Science
What the domain tests
Science samples Minnesota's K-6 standards across physical, life, and Earth and space science, plus engineering design. Items emphasize three dimensions: science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. You may be asked to interpret an investigation, identify variables, evaluate a claim against evidence, or select a phenomenon that anchors instruction.
Core rules and concepts
- Scientific explanations use evidence. A hypothesis is a testable prediction, not a guess.
- Investigation design includes a testable question, independent and dependent variables, controlled variables, repeated trials, and reliable measurement.
- Observation is what you detect with senses or instruments; inference is an interpretation. Models represent systems and have limits.
- Crosscutting concepts include patterns, cause and effect, scale and proportion, systems, and matter and energy flow.
- Engineering design cycles through defining a problem and constraints, designing a prototype, testing, and iterating.
Worked example
Students test how ramp height affects the distance a toy car travels. Ramp height is the independent variable; distance traveled is the dependent variable; the same car, surface, and release method are controls. Students measure from the same starting point, repeat trials, and average results. A conclusion that “taller ramps always make cars go farther” overgeneralizes: the evidence supports a relationship within the tested range, with friction and car mass held constant.
Traps
- Calling any guess a hypothesis instead of a testable prediction.
- Changing two variables at once and attributing the result to one.
- Treating a model as the real system rather than a representation.
- Confusing an observation with an inference.
- Stating a conclusion beyond the range of the data collected.