Creating Effective PASS-like Social studies Assessments

1. Creating Effective PASS-like Social studies Assessments B. Garrett Walker Social Studies Interventionist

2. Mission and Vision Mission: Dorchester School District Two leading the way, every student, every day, through relationships, rigor, and relevance. Vision: Dorchester School District Two desires to be recognized as a “World Class” school district, expecting each student to achieve at his/her optimum level in all areas, and providing all members of our district family with an environment that permits them to do their personal best.

3. “Teaching is leading students into a situation in which they can only escape by thinking.” Would this quote accurately describe your assessments?

4. What isAssessment? Gathering information to identify students’ learning progress in order to assist with instructional decision-making.

5. What is the purpose of assessment? • To provide information about what students know and are able to do • To formulate plans/strategies to support the instructional needs of students • To share information with students about their progress • To collect information to assign student grades • To evaluate the effectiveness of their instructional strategies and curricula • To prepare summative information on student progress for decisions such as promotion, retention, assignment to special programs and referrals to other needed assistance programs

6. WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY? Strengthen the correlation between classroom assessments and standardized testing (PASS).

7. When writing/selecting items for your assessment, consider the following: • The taxonomy level of the aligned standard/indicator • PASS will assess no higher than this taxonomy level • Almost all Social Studies standards are at the Understand level • Instruction should focus on Big Ideas/Concepts • Verbs include: Summarize, Describe, Explain • What does the item truly assess? • Does the item assess a main concept, skill, and/or key person, place, or event? • Is it aligned to the Support Document (“It is essential for students to know…”)? • Some items are on the same topic but do not truly assess what is essential for students to know. • The key characteristics of effective multiple choice assessment items

8. An item should clearly measure the objective.Objective: The student will identify trends in American literature. Poor example: Who wrote The Sound and the Fury? A John Steinbeck B Samuel Clemens C Ernest Hemmingway D William Faulkner Better example: Which of the following belonged to the Naturalism period of American literature? A John Steinbeck B Samuel Clemens C Ernest Hemingway D William Faulkner

9. Avoid items stated in the negative. Poor example: Which of the following countries was NOT a member of the Axis powers during World War II? A Germany B Great Britain C Italy D Japan Better example: Which of the following countries was a member of the Axis powers during World War II? A United States B Great Britain C Japan D France

10. Avoid “silly” or throw-away responses. Poor example: The leader left in charge of the Jamestown colony was A Captain Smith B Captain Hook C Captain Kangaroo D Captain Kirk Better example: The leader left in charge of the Jamestown colony was A John Rolfe B John Smith C Pocahontas D Chief Powhatan

11. Items should be concise and grammatically correct. Poor example: That swimming pool which needs cleaning more often than any other is that swimming pool which A is filled with water from a stream B is filled with water from the ocean C is filled with water from a well D is filled with water from rainfall Better example: The swimming pool that will need the most cleaning is one filled with water from A a stream B a well C rainfall D the ocean

12. Stems should be in the form of a complete question (no blank lines). Poor example: Birmingham, Alabama is sometimes called the “Pittsburgh of the South” because it is a/an ___________. A steel production center B important shipping port C textile manufacturing center D leading maker of glass Better example: Why is Birmingham, Alabama sometimes called the “Pittsburgh of the South?” A It is a steel production center. B It is an important shipping port. C It is a textile manufacturing center. D It is a leading maker of glass.

13. Avoid items measuring opinions, unless relevant. Poor example: Which person was the best president? A Bush B Lincoln C Carter D Roosevelt Better example: Which president held the nation together during a period of civil war? A Bush B Carter C Lincoln D Roosevelt

14. Stems should be specific, avoiding generalities. Poor example: Which country is the largest? A China B Japan C Russia D Poland Better example: Which country has the largest population? A China B Japan C Russia D Poland

15. Avoid overlapping responses or opposite pairs. Poor example: The first English rulers of Carolina were: A Juan Pardo and Anthony Ashley Cooper B the Lords Proprietors C settlers from Barbados D the Kiawah Better example: The first English rulers of Carolina were: A Juan Pardo and William Hilton B the Lords Proprietors C settlers from Barbados D the Kiawah

16. Avoid responses using “All of the Above” and “None of the Above.” Poor example: Other than Virginia, which of the following represents a Southern Colony? A South Carolina B Georgia C North Carolina D All of the above Better example: Which of the following describes a Southern Colony? A Massachusetts B New Jersey C Rhode Island D Virginia

17. If using an incomplete sentence, ensure that all responses are grammatically consistent with the stem. Poor example: The type of standardized test used to measure academic achievement is called an A achievement test B case study C special aptitude test D test of intelligence Better example: The type of test used to measure academic learning is called A an achievement test B a case study C an aptitude test D a test of intelligence

18. Stems should address essential knowledge, not trivia. Poor example: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed by Russia on A July 4, 1776 B November 11, 1911 C March 3, 1918 D April 15, 1945 Better example: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk concerned Russia’s territory following A World War I B World War II C The Crimean War D The Russo-Japanese War

