Heather Beaver
Jennifer Hambley
February 28, 2011
CRIN 550
Assessment Creation Project
1.) Overview
A.) Description of course and major goals
The following assessment on ancient Egypt and China was developed to accompany a
social studies unit in two second grade classrooms. The larger curricular aims of the
Virginia social studies curriculum are to prepare students for democratic citizenship
through the study of the social sciences, with history as the integrating core discipline.
By teaching students historical content, the social studies framework in grades K-12
seeks to help students understand how the past impacts the present, and how historical
knowledge aids in future decision-making. The social studies curriculum is also designed
to help students understand that events, both in the past and the present, are shaped by the
ideas and actions of people. Finally, this area of study is meant to cultivate students’
communication, debate, and writing skills. All of this knowledge is intended to prepare
students for active participation as democratic citizens in society.
B.) Description of the specific unit
This unit is intended to cover social studies SOLs 2.1 and 2.4. In this unit students are
introduced to the ancient civilizations of China and Egypt. They have the opportunity to
explore these civilizations’ architecture, inventions, calendars, and written language.
They will also study how the environment impacted the development of each civilization.
Embedded in this unit of study is an emphasis on developing basic research skills.
C.) Intended Learning Outcomes
This unit addresses six ILOs at a variety of cognitive levels. Three of these ILOs are
basic research skills, and cannot be adequately assessed through a paper and pencil test.
For this reason, we have designed an in-class research task on ancient Egypt to assess
these skills. Two questions on our assessment (questions 8 and 9) minimally test the
students’ knowledge about some of these research skills, but a fuller picture of the
students’ learning of the skills will come from an in-class research task. Our cooperating
teachers indicated that they would like these skills to be addressed in the context of
ancient Egypt and not ancient China. The first skill-based ILO states that students will
“locate and use information from print and non-print sources”. In terms of cognitive
demand, “locate” indicates knowledge, and “use” indicates application. It The explicit
content in this ILO is the information from print and non-print sources. The implicit
content requires that students possess:

Compare/contrast skills;

Knowledge of what print sources/non-print sources are
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
Know where to look for print sources and non=print sources (Ex: in the
library, online, in the classroom);

Oral/written communication skills to use located information;

Reading skills (decoding words, reading comprehension of non-fiction texts,
etc.)

Locomotor skills necessary to navigate around the classroom.
There is no conditional content for this ILO.
The second skill-based ILO states that students will “use information from
resource materials. For this ILO, the verb “use” indicates the cognitive level
application. Explicit content will be information from resource materials about
ancient Egypt. There is no conditional content for this ILO. Implicit knowledge
includes:

Knowledge of what resource materials are;

Knowledge of how to navigate through various types of resource materials;

Knowledge of how to locate resource materials;

Understanding of the various components of different types of resource
materials;

Ability to distinguish which resource materials are appropriate to use for
different purposes

Oral and written communication skills;

Reading comprehension and decoding skills
The final skill-based ILO states that students will “collect, organize, and record
information.” This ILO includes three different cognitive levels: “collect” indicates
comprehension, “organize’ indicates synthesis, and “record” indicates knowledge. Explicit
content relates to the information that students will gather about ancient Egypt. There is no
conditional content. Implied content includes:

Ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information;

Ability to set a purpose for reading;

Ability to organize information into relevant categories;

Knowledge of correct places to collect the necessary information;

Writing skills
In addition to a variety of skills, this unit also teaches specific content about each
civilization. These ILO’s will be assessed comprehensively on the attached assessment. The
first ILO states that “The student will explain how the contributions of ancient China and
Egypt have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar,
and written language” (SOL 2.1). “Explain” indicates that students should learn the specified
content at the comprehension level. Explicit content includes specific contributions that each
civilization has made in the modern world. Conditional content includes contributions made
in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language. This information
will be assessed through one supply response item, three true-false items, and five multiple
choice items on our test. Implied knowledge for this ILO includes knowledge of:

What a contribution is;

What architecture is;

The differences between the terms “ancient world,” and “present world”;

Oral/written communication skills;
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

Compare/contrast;
Knowledge of examples of modern architecture, inventions, calendars, and
written language

Understands times in terms of past, present, and future
Another ILO covered in this unit and assessed on our test states that “The student will
develop map skills by locating the United States, China, and Egypt on world maps” (SOL
2.4a). The verb “locate” indicates that students will be cognitively engaged at the application
level. On our test, a map is provided, and students are asked to answer two multiple choice
questions that demonstrate their ability to locate China and Egypt on a world map. Explicit
content for this ILO is map skills, and conditional knowledge includes locating China and
Egypt on a world map. Implied content includes:

What a map is and what it represents;

