heat!)

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee439/node/534

Advanced topics in combustion: http://web.mnstate.edu/marasing/CHEM102/Chapter%20Notes/Ch_04%20ho.pdf

Is there a safe way for us to melt rock into magma at MEAA? Can we add water safely to an explosive volume?

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth520/content/l6_p3.html 20 pts