Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
OVERVIEW:
The Course: U.S. History to 1877
This course covers United States history from pre-Columbian times through 1877.
Throughout the course the students improve on basic skills from analyzing primary documents to
interpreting maps to critical thinking skills in order to better understand this time in history. The
major goals of the class include teaching the students these skills as well as the content of the
course. The course also aims to help students improve oral communication skills through class
discussions and seminars. Students also work toward improving their writing skills with
formative and summative essays.
The Unit: Reconstruction
In this unit, students will learn about the Reconstruction policies imposed on the South as
well as the basic provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. A variety of activities have
been included in the unit to help the students accomplish this. These include interpreting
historical pictures in order to create a “live picture” to better understand the lives of the different
people of Reconstruction. The students will also engage in a modified Inquiry lesson that asks
them to analyze a variety of videos about the Reconstruction policies. Furthermore, students will
analyze the amendments using KWL charts as they read selections from the Constitution as well
as participate in a modified Structured Academic Controversy lesson, which debates the success
of Reconstruction. Finally, throughout the unit, students will be asked to make connections
between Reconstruction and their lives through informal reflections and a formal take-home
essay. The unit will then culminate in a Socratic Seminar on Frederick Douglass’s What the
Black Man Wants speech.
Intended Learning Outcomes
The unit assessments will target the following objectives:
1. The students will identify the fundamentals of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and evaluate
their impact on United States history. (SOL USI. 10a, USI. 1c and NCSS Xb)
2. The students will identify the major Reconstruction policies imposed on the South and their
effects. (USI.10b, USI.1c)
3. The students will use primary and secondary documents to discuss the effects of
Reconstruction on American life. (SOL USI.10, USI.1a, d, h & NCSS Xb)
4. The students will make connections between the Reconstruction period and their lives today
through a series of informal and formal written responses. (SOL USI.10, USI.1b & NCSS IVb)
The unit test will assess the first three intended learning outcomes, except the second part of #1
that asks the students to evaluate the impact the Reconstruction amendments had on American
history. The test will also not assess the forth objective. Instead, this objective will be assessed
through a series of lesson reflections that ask the students to connect what they learned in the
lesson to their lives. The prompts for these reflections include discussing the significance of a
Reconstruction video viewed in class, explaining how the Reconstruction amendments expanded
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
freedom in America, and evaluating the success of Reconstruction. The students will also
complete a pre-assessment worksheet to evaluate how much material they are familiar with.
This pre-assessment asks students to determine how well they know key terms and people, and it
will assess the first two objectives. Finally, they will complete a take-home essay as a
supplement to their unit test in order to assess the second half of the first intended learning
outcome, which asks students to operate at the evaluation level. This essay will also assess
objective #4. Together, all of these assessments should provide a well-rounded view of student
learning for this unit.
Classroom Context
This unit will be taught to all six blocks of sixth grade social studies. In total, there are about
180 students who will be assessed during this unit and it is important to recognize that they are
all operating at different levels. There are also differences among the classes in that some have
more advanced students due to tracking of the advanced English students, while others have
more average students and students with special needs. In addition, I chose to make the takehome essay separate from the test because the students have never written an in-class essay on a
test before and I was afraid of overwhelming them on the day of the test. The other writing
assignments of the unit should build up to this final essay. Because of this, the test is mostly
select-response questions with a few supply-response items.
Purpose of the Test
The purpose of the test is to provide a summative assessment of the students’ learning for the
unit. I will use the results of the test to make judgments on how well I taught the material, which
topics, if any, should be reviewed, as well as provide feedback to the students. The results will
be evaluated in conjunction with the results of the take-home essay as well as the formative
assessments throughout the unit.
DESIGN ELEMENTS OF THE TEST
Intended Learning Outcomes and Standards
Unit Objectives
1. The students will identify the fundamentals of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and evaluate
their impact on United States history. (SOL USI. 10a, USI. 1c and NCSS Xb)
2. The students will identify the major Reconstruction policies imposed on the South and their
effects. (USI.10b, USI.1c)
3. The students will use primary and secondary documents to discuss the effects of
Reconstruction on American life. (SOL USI.10, USI.1a, d, h & NCSS Xb)
4. The students will make connections between the Reconstruction period and their lives today
through a series of informal and formal written responses. (SOL USI.10, USI.1b & NCSS IVb)
Virginia Standards of Learning
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
SOL USI.10 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of Reconstruction on
American life by
a) identifying the provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the
Constitution of the United States and their impact on the expansion of
freedom in America;
b) describing the impact of Reconstruction policies on the South.
SOL USI.1 The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis,
including the ability to
a) identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase
understanding of events and life in United States history to 1877;
b) make connections between the past and the present;
c) sequence events in United States history from pre-Columbian times to 1877;
h) interpret patriotic slogans and excerpts from notable speeches and documents.
