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Alaska Science Assessment

About

The Alaska Science Assessment is a summative assessment designed to measure a student’s knowledge of the K-12 Science Standards for Alaska, adopted in June 2019.  The K-12 Science Standards for Alaska provide a new foundation for defining what students should know and be able to do in terms of scientific knowledge and skills.

The K-12 Science Standards for Alaska support learning and understanding through sense making and investigations associated with scientific phenomena in life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology. Crosscutting concepts, an organizational framework for connecting knowledge from the diverse science disciplines into a coherent and scientifically based view of the world, are included in the standards. Science and engineering practices, Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, and evidence-based reasoning are also included.   

The science assessment is administered to students in grades 5, 8, and 10. 

For resources on preparing students to take the science assessment, please view the Student Preparation tab.

Parent and Community Resources

Alaska Summative Assessments

Student Preparation

For resources on preparing students to take the Alaska Science Assessment, please view the Student Preparation tab.

Student Preparation

The following resources were created to help prepare students and schools for the Alaska Science Assessments.  All resources are available to students, educators, parents, and community members.  DEED encourages everyone to utilize these tools to become familiar with the format of the assessments.

Computer-Based Assessments

Online Tools Training (OTT)

Student Tutorial

Paper-Based Assessments

Paper-Based Item Samplers are available to prepare students who need to use the paper-based assessments. Test booklets and summary tables can be downloaded below. Summary tables are also intended for use with the computer-based OTT.

Grade 5: Test Booklet (pdf); Summary Table (pdf)

Grade 8: Test Booklet (pdf); Summary Table (pdf)

Grade 10: Test Booklet (pdf); Summary Table (pdf)

Assessment Design

The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) licenses items from Data Recognition Corporation’s (DRC) College- and Career- Ready (CCR) item bank for use on the science assessment.

Annually, DRC writes a Technical Report that provides information and a data analysis that supports the validity and reliability of the summative assessments. The technical report is available upon request.

Accommodations and Student Supports

Student supports are available for students taking the Alaska Science Assessment. Universal tools are supports or preferences that are available to all students. Accommodations are practices and procedures that provide equitable access and are used regularly and with success during instruction and assessments. Accommodations must be made available to students with disabilities with an IEP or 504 plan, students with transitory impairments, and EL students, as documented in student plans. Additional information can be found on the Accommodations webpage.

Test Administration

Test Administration resources are updated annually.

Manuals, Guides, and Policies

Assessment Forms

DRC INSIGHT

Reference Sheets

Resources for DTC's

Smartsheet Login - To access DTC Corner Smartsheet.
Contact Rachel if you need access.

Medical Waiver Clarifications (pdf)

Technology

Alaska partners with Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) to administer the Alaska Science Assessment. DRC has created an Alaska-specific phone number and email address to assist districts in the use of the DRC INSIGHT Portal, INSIGHT test engine, and implementing technology.

DRC Customer Service

Phone – 1-866-339-6390

Email – akhelpdesk@datarecognitioncorp.com

Technology resources for districts such as the Technology User Guide (TUG) and System Requirements are available in the DRC INSIGHT Portal, on the Documents tab under General Information.

Contact Us

Alaska Science Assessment Coordinator

Kari Quinto: (907) 465-8436

Assessment Administrator

Elizabeth Greninger: (907) 465-8728