The Ohio Achievement Tests in science (OATs) for Grades 5 and 8 were given for the first time in May, 2007 and are now given annually. To help teachers prepare students for these tests, resources related to the science benchmarks for grades 3-5 and 6-8 were selected and compiled into mini-collections. These mini-collections focus on standards-based topics and provide suggestions for how to integrate them into classroom instruction. These mini-collections are intended to support the teaching of the indicated benchmarks, but are not sufficient to guarantee students’ success on the OATs.
In order for students to do well on the Ohio Achievement Test, they must be able to design investigations, apply science concepts to societal issues, summarize data, and draw conclusions based on a data set or some other stimulus. Students may be asked to:
- recall and identify accurate science facts, concepts, and relationships
- analyze science information by organizing, summarizing, and evaluating observations and data
- think scientifically by making predictions from information, including text, graphs, charts, tables, photographs, drawings, or other graphic organizers
- apply science to real-world situations and to analyze consequences and alternatives to proposed solutions
The resources in these mini-collections help to prepare students to meet the challenges of the test by incorporating a variety of experiences and scientific explorations that build these skills while also addressing the content.