National Council for the Social Studies Standards
NCSS IVb
Individual Development and Identity: Describe personal connections to place-as
associated with community, nation, and world
NCSS Xb
Civic Ideals and Practices: Identify and interpret sources and examples of the
rights and responsibilities of citizens
Table of Specifications (see below)
Included in the Table of Specifications are the individual test items plotted at the intersections of
content and cognitive levels.
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Construct Validity
This test demonstrates effective construct validity because it aligns with both the content of the
curriculum as well as the content of the instruction. When creating this test, I constantly referred
to the table of specifications to make sure that all of the material I taught in class was covered.
In addition, I tried to align the cognitive levels of the curriculum and instruction with those of the
test items.
Content Validity
This test is also valid in regards to content validity because there is adequate sampling of test
items to cover the major unit topics and their cognitive levels. This can be seen in the table of
specifications where each individual test item has been plotted on the chart. As one can see,
there are more than one test item for each intersection of the table. For example, there are four
questions that address the intersection between “provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments” and “comprehension.” This ensures that if a test item is deemed invalid or
unreliable, there are still others at which I can safely gauge student learning. Without
appropriate sampling, this test would be invalid and unreliable.
Rationale
Overall, I chose to create this test with mainly supply-response items because that is what the
students are familiar with. Furthermore, this test is the last unit test these students will take in
the year, so I did not want to introduce a large amount of novelty in the test. However, I did
create five supply-response items with the fill in the blanks. I chose fill in the blank because the
students are somewhat familiar with this style, even though they have not explicitly seen this on
a test before for this class. Also, the test items used are a combination of commercially produced
questions, SOL released items, and teacher-made items. This ensures a variety of questions for
the students to answer. In addition, I did create a take-home essay, which supplements the test in
order give students another supply-response item as well as to reach the evaluation level of the
table of specifications.
Reliability
When creating this test, I followed the test creation rules for each of the test item types in order
to decrease the chance for error. I also tried to eliminate spelling and grammar errors as well as
awkward wording to make the test more reliable. However, there are potential threats to
reliability in this test. For one, students are not used to answering this many questions above the
knowledge level of Bloom’s taxonomy. This makes the test less reliable because students may
have more difficulty than normal with the individual questions, which may result in lower scores.
In addition, the test is formatted for students to use a scantron answer sheet as well as an answer
sheet for the supply-response items. This may be confusing for students and may have to be
revised before implementing the test. Furthermore, this test was created for all six blocks of the
course even though there are different academic levels among the students in each class. This
can cause the results to be skewed for the course as a whole because it may be too easy for one
class, but too difficult for another. Finally, I do plan to analyze the results of the test, but this
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
will be timing consuming as there are about 180 tests to analyze. Because of this, I may only
have time to analyze the classes as a whole and only a few individual students. This will make
feedback to students limited and decrease reliability of the results.
Predictive Validity
Overall, this test has some potential for predictive validity. Some of the test items are released
SOL items, which familiarize the students with the format of that test. This can help judge how
students may perform on similar test items during their End of Course test. In addition, the
results from this test should indicate how students would perform on a similar test, which
assesses the same content. If students do well on this test, the results would show their potential
to do well on a similar test. Because the test was aligned with the curriculum and instruction of
the unit, there is a good chance students would perform similarly on another test that addresses
this material.
Grading Procedures
This test is scored out of 100, with different point values for different types of test items. For
example, the matching items are 3 points each, the multiple choice 4 points, and the fill in the
blank 1 point. For the fill in the blank section, there is a chance for partial credit (1/2 of point) if
the students answer with a portion of the term or person. In order to receive full credit, though,
the students need to give the complete term or person. Finally, there is no rubric specifically for
this test, but there is a rubric for grading the take-home essay. This can be found in the
Assessment and Evaluation part of my portfolio.
TEST AND ANSWER KEY (see below)
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Reconstruction Unit Test
Name__________________________ Date_________________ Class________________
Matching (3 points each)
Directions: Match each of the following scenarios to its best corresponding constitutional
amendment. Each question has only one answer. Choices can be used more than once. Bubble
in the correct letter on your answer sheet.
1. Ben’s parents are from Scotland, but he was born in Virginia,
which makes him a United States citizen.
A. 13th amendment
B. 14th amendment
2. Mr. Smith is a wealthy plantation owner in Georgia, but he can
no longer use slaves to farm his land.
C. 15th amendment
3. Thomas’s grandfather is a former slave, but he was allowed to
vote in the election of 1872.
4. Sofia is a United States citizen and has equal protection under
the law.
5. Katherine can not be denied the right to vote because of her
race.
Multiple Choice (4 points each)
Directions: Select the best response and bubble in the correct letter on your answer sheet.
