Partnership for the Assessment of Standards-Based Science

On July 18, 2000, the State Board of Education approved the adoption of the Partnership for the Assessment of Standards-Based Science (PASS) for Vermont’s statewide standardized science assessment.

Components of the PASS Assessment:

• Standards Based - PASS is aligned with the National Science Standards, the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and the Vermont Framework.
• Implementation - A PASS field trial will be conducted in a representative sample of Vermont schools in the winter of 2001. Following the field trial, PASS will be administered each fall in grades 5,9,and 11 beginning in the fall of 2001. The data will provide student level information as well as school level feedback that can be used for action planning and working to improve science education over time.
• Sustainability - Vermont will become a working member of the PASS item development team.
• Quality - PASS has been determined to be technically valid and reliable. Ongoing development of PASS is supported by a technical advisory panel that includes leading national psychometricians. In addition, a Vermont team of scientists and teachers will participate in the development of future items and tasks.
• Content - PASS is divided into three sections that include multiple choice items, open-ended constructed response items, and a hands-on performance task. These questions and tasks will sample the domain of science in elementary, middle, and secondary programs. In addition, PASS will collect and report student opportunity-to-learn data.

Reporting Results for School Planning:

By assessing students in the fall of 5th, 9th, and 11th grade, the statewide science assessment will complement the grade level clusters (PreK-4, 5-8, 9-12) of the Vermont Framework. The assessment will provide school wide data as well as data on individual student performance that reflects students’ accumulated knowledge and understanding of science within these clusters. After the first full Vermont implementation, Vermont will complete a standards-setting process that will enable reports to reflect the degree to which students meet the Vermont science standards. As baseline and continuous data is collected, schools will be able to measure their growth against the content recommendations of the National Science Standards and the Vermont Framework Standards.

Future Development and Support:

The Department of Education has begun working with VISMT, VSTA, scientists, teachers, administrators, curriculum and assessment coordinators and business leaders to develop a Vermont infrastructure that will assure the effective implementation of PASS and an efficient process to inform future development of the assessment. Materials will be designed to support the use of data from this exam for school and district action planning. In addition, the Department will support the development of local assessments for use in Vermont schools to provide ongoing assessment and information at all grade levels.


For more information about PASS, contact David White at 828-0154 or 223-2763 . e-mail: dwhite@doe.state.vt.us or dwhite678@aol.com