These aren’t your Mama’s Test Questions!

A New Generation of Assessments

Presented at NCCSS Conference, 2014Courtney Tuck & Melissa McGready- WSFCS

Session Goals Why “Old School” testing won’t work

anymore… What today’s testing needs to

accomplish… What makes a strong conceptual

Multiple Choice or Constructed Response question…

Time to practice writing questions… Online bank of assessment items on

Edmodo…

Can you tell what grade level it is?

The Big Picture

Ancient Egyptiansused shaduf tomove water to

theircrops.

Regulators were used on canals in

Mesopotamia to control the level of water in the

irrigation ditches.

An extensive canal system was used in the Indus Valley Civilization

of Harappa.

The Ancient Chinese created an irrigation system capable of water storing, channeling, irrigating and draining in the Western Zhou Dynasty

Your Mama’s Test Questions…

Memorization of facts Never-ending lists of people,

places, dates, & events Small % is retained

Your Mama’s Test Questions…

1. Which of the following acts required colonists to pay a tax on paper products?

A. Quartering Act

B. Stamp Act

C. Tea Act

D. Paper Act

Your Mama’s Test Questions…

Matching:

1. written language using wedge shaped characters

2. civilization on Tigris and Euphrates River

3. written language using symbols and pictures

4. some of history’s first written laws

5. civilization on the Nile River

A. Egypt

B. cuneiform

C. Mesopotamia

D. Code of Hammurabi

E. hieroglyphics

Your Mama’s Test Questions…

Fill in the Blank:

1. ___________________________’s 95 Theses resulted in the start of the Protestant Reformation.

2. The Catholic Church charged ___________________ with heresy because he said the earth revolved around the sun.

3. ____________________________ believed that all people have natural rights, including life, liberty and property.

4. _______________________ expressed the importance of a government with checks and balances and a separation of powers.

Galileo John Locke Martin Luther Montesquieu

Need for something new…

Conceptual teaching requires a new generation of assessmentsoBased on standards - not just factsoApplication of knowledge - not

memorization and regurgitationoRequires students to use primary

sources & stimulus material (maps, graphs, charts)

oRequires student to think critically

How to write strong assessment items…

Start with the standard you want to assess

Take note of the verb and what students should be able to do/understand

WH.H.6.4 Analyze the effects of industrialism and urbanization on social and economic reform.

How to write strong MC assessment items…

Phrase the item as a question

The first President of the United States of America was

A. Abraham LincolnB. Thomas JeffersonC. George WashingtonD. John Adams

How to write strong MC assessment items

Avoid using “NOT” or “All … except” in your questions

Which of the following was NOT a motivation for European Exploration?

A. Spread ChristianityB. Slave tradeC. Resources and RichesD. Fame and stature among leaders

How to write strong MC assessment items

Create answer choices that are all approximately the same length

What development marks the transition from the Paleolithic Era to the Neolithic Era?

A. Use of irrigationB. Ability to farmC. Knowledge of fireD. Humans developed advanced

weapons that allowed them to protect

themselves.

How to write strong MC assessment items

All answer choices must be plausible

What was main complaint of the American colonists that pushed them toward revolution?

A. Taxation without representationB. Limits on trade and economic affairsC. Extreme dislike for the British flag design

& colorsD. Disagreements on how colonies should be

ruled

How to write strong MC assessment items

Avoid answer choices “All of the Above”, “None of the Above”, etc…

How did the economies of the East African city-states influence their culture?

A. Arab traders shared their culture with the Africans

B. Arab traders forced the Africans to give up their way

of lifeC. African merchants refused to trade with

MuslimsD. All of the above

How to write strong MC assessment items

WH.H.7.2 Analyze the increase in economic and military competition among nations in terms of the influences of nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and industrialization.

A organizing a secret police to eliminate opposition

B preserving the monarchy and the established elite

C manipulating the media for propaganda purposes

D abolishing independent trade and labor unions

While in power, which action did Benito Mussolini take that differed from the actions of Josef Stalin?   

How to write strong MC assessment items

 • Strongest support in New England • Favored a strong central government  • Supported by bankers and big    business owners • Led by Alexander Hamilton and   John Adams

 • Strongest support in the South • Favored states’ rights • Supported by farmers and shopkeepers • Led by Thomas Jefferson and James    Madison

B a small grocery store owner in Georgia

C a small farmer in rural Pennsylvania

D a large shipping company owner in Massachusetts

Use the table below to answer the question.

Federalist Democratic-Republican

Which of the following individuals would have been most

supportive of the Federalist Party in 1800?   

A a large plantation owner in Virginia

AH1.H.4.1: Analyze the political issues and conflicts that impacted the United States through Reconstruction and the compromises that resulted.

How to write strong Constructed Response items

Start with the standard you want to assess

Take note of the verb and what students should be able to do/understand

WH.H.6.4 Analyze the effects of industrialism and urbanization on social and economic reform.

How to write strong Constructed Response items

When possible, mirror the verb from the standard

Use quantifiers in your prompt to guide student responses

Incorporate choices Stimulus material - quotes, reading

passages, charts, graphs, maps, images, timelines

Why did the world go to war in 1939?

Discuss how alliances changed the outcome of WWI.

How was the South affected by the Civil War?

How to write strong Constructed Response items

How to write strong Constructed Response items

 1820 Missouri Compromise   1850 Compromise of 1850  1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act  

Choose one of the items listed and explain how political conflict led to the creation of the compromise or act. Then, explain why the compromise or act failed to resolve this conflict. (2 points)

AH1.H.4.1: Analyze the political issues and conflicts that impacted the United States through Reconstruction and the compromises that resulted.

Explain how the physical geography of a place influenced the development of industry. Then, provide one example of how industrialization changed

the environment.

WH.H.6.3 Explain how physical geography and natural resources influenced industrialism and changes in the environment.

Unit Questions vs. Final Exam

Questions for summative tests at the end of your units will contain content specific material.

Questions on the NC Final Exam will most likely be more broad in their scope and not focused on a specific time or event.

Unit Test Suggested Breakdown

Where to Get Some Questions

School Net

Where to Get Some Questions

Tutorial for School Net

Where to Get Some Questions

When looking for questions, keep in mind:o the standard – not all the questions in School Net are

created equalo the level of question – explain? analyze? evaluate?

• Does the question reach the level required by the standard?

Thank You!

We love our Mamas. We can even love your Mamas. But we can’t use the same test questions she took when she was in school. It’s time for a change…