Distinguishing the difference between continents and individual countries;
land and bodies of water

Knowledge of map colors and symbols;

Ability to differentiate between the seven continents;

Knowledge of cardinal directions
The final ILO assessed on our test states that “The student will develop map skills by
understanding the relationship between the environment and the culture of ancient China and
Egypt” (SOL 2.4b). The verb “understanding” indicates that students will be cognitively
engaged at the comprehension level. This ILO is assessed on our test through three multiple
choice questions. Explicit content includes map skills, and conditional content includes
information relating to the relationship between the environment and cultures of ancient
Egypt and China. Implied knowledge includes:

Knowledge of what a map is and what it represents;

Knowledge of what an environment is;

Knowledge of what is a culture;

Knowledge of how to use a map legend and cardinal directions to determine
geographic features;

Oral/written communication skills;

Ability to draw connections between two things
Please see Part 2 A and B for a chart of Unpacked ILOs and a Table of Specifications with
the unit summative assessment plan.
D.) Overview of classroom characteristics
This assessment was developed for two second grade classrooms. In total 40 students
in the Williamsburg James City County district will receive this assessment. Of the forty
students, three have IEPs for speech, and one has a 504 plan for ADHD. Three other
students receive medical treatment for ADHD but do not generally receive additional
accommodations. The majority of students are reading at or above grade level, but there
are approximately six students who are reading below grade level. Culturally, the
classrooms have some diversity. There are six African American students, four Hispanic
students, 29 Caucasian students, and one student whose mother is Mexican and whose
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father is from South Korea. One student receives ELL services, and one student is
fluently bilingual.
A number of steps were taken to meet the diverse needs of the students. The test will
be read orally to accommodate one ELL student and the students who are reading below
grade level. The test has also been reviewed to ensure that cultural bias was not
introduced. None of the questions require background information that will not be
covered during the instructional period for the unit. Finally, additional assessment pieces
for this unit that are not included in the final test allow students to work interactively with
partners, thus accommodating the needs of students with ADHD.
E.) Intended uses of the assessment
This test is a summative assessment for SOLs 2.1 and 2.4. The information gathered
from the test and other assessment pieces will be used to determine how well the students
have mastered the content, as well as the specific skills taught during the course of the
unit. Students will receive a final grade, represented as a percent, to demonstrate their
mastery of the content on this test. The teacher will use this information to determine if
students have met the behavioral objectives for the unit. In the event that students
perform poorly in any area of the assessments, the teacher will be able to pinpoint the
cognitive level and content that needs to be re-taught.
2.) Design Elements of the Assessment
A.) Intended learning outcomes, standards, and/or instructional objectives:
Intended Learning
Outcome:
Underline the content
and circle the word(s)
that provides an
indication of cognitive
level(s)
Content:
List the explicit, implied, and
conditional content
Cognitive Level on
Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Provide the cognitive
level(s) in terms of
Bloom’s Taxonomy
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2.1) The student will
explain how the
contributions of
ancient China and
Egypt have influenced
the present world* in
terms of architecture,
inventions, the
calendar, and written
language.
2.4 a) The student will
develop map
skills
by locating the United
States, China,
and
Egypt on world maps
Explicit – how the contributions of
ancient China and Egypt have
influenced the present world
Implied –
 What a contribution is;
 What architecture is;
 The differences between the
terms “ancient world,” and
“present world”;
 Oral/written communication
skills;
 Compare/contrast;
 Knowledge of examples of
modern architecture,
inventions, calendars, and
written language
 Understands times in terms of
past, present, and future
Conditional – in terms of
architecture, inventions, the
calendar, and written language.
Comprehension
Explicit – map skills
Implied –
 What a map is and what it
represents;
 Distinguishing the difference
between continents and
individual countries; land and
bodies of water
 Knowledge of map colors and
symbols;
 Ability to differentiate
between the seven continents;
 Knowledge of cardinal
directions
Conditional – United States, China,
and Egypt on world maps
Knowledge (or
Application for students
who lack previous map
skills and must learn to
apply their new
knowledge)
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The student will locate
and use information
from print and
nonprint sources.
Explicit – information from print and
nonprint sources.
Implied –
 Compare/contrast skills;
 Knowledge of what print
sources/non-print sources are
 Know where to look for print
sources and nonprint sources
(Ex: in the library, online, in
the classroom);
 Oral/written communication
skills to use located
information;
 Reading skills (decoding
words, reading
comprehension of non-fiction
texts, etc.)
 Locomoter skills necessary to
navigate around the
classroom.
Conditional – None
2.4 b) The student will
develop map skills by
understanding the
relationship between
the environment and
the culture of ancient
China and Egypt
Explicit – map skills
Implied –
 Knowledge of what a map is
and what it represents;
 Knowledge of what an
environment is;
 Knowledge of what is a
culture;
 Knowledge of how to use a
map legend and cardinal
directions to determine
geographic features;
 Oral/written communication
skills;
 Ability to draw connections
between two things
Conditional – relationship between
the environment and the culture of
ancient China and Egypt