19. Responses should be concise and equal in length. Poor example: In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Bd. of Education that A students must recite the Pledge of Allegiance B teachers must be certified C girls can play sports, too D segregation in the public schools was “inherently unequal” and schools should be integrated “with all deliberate speed.” Better example: In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Bd. of Education that A students must recite the Pledge of Allegiance B segregation by race was declared illegal C teachers must be certified in a subject D girls should have equal access to sports

20. Do not repeat a word from the stem in the distracter. Poor example: The Bill of Rights refers to A Article V of the U.S. Constitution B the powers of the federal government C rights in the Declaration of Independence D the first ten constitutional amendments Better example: The Bill of Rights refers to A Article V of the U.S. Constitution B the powers of the federal government C complaints in the Declaration of Independence D the first ten constitutional amendments

21. Items should assess concepts or principles, not definitions. “You can’t trust anyone over 30.” “All politicians are crooks.” “Once a criminal, always a criminal.” The statements above would be considered examples of which of the following? A cultural diversities B melting pot theories C hypotheses D stereotypes

22. Items should be written in the vocabulary with which it was taught. Poor example: Magellan’s primary contribution to world culture is that he was the first person to A circumnavigate the globe B discover the Atlantic Ocean C land on American soil D look for the Fountain of Youth Better example: Magellan was the first person to A sail around the world B discover the Atlantic Ocean C land on American soil D look for the Fountain of Youth

23. Items with visual stimulus • Should be clearly identifiable • Should be relevant to the students • Keep captions short, if included with stimulus • Ensure that stem and responses directly relate to the graphic • Item should assess an understanding of a concept, not the ability to recognize the graphic

24. Key Notes to Remember • Assessment items should always be tightly aligned to standards and the “essential for students to know” information included in the Support Document. • Assessment items should assess fundamental concepts/big ideas, skills, and key people, places, and events. • Utilize these examples to align classroom assessments with PASS-like formatting.

25. So let’s practice… 3rd grade Sample item What happened at a slave auction? A. Slaves picked their new home. B. Slaves worked to earn money. C. Slaves sailed across the ocean. D. Slaves were sold to the plantation owner who could pay the most money.

26. 4th grade sample item The __________ determined how the colony was run A. Mother country B. Representatives C. Native Americans

27. 5th grade sample item What is a monopoly? A. A factory that does not allow union membership B. A neighborhood occupied by Italian immigrants C. Complete control of a product or industry by a single corporation D. A board game

28. Now let’s ensure that our items are tightly aligned to the Support Document.

29. What does the Support Document say? It is essential for students to know: Students must obtain a basic understanding of the series of events that led the colonists from a position of loyal British citizen to one seeking revolution and independence from their mother country. Great Britain thought that the colonists should help pay for expenses related to the protection of the colonies during the French and Indian War.

30. 3rd grade Sample item Why did Great Britain require new taxes to be paid by the colonists? (3-3.1) A. The Spanish needed help catching pirates off the coast of Florida. B. The colonists were buying more British goods, like paper, paint, and tea. C. The British had protected the colonists during the French and Indian War. D. The Native Americans fought a war against the French colonists in Canada.

31. What does the Support Document say? It is essential for students to know: The exchange between Eastern and Western Hemispheres had positive and negative effects. It also created different ways of life across the world….Native Americans taught the Europeans how to grow corn…through observation and working alongside one another. The Europeans then carried the crops home to Europe, improving the diet of many Europeans.

32. 4th grade sample item What was one positive effect of the trading of goods shown in the map above? (4-2.1) A. The diet of many Europeans improved greatly. B. The need for African slave labor in the Americas declined. C. Europeans discovered how to ride horses to hunt for food. D. Native Americans learned how to grow tobacco from Europeans.

33. What does the Support Document say? It is essential for students to know: The post-Civil War Industrial Revolution was the continuation of changes in the United States economy that started prior to the war….Inventions helped to promote industrial growth….The telegraph promoted economic growth….The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell…and improved communication…Businesses could communicate by telephone more quickly and easily.

34. 5th grade sample item Which of the following inventions allowed businesses to communicate more quickly and easily? (5-3.1) A. Henry Ford’s assembly line B. The Wright Brothers’ airplane C. Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone D. Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb

35. Your Turn Now: • Choose one item from the sample assessments. • Determine the relevant indicator. • Review the Support Document for that indicator. • Determine if the item assesses “essential to know” information. • Determine what is being assessed: a. Concept/big idea – cause, effect, comparison, etc. b. Detail – person, place, event, etc. • Evaluate for PASS-like formatting.

36. Reflective Questions: Do my items reflect information considered “essential for students to know” as indicated by the Social Studies Support Document? Do my items assess fundamental concepts/big ideas, skills, ANDkey people, places, and events? Does my assessment fully assess each indicator taught? Do my items follow the suggested format for writing effective, PASS-like multiple choice items?

37. Contact Information B. Garrett Walker Social Studies Interventionist gwalker@dorchester2.k12.sc.us 843.695.2991 ext. 60703

38. Session EvaluationParticipants are asked to complete a session evaluation for each session attended. Credit (attendance, renewal, and/or technology) will be added following evaluation completion. For each question, use 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree. Your responses will assist us in planning future professional development in Dorchester School District Two. • The instructor was well prepared for the workshop. • The materials for the workshop were appropriate. • The concepts presented were appropriate to my job. • I will benefit from attending this session. • I would recommend this training to others.