Practice Sample Questions for the Statewide Science Assessment
Students in 5th and 8th grade must take the Florida Statewide Science Assessment (SSA). The test is one of the FSA assessments, set against NGSSS standards. Help your child prepare and pass with our comprehensive FSA Practice Pack.
Note: the FSA Practice Pack is NOT included in our Premium Membership.
What Are the Florida Science Standards?
The Florida Science Standards are set against the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science (NGSSS), which were adopted in 2008 by Florida’s Board of Education.
The NGSSS SSA is distinguishable from the NGSSS EOC Biology 1 assessment. Students taking one course cannot be assessed using an assessment from another.
What Is Examined on the Statewide Science Assessment?
Students taking the Statewide Science Assessment (SSA) in grade 5 and grade 8 are examined on identically themed topics, but with content to match the difficulty levels of the two different grades.
Students take paper-based exams containing 60–66 multiple-choice items. For both 5th and 8th grade assessments, students have 160 minutes to complete the assessment, which is administered across two sessions.
There are four topics covered on the SSA:
- Nature of Science
- Earth and Space Science
- Physical Science
- Life Science
The percentage weight of each topic can be seen in the table below:
| Grade | Nature of Science | Earth and Space Science | Physical Science | Life Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 17% | 29% | 29% | 25% |
| 8 | 19% | 27% | 27% | 27% |
For information on upcoming exam dates and scores, head to our FSA FAQ page.
NGSSS 5th Grade Science Practice Test and Answers
Essentially, students must be familiar and knowledgeable about the following four topics:
- Nature of Science – Students must arrange data, evaluate experiments, analyze investigations and information, interpret data, define the control group within the experiment, and clearly differentiate between opinions and factual observations.
- Earth and Space Science – Students must identify and differentiate between objects within the solar system and identify characteristics and categories of minerals and rocks. Students must understand the difference between erosion and physical weathering, as well as distinguish different climate zones through identification of climate characteristics of different zones.
- Physical Science – Students must identify forces and identify the different relationships among motion, mass, and force. Students must identify different forms of energy.
- Life Science – Students must know the different organs of the human body and identify their functions. Students must understand and contrast life cycles of Florida animals and plants, as well as understand the adapted traits of flora and fauna that have enabled them to evolve and survive. Students must trace energy as it passes through various food chains.
TestPrep-Online offers practice tests presented in similar formats to the FSA NGSSS Science Assessment and with questions very similar to those on the real test. Using practice tests to prepare for assessments enables students to become familiar with answering questions under pressurized conditions. Furthermore, the practice tests offered by TestPrep-Online include answers and detailed explanations, enabling your child to fully understand the process he or she must take to solve the question on the real test.
NGSSS 8th Grade Science Practice Questions and Answers
Students taking the 8th Grade Science assessment are expected to demonstrate the following skills and knowledge:
- Nature of Science – Students must identify, hypothesize, and test the effect of different variables within their experiments. Students must distinguish between investigations and experiments. Students must make predictions and inferences based upon their analysis of information. Students must distinguish between repetition and replication, as well as understand the difference between certain laws and theories within the field of natural sciences.
- Earth and Space Science – Students must understand moon phases, eclipses, and tidal forces caused by the positions of the Earth, moon, and sun. Students must identify the causes of weathering, erosion, and tectonic movement. Students must understand how global atmospheric patterns can be influenced by energy from the sun.
- Physical Science – Students must distinguish between chemical and physical change and potential and kinetic energy. Students must use physical properties of substances to assist in classification of such properties. Students must understand forces and must differentiate the nature of forces acting at a distance and on contact.
- Life Science – Students must have a good grasp of the systems of the human body and their functions. Students must also understand the effects of genes and genetic variation, focusing on the theory of evolution. Students must determine probabilities for phenotypic and genotypic combinations and identify relationships among organisms in specific food webs.
FCAT Science
As Florida’s assessment styles are constantly changing, teachers and other parents may still be talking about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Science Assessments and using FCAT practice tests. While Science was set against NGSSS standards and continues to be set against these standards, it is no longer tested with the FCAT. Instead, students are examined with the SSA for Florida. FCAT–style examinations are still used for Reading retakes, but with regards to Science, look out for preparation materials mainly for the SSA and FSA-NGSSS standards.
Florida Statewide Science Assessment Practice Tests
TestPrep-Online can help your child achieve his or her best on the Statewide Science Assessment. Our practice packs have fun and easy-to-use features that enable your child to navigate the material, understand answers, and feel more confident when tackling difficult questions. Start practicing today and see how TestPrep-Online can help your child do better on his or her Science assessment.