TerraNova 3: Science

Instruments

TerraNova, Third Edition utilizes multiple assessments to measures important higher-order thinking skills as well as basic and applied skills. These assessments generate norm-referenced achievement scores, criterion-referenced objective mastery scores, and performance-level information. The assessments include reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies tests for grades 1-12. It is the only standardized achievement test to combine selected-response items with constructed-response items that ask students to produce their own responses. The TerraNova website provides access to

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Place-Based Education and Geographic Information Systems: Enhancing the Spatial Awareness of Middle School Students in Maine

Publication

Spatial literacy is a new frontier in K-12 education. This article describes a place-based introductory GIS/GPS middle school curriculum unit in which students used measuring tools, GPS units, and My World GIS software to collect physical and spatial data of trees to create a schoolyard tree inventory. Maine students completed "memory maps" of their schoolyards as a pre/post exercise assessment. A statistically significant increase in students' spatial awareness was documented. A technology-based curriculum can significantly increase students' spatial awareness especially in a place and

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