CREATING QUALITY
ASSESSMENTS
Framing Questions
James Greene
Harlan Independent School District
July, 2012
FRAMING QUESTIONS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identification/recogn
ition
Application of
knowledge
Comparison/Contras
t or Analogy
Premiseconsequence;
If…then; Causeeffect
Case or scenario
Interpretation/trans
lation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Common factor
Example or
illustration
Problem/solution
Conclusion from
data (e.g. trends)
Sequencing
Image-based items
Inference
IDENTIFICATION/RECOGNITION
Items testing recognition
of specific factual
details or concepts
(DOK 1)
Which city is the capital of
Kentucky?
a)
Frankfort
b)
Lexington
c)
Louisville
d)
Owensboro
EXPLANATION
Reading passage on reproduction of flowering
plants.
Using information from the article, explain
what pollination is and how it happens.
“Event.” Which of these is the best explanation
for what happened?
A) B) C) D)
ILLUSTRATION OR EXAMPLE
James Horn used these sources in a recent book about the
English at Jamestown. Which of them is a secondary
source?
A.
William Strachey. The Historie of Travell into Virginia
Brittania (1612; reprinted London: 1953)
B.
Nicholas Canny, “The Ideology of English
Colonization,” William and Mary Quarterly 30 (1973)
C.
John Smith. Map of Virginia. (1624)
D.
Wright Haile, ed. Jamestown Narratives: Eyewitness
Accounts of the Virginia Colony, the First Decade:
1607-1617 (Champlain, Va: 1998)
ILLUSTRATION OR EXAMPLE:
Which of these is an example of a transaction
cost in manufacturing and selling ChocoBars?
A. Purchase of the chocolate and sugar used to
make them
B. Wages paid to the workers at the factory
C. Amount paid for materials to package the
bars
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
An election involving four candidates for mayor has
been held. Which of these is the best way to show
the percentage of votes each candidate received?
a)
Circle graph
b)
Line graph
c)
Scatterplot
d)
Box plot
e)
Histogram
(from NAEP)
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
Which of these units would be the best to use to
measure the length of a school building?
A. Millimeters
B. Centimeters
C. Meters
D. Kilometers
(from NAEP)
COMPARISONS
Which of these structures do plant cells have that
animal cells lack?
A. Ribosomes
B. Mitochondria
B. Chloroplasts
D. Nuclei
—KCCT alt.
Whose religious views would have differed most from
those of the other three?
A. John Calvin
B. John Winthrop
C. William Bradford D. William Penn
PREMISE—CONCLUSION
Evidence suggests that 3.5 billion years ago Earth’s
atmosphere had almost no oxygen gas.
Approximately 1.8 billion years ago the oxygen
concentration is thought to have increased to 15%.
Today it is 20%. What most likely happened
between 3.5 and 1.8 billion years ago to increase
the amount of oxygen?
A) The
number of photosynthetic plant species increased.
B) The number of animal species increased.
C) The amount of water on Earth increased.
D) The amount of solar radiation reaching Earth
increased.
KCCT alt.
IF…THEN
Sarah has been looking at green algae using the
low-power objective lens on her microscope. If
she switches the lens to high power, what will
she see in the field of view?
A)A
lot more cells but in lesser detail.
B)The same number of cells but in lesser detail.
C)The same number of cells but in greater detail.
D)Fewer cells but in greater detail.
NAEP alt.
SCENARIO
A local hamburger stand offers the following choices:
ketchup mayonnaise cheese onions
lettuce mustard pickles tomatoes
How many different hamburger combinations can be
selected by selecting one, two, all, or none of these
items?
A)16
B) 38
C) 66 D) 88
KCCT
IDENTIFYING THE COMMON FACTOR
Which issue did the Quasi-War, the Barbary
Wars, and the War of 1812 have in
common?
A. Suppressing international terrorism
B. Repeated violations of treaty obligations
C. Establishing freedom of the seas
D. Attempts to force the U.S. to pay bribes
EVALUATION
Short biographical sketch of Lisa McGowan who is
running for President (one paragraph)
Based on the information contained in the passage,
one of Lisa’s primary opponents has charged that
she does not meet the Constitutional
requirements to be President. Using your
knowledge of the Constitution, evaluate the
accuracy of this claim.
INTERPRETATION
Using details from the essay "Twins," explain what
E. B. White means when he says, "We
encountered better luck than we had bargained
for."
This graph depicts temperature
of:
A.Water heated on a stove and
allowed to cool
B.Harlan on a day in mid-July
C.Person with a cold
D.Oven while a cake is baking
—NAEP
EVALUATION
Reading passage “----”
Do you think the statements by Abigail Adams in
the first paragraph are an effective way to begin
the article? Explain why or why not using
information from the article.
—NAEP
EVALUATION
Professor McCall has written an article on the
Puritans in which he makes these assertions:
1.
They welcomed people of diverse beliefs.
2.
They viewed marriage as a contract with
economic advantages.
3.
They believed God was calling them to create
a model society.
4.
They respected Indians as children of God like
themselves.
continues on next slide
EVALUATION ITEM CONTINUED
As we know, historians must be able to back their
assertions with evidence from reliable sources.
Based on this standard and your knowledge of the
Puritans, what kind of job has Prof. McCall done?
A.
Great. All his assertions can be defended.
B.
Okay. Three of four assertions can be defended.
C.
Questionable. The majority of assertions cannot
be defended.
D.
Poor. None of his assertions can be defended.
SEQUENCING
What is the correct order for the levels of
organization in living systems from the simplest
to the most complex? (Note that not all levels of
organization are included.)
A. Elements  molecules  cells  tissues 
organs
B. Molecules  tissues  cells  organs 
organisms
C. Molecules  elements  tissues  organs 
organisms
D. Cells  organs  tissues  organisms 
molecules
NAEP
INFERENCE
Based on what happens in the story, which of
these represents the most likely cause of the
reader saying “figs” instead of “pigs”?
A. The reader needs glasses.
B. The reader is teasing his brother.
C. The reader doesn’t know how to decode words
very well.
D. The reader is secretly wishing he had some figs to
eat.

(Based on students’ having read “Ant and the Three Little Figs” by Betsy
Byars)
SOURCES OF EXAMPLES
KCCT. Taken from released items from the
Kentucky Core Content Test.
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+
Resources/Curriculum+Documents+and+Resourc
es/Released+Test+Items/
 NAEP. Taken from the National Assessment of
Educational Progress databank.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landi
ng.aspx
 Other items original to presenter
