PSSA Grade 8 Science case studies
PSSA Grade 8 Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is the Commonwealth's annual standards-based, criterion-referenced testing program. In science, every Pennsylvania student in grade 8 - and in grade 5 - is assessed, and the results describe how well a student has attained proficiency on Pennsylvania's academic standards in Science and Technology. Because the test is criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced, a student's score is interpreted against the standards themselves, not against the performance of other test takers. Performance is reported using four levels approved by the State Board of Education: advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic. The PSSA Grade 8 Science case studies are 5 cases and about 2,758 words.
1Which Bean Plant Experiment Actually Tests the Fertilizer?
Two students want to know whether a liquid plant food makes bean plants grow taller. Student A fills one tray with six bean seedlings and places it on a sunny windowsill; each plant gets 200 mL of plant-food solution every day.
620 words, about 3 min2Two Sealed Bottles: Why Did Only One Ecosystem Survive?
Two identical 2 L clear bottles are filled with pond water, one sprig of Elodea, and two small snails, then sealed with tight caps. Bottle A is placed on a sunny windowsill.
568 words, about 3 min3The Plastic Cube and Four Liquids
A student is given an irregular plastic cube, a balance, and a 100 mL graduated cylinder. The cube's mass is 45.0 g.
538 words, about 3 min4Reading a Cliff Face Without a Diagram
A new road cuts through a hillside and exposes a cliff. A geologist records the layers from bottom to top: 1.
521 words, about 3 min5Two Ways to Wire Two Bulbs
Students have two identical bulbs, two D-cell batteries in a holder, and connecting wire. They build two arrangements.
511 words, about 3 min