Locate =
Knowledge
Use = Application
Comprehension
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The student will use
resource materials.
The student will
collect, organize and
record information.
Explicit- Resource materials
Implied Knowledge of what resource
materials are;
 Knowledge of how to
navigate through various
types of resource materials;
 Knowledge of how to locate
resource materials;
 Understanding of the various
components of different types
of resource materials;
 Ability to distinguish which
resource materials are
appropriate to use for
different purposes
 Oral and written
communication skills;
 Reading comprehension and
decoding skills
Conditional- None
Explicit- Information (For this skill,
information would be the explicit
content related to SOL 2.1 and 2.4a
and 2.4b)
Implied Ability to distinguish between
relevant and irrelevant
information;
 Ability to set a purpose for
reading;
 Ability to organize
information into relevant
categories;
 Knowledge of correct places
to collect the necessary
information;
 Writing skills
Conditional- None
Application
Collect=Comprehension
(since students should be
able to comprehend what
information is important to
collect from the various
sources)
Organize=Synthesis
Record=Knowledge
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B.) Table of Specifications:
Content

2.4 a Develop map skills by locating the
United States, China and Egypt on a world
map

Information from print and non-print
sources (relating to content in SOLs 2.1 and
2.4 a & b).

2.4 b The relationship between the
environment and the culture of ancient
China and Egypt (by using map skills)

Resource materials

Information (Specifically relating to content
in SOL 2.1 and 2.4 a and b)
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
X
Locate
1,2
X
Locate
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In Class
Research
Task
X
Use
9
In Class
Research
Task
X
Understanding
3, 12
10
X
Use
In Class
Research
Task
X
Record
In Class
Research
Task
X
Collect
In Class
Research
Task
X
Organize
In Class
Research
Task
8