6. Which term describes men and women who had been slaves?
a) Scalawags
b) Freedmen
c) Carpetbaggers
d) Indentured Servants
7. Who succeeded Abraham Lincoln as President?
a) Andrew Jackson
b) Andrew Johnson
c) Jack Anderson
d) John Anderson
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
8. Which of the following amendments said that states could not pass laws that take away a
citizen’s rights?
a) 13th Amendment
b) 14th Amendment
c) 15th Amendment
d) 16th Amendment
9. What was a major duty of the Freedman’s Bureau?
a) To return former slaves to their masters
b) To help Southern states form new governments
c) To help former slaves get an education and find job
d) To help Southern plantation owners find a source of labor
10. Which of the following did NOT take place during Reconstruction?
a) Former slaves gained citizenship.
b) Soldiers helped southern blacks register to vote.
c) Old leaders lost much of their power in the South.
d) Most Southern whites gladly accepted how the South was changing.
11. Which of these events happened after the Civil War?
a) The Stamp Act was repealed.
b) The 13th Amendment was ratified.
c) The Monroe Doctrine was announced.
d) The Missouri Compromise was passed.
12. Which of the following events occurred first?
a) Reconstruction ended.
b) Tennessee rejoined the Union.
c) The 13th Amendment was ratified.
d) Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
13. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was important because it alloweda) workers to join labor unions.
b) women to gain voting rights.
c) African Americans to gain equal rights.
d) Confederate soldiers to receive veteran’s rights.
14. Which of the following amendments allows people to vote regardless of race?
a) 12th Amendment
b) 13th Amendment
c) 14th Amendment
d) 15th Amendment
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
15. Each of the following statements describes the South during Reconstruction excepta) Southern women could vote.
b) Northern soldiers supervised the South.
c) Southern military leaders could not hold public office.
d) Southerners saw industrial growth, particularly in the textile industry.
16. Africans Americans gained which of the following rights during Reconstruction?
a) The right to vote
b) The right to assemble
c) The right to bare arms
d) The right to free speech
17. Which of the following was sparked by Reconstruction?
a) World War II
b) The War in Iraq
c) The Industrial Revolution
d) The Civil Rights Movement
18. When Reconstruction began, Abraham Lincoln’s main goal was toa) quickly restore the Union.
b) punish the South for seceding.
c) deny African Americans the right to vote.
d) station federal troops throughout the South.
19. Which Reconstruction policy called for a plan to reunite the Union, but never became law?
a) Black Codes
b) Wade-Davis Bill
c) Lincoln’s 10% Plan
d) Civil Rights Act of 1866
20. Southerners experienced all of the following after the Civil War excepta) military occupation.
b) a worthless currency.
c) a booming economy.
d) the devastation of farms.
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Directions: Use the above picture from Harpers Weekly to answer questions 21-23.
21. The man in the cartoon is an example of aa) Freedman
b) Carpetbagger
c) Congressman
d) Cotton grower
22. This cartoon illustrates which Reconstruction amendment?
a) 13th Amendment
b) 14th Amendment
c) 15th Amendment
d) 16th Amendment
23. What does the phrase “The color line is broken” mean in relation to this cartoon?
a) African Americans can now own land.
b) African Americans are allowed to attend school.
c) African Americans can now be elected Congressmen.
d) African Americans can help decide who holds political office.
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Directions: Use the quotation to answer questions 24 and 25.
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their
jurisdiction.”
-13th Amendment
24. What is the main idea of the statement?
a) People have the right to public trial.
b) Former slaves have the right to vote.
c) Slavery is abolished in the United States.
d) Slavery will be decided by popular sovereignty.
25. What does the phrase “or any place subject to their jurisdiction” mean?
a) The amendment only applies to states currently in the Union.
b) The amendment applies to any territory controlled by the United States.
c) The amendment allows Congress control over any matter dealing with slavery.
d) The amendment allows the Supreme Court to make judgments on issues of
slavery.
Fill in the Blank (1 point each)
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct term or person to answer questions 26-30.
26. The period of time in U.S. history that saw a rebuilding of the nation was called
_______________.
27. African Americans were assisted by federal troops during Reconstruction, who helped
enforce the rights gained in the _______________.
28. African Americans were able to earn an education with help from the_______________.
29. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by _______________.
30. Northern whites who went south to start businesses or to pursue political careers during
Reconstruction were called _______________.
Katie Guidry
Test Creation Project
March 1, 2009
Answer Key:
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. B
11. B
12. D
13. C
14. D
15. A
16. A
17. C
18. A
19. B
20. C
21. A
22. C
23. D
24. C
25. B
26. Reconstruction
27. Civil Rights Act of 1866
28. Freedman’s Bureau
29. John Wilkes Booth
30. Carpetbaggers