These aren’t your Mama’s Test Questions!

1. These aren’t your Mama’s Test Questions! A New Generation of Assessments Presented at NCCSS Conference, 2014 Courtney Tuck & Melissa McGready- WSFCS

2. 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…

3. The Big Picture Ancient Egyptians used shaduf to move water to their crops. 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 Regulators were used on canals in Mesopotamia to control the level of water in the irrigation ditches.

4. Your Mama’s Test Questions… • Memorization of facts • Never-ending lists of people, places, dates, & events • Small % is retained

5. Your Mama’s Test Questions… • 1. Which of the following acts required colonists to pay a tax on paper products? • Quartering Act • Stamp Act • Tea Act • Paper Act

6. Your Mama’s Test Questions… • Matching: • written language using wedge shaped characters • civilization on Tigris and Euphrates River • written language using symbols and pictures • some of history’s first written laws • civilization on the Nile River • Egypt • cuneiform • Mesopotamia • Code of Hammurabi • hieroglyphics

7. Your Mama’s Test Questions… • Fill in the Blank: • ___________________________’s 95 Theses resulted in the start of the Protestant Reformation. • The Catholic Church charged ___________________ with heresy because he said the earth revolved around the sun. • ____________________________ believed that all people have natural rights, including life, liberty and property. • _______________________ expressed the importance of a government with checks and balances and a separation of powers. • Galileo John Locke Martin Luther Montesquieu

8. Need for something new… • Conceptual teaching requires a new generation of assessments • Based on standards - not just facts • Application of knowledge - not memorization and regurgitation • Requires students to use primary sources & stimulus material (maps, graphs, charts) • Requires student to think critically

9. 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 6.G.1.2Explain the factors that influenced the movement of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that movement on societies and regions over time.

10. 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 Lincoln B. Thomas Jefferson C. George Washington D. John Adams

11. 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 Christianity B. Slave trade C. Resources and Riches D. Fame and stature among leaders

12. 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 irrigation B. Ability to farm C. Knowledge of fire D. Humans developed advanced weapons that allowed them to protect themselves.

13. 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 representation B. Limits on trade and economic affairs C. Extreme dislike for the British flag design & colors D. Disagreements on how colonies should be ruled

14. 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 life C. African merchants refused to trade with Muslims D. All of the above

15. How to write strong MC assessment items 6.C.1.2 Explain how religion transformed various societies, civilizations and regions.

16. How to write strong MC assessment items ___ Which statement best describes the information shown in the image above? A. Taxation Rate - those at the top pay the highest taxes B. Population - it shows how the number of people increased in Egypt over time C. Social Structure - each level was more important than the one below it D. Religious Beliefs - each level worshipped those in the next level above them

17. 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 6.G.1.2 Explain the factors that influenced the movement of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that movement on societies and regions over time.

18. 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

19. How to write strong Constructed Response items • 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?

20. How to write strong Constructed Response items

21. The painting shows how people worked with the printing press during the Renaissance. Johann Gutenberg is usually credited as being the inventor of this form of printing in Europe. Explain the impact of the printing press on the Renaissance/Reformation. Give two examples of how it impacted society.

22. 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.

23. Unit Test Suggested Breakdown

24. Practice Time… • Within grade-level groups, practice writing a few questions • Copies of Unpacked Standards for your foundation • Stimulus material related to content • Tips for Effective Questions • Question template- Be sure to include source # and NCES Objective you are assessing

25. Edmodo: Log In • 1. Go to Edmodo.com • Log-In or • Create Account* • If you create an account, you will set up your profile before going to the next step.

26. Edmodo: Join Group Locate Group Box and PLUS sign.

27. Edmodo: Join Group Click the PLUS sign. Then, click Join.

28. Edmodo: Join Group Enter the Edmodo Group Code and click Join.

29. Edmodo: Enter Group Page Look at the Groups and click on the Group you want to access.

30. Edmodo: In Group Page You can tell you are in the Group because the page will change and the Group title will be at the top.

31. Edmodo: Group Posting Once in the Group Page, you can Post questions or ask your peers questions.

32. Edmodo: Group Folders Once in the Group Page, you can access the Group Folders by clicking Folders.

33. Edmodo: Enter Group Folders Once in the Group Folders, you can access individual Folders by clicking on the Folder you want to access.

34. 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…