2.1 The contributions of ancient China and
Egypt have influenced the present world in
terms of architecture, inventions, the
calendar, and written language.
4, 5, 14, 15
X
Explain
7, 6, 11, 13, 16
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C.) Discussion of Construct Validity
Our assessment includes strong evidence for construct validity. The test was created
solely using the Virginia second grade social studies Curriculum Framework, which
includes SOL’s and essential skills that were created by content experts in the area of
social studies. The red numbers in our Table of Specifications indicate where questions in
our assessment align with the content and cognitive levels required by the Curriculum
Framework for this particular unit. Any content on our Table of Specifications that is not
included in our test will be assessed through a classroom task at the appropriate cognitive
level.
D.) Content Validity
Our assessment also includes strong evidence for content validity. Our Table of
Specifications shows the ILO’s that we will use to inform our instruction, and the red
numbers on the table indicate where each of the ILO’s is included in our final assessment.
It is important to note that for most of the ILO’s on our table that will be covered on our
test, there are several items that address the content, thus increasing the sampling validity
of the test. Exceptions include items that involve specific map skills, which cannot be
assessed in any other way. Our assessment’s high degree of content validity (based on its
close alignment with the social studies Curriculum Framework) also adds evidence for
high construct validity.
E.) Rationale for assessment item types.
Our assessment includes four true/false questions, 11 multiple choice questions, and
one supply response question. We included four true/false questions because we felt that
this was a quick way to assess basic facts that the students should know by the end of the
unit. However, we recognize that true/false questions inherently decrease the reliability of
an assessment and cannot be used to assess higher cognitive levels, so we limited the
number of questions of that type. The majority of our test is multiple choice questions
because that format allows us to quickly assess a variety of cognitive levels, and lends
itself to inter-rater reliability. The supply response question assesses the students’ ability
to explain how ancient Chinese inventions affect modern civilizations. It was impossible
to properly assess the students’ ability to explain information through a multiple choice
question. We specifically limited our supply response items to one question, given the
developmental stage of students in second grade.
Most of our questions were original. Question 7 uses a map pulled from the Virginia
Standards of Learning Scope and Sequence, and question 9 uses the format of a question
used in the 2007 released SOL test for third grade history and social studies.
F.) Potential threats to reliability
In an elementary classroom there is always a large possibly for random error to be
introduced during the administration of a test. Paraprofessionals enter and leave
classrooms at unplanned times, and there is no way of knowing when the classroom
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phone might ring. However, we will attempt to reduce this possibility by placing “Testing
Do Not Disturb” signs on the outside doors to the classroom. In creating this assessment,
we have tried to reduce systematic error in a number of ways, but we won’t really be able
to know whether or not we succeeded until we have administered the test and conducted
an item analysis to see if there is an even spread of wrong answers and if there are any
questions where the majority of students picked the same wrong answer. This would
indicate that the item question does not reliably discriminate between the student who
knows the content and the student who doesn’t, and the item would probably need to be
thrown out.
We have reviewed each question for cultural bias and all of the explicit and implicit
content that we have identified will be taught in class and will not require outside
background knowledge. We also reviewed the assessment to ensure that previous items
do not reveal answers to later questions, and that no item is stated in a way that it might
lead test takers towards a certain response. The test will be read orally to eliminate the
possibility of a student’s reading level affecting his or her results. Finally, the test will be
photocopied using the photo setting on the copier to ensure that all maps are legible.
G.) Potential for predictive validity
Given that our assessment was designed using the content and cognitive levels
specifically outlined in the SOL’s, it has high predictive validity for a student’s future
performance on an SOL test addressing these ILO’s.
H.) Description of scoring and grading procedures
The majority of our summative assessment includes select response items (#1-15),
which can be graded quickly with a high level of confidence in inter-rater and intra-rater
reliability. Each of the select response items has a single correct answer, and therefore is
not open to any type of subjectivity in grading. The assessment also includes one supply
response item. To increase inter-rater reliability for this question, a specific checklist has
been developed to ensure consistency in scoring among multiple scorers. To increase
intra-rater reliability, all of the supply response items will be graded at the same time, in
one sitting. This will increase the likelihood that the teacher will apply the same
standards consistently when grading student responses. The supply response item will
also be graded by another teacher as a way to increase inter-rater reliability for the item.
Below is the checklist that will be used to score the supply response item.
Supply Response Checklist
____ 1.) Student correctly identifies two ancient Chinese inventions that are still
used today. (1 point for each)
____ 2.) Student accurately describes how each identified invention is used in the
modern world. (1 point for each explanation)
____ 3.) Student uses complete sentences. (1 point)
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3.) Test and answer key
Ancient Egypt and China Test
Name:___________________
Use the map below to answer questions 1 and 2:
A
D
C
B
1. Ancient China was located on:
a. Continent A
b. Continent B
c. Continent C
d. Continent D
2. Ancient Egypt was located on:
a. Continent A
b. Continent B
c. Continent C
d. Continent D
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Circle “T” if the statement is true , and “F” is the statement is false.
3.
T
F
In Egypt, the climate is cold and dry.
4. T
F
Our word “paper” comes from the Egyptian word “papyrus.”
5. T
F
The ancient Chinese calendar was based on the patterns of the
moon.
6. T
F
The ancient Chinese used hieroglyphics to write.
Circle the best answer.
7. How does the Great Wall of China affect China today?
a. It is used as a trade route.
b. It is a tourist attraction.
c. It prevents people from visiting China.
d. It protects China from its northern neighbors.
8. Where would you look to find facts about ancient China?
a. a dictionary
b. an encyclopedia
c. a thesaurus
d. a fiction book
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

Ali fishes in the Huang He River
Ali’s father makes fireworks
9. Where does Ali live?
a. Ancient China
b. Ancient Egypt
c. Ancient Greece
d. Ancient Rome
Use the map below to answer question 7:
Map of Ancient China
10. Where were most ancient Chinese cities located?
a. Next to the Yellow Sea
b. in the Gobi Desert
c. next to the Great Wall
d. along the Huang He River
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11. What is an example of an ancient Egyptian invention in our classroom?
a. glue
b. pencils
c. paper
d. silk
12. Which river was important to the lifestyle of the ancient Egyptians?
a) The Amazon River
b) The Huang He River
c) The Nile River
d) The Mississippi River
13. Most ancient Egyptians were ___________.
a) Pharaohs
b) Carpenters
c) Fishermen
d) Farmers
14. Which of the following is an example of ancient Egyptian architecture?
a) The pyramids
b) The clock
c) The compass
d) The calendar
15
15. Which of the following word means the act of giving or doing
something?
a) Ancient
b) Civilizations
c) Contribution
d) Empire
16. Name two ancient Chinese inventions, and give an example of how they
are used today. Use complete sentences.
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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Ancient Egypt and China Test
Answer Key
1. D
2. C
3. F
4. T
5. T
6. F
7. B
8. B
9. A
10. D
11. C
12. C
13. D
14. A
15. A
16. Scoring Checklist
____ 1.) Student correctly identifies two ancient Chinese inventions that are still used
today. (1 point for each)
____ 2.) Student accurately describes how each identified invention is used in the
modern world. (1 point for each explanation)
____ 3.) Student uses complete sentences. (1 point)
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