A Chemistry Assessment Test

---

R. J. FRIESEN, editor University of Woterloo Waterloo, Ontario, Conado

A Chemistry Assessment Test

-

A. C. Blizzard and D. A. Humohrevs .

McMaster University Hamilton. Ontario L8S 4M1 S. ~rikam'estuaranand R. R. Martin University of Western Ontario London, Ontario N6A 3K7

In view of the increasing diversity of students entering first year chemistry courses a t Ontario universities, several chemistrv d e ~ a r t m e n t sare now ore-testing students at the heginning of the first year course. This s h o k article is being written to orovide some information for teachers about this pre-test which is called the Chemistry Assessment Test (PAT)

The original test was developed a t McMaster in 1972 in conjunction with the first "Chemistry Core Topics" document. The test has been subsequently refined in consultation with other participating universities and Dr. Alex Even a t the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. In the last two years, the chemistry departments of the followine universities oarticioated in the develooment and , ~ c ~ a s t eTor, use 07 this test: rick, ~ a h e t o n Guelph, ronto, Waterloo, Western Ontario, Windsor and York. The purpose of the test is to determine what chemical knowledge each student has on entering the freshman course. The results of the CAT are used by each participatine universitv to counsel students. to arrange remedial assistance and-to give the instructor some guidance in selecting an appropriate starting point for each topic in the course. I t should be understood that the CAT is designed only for internal use by the universities. However, there have been an increasing numher of requests from teachers for information about the test and its results. We recognize the value of this information t o teachers, hut we are also aware of certain problems which might arise. Potential difficulties associated with disseminating CAT results are: (a) infringement of the confidentiality of student grades, (b) comparisons hetween high schools and between chemistry teachers, and (c) problems of the type teachers faced in the days of the departmental exams-particularly the danger of teaching to an examination.

808 / Journal of Chemical Education

We feel, however, that we have now devised a mechanism which will provide useful feedback to teachers while minimizing any undesirable effects. Drs. Martin and Srikameswaran a t the University of Western Ontario have extracted from the results of all participating universities the average scores for the students from each high school in the Province. In listinn these averane scores, each high school will he identified only by a ranbomly assigned code number. The reoort will also list the average scores on each section of the test, the numher of students on which the averages are hased for each school and, for comparison purposes, the Provincial average scores. A sample report is given below.

. ..

High Number Section Section Section.. Section Section I 2 3 . . . .. . 9 10 School sthoof of Code Students AverngeA veroge Average Average AverogeA veroge 111 222 333 444 Provincial Averages

4 3 5 5

41.67 41.67.. . .37.50 37.50 40.00 27.78 44.44.. . .38.89 50.50 33.33 36.67 36.67.. . .36.67 33.33 36.00 83.33 83.33 66.67 ... .83.33 83.33 80.00 48.04 50.00 48.04 ... .50.98 51.96 49.41

41.67

16.67 36.67

Results will he released only to individual teachers on request. In response to a written request, a teacher will receive a copy of the print-out containing the results for his school. This will he accompanied by a letter telling the teacher the code numher of his school and listing the subject areas covered in each section of the test. T o further safeguard the privacy of individual students, results will not he released in cases where the numher of students from a school is so small that individual performances might he inferred. T o avoid the difficulty of a specific examination unduly influencine the content of the high school course, copies of T 1975 will be multhe CAT are not released. The C ~ for tiple-choice test based on the revised Chemistry Core Topics' published in February 1975.

a

'Copies of this Core document are available by writing to "Core Topics," Department of Chemistry, at any Ontario university.