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. Can you tell what grade level it is?

4. 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.

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. How to write strong MC assessment items While in power, which action did Benito Mussolini take that differed from the actions of Josef Stalin? 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.

17. How to write strong MC assessment items Use the table below to answer the question. FederalistDemocratic-Republican Which of the following individuals would have been most supportive of the Federalist Party in 1800?   AH1.H.4.1: Analyze the political issues and conflicts that impacted the United States through Reconstruction and the compromises that resulted. A a large plantation owner in Virginia

18. 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.

19. 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

20. 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?

21. How to write strong Constructed Response items 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. Unit Test Suggested Breakdown

25. Where to Get Some Questions School Net

26. Where to Get Some Questions Tutorial for School Net

27. Where to Get Some Questions • When looking for questions, keep in mind: • the standard – not all the questions in School Net are created equal • the level of question – explain? analyze? evaluate? • Does the question reach the level required by the standard?

28. 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…