Monday, March 31, 2014

Evaluate 1.1.3 The summative assessment

During my time teaching AP US History in Brick and Mortar several  years ago, my fellow teacher and I would co plan and create common assessments. Below is an example of an assessment we would have used:

Ch. 30 & 31 Quiz

DIRECTIONS: Write the answer to each question below in the space provided.  (100pts)

 

1. The factor that played a key role in the economic downturn of 1974 and 1975?

A. the oil crisis of 1973 -1974

B. the rapid doubling of national debt

C.  the Iran Hostage Crisis

D. Watergate

E. the Vietnam War

 

2. All of the following are examples of the economic problems of the United States in the early to mid 1970s except:

A. American steel dropped from 60 to 17% of the global annual production

B. the US standard of living dropped to 5th in the world

C.  dependence on foreign oil grew to 1/3rd of total annual consumption

D. silicon valley lost its production edge to Japan

E. failure of Ford’s anti-inflation policies

 

3. The MOST important factor in the 1976 presidential election was

A. how cute the presidential nominees were

B. the ongoing economic crisis

C. the public’s mistrust of the government

D.  the runaway growth of national debt

E. the government abuse of the environment

 

4. The three mile island incident led to

A. massive antinuclear protests

B. more stringent laws against chemical dumping

C. creation of the atomic energy commission

D.  the halting of the building of nuclear power plants

E. increased nuclear testing in the United States

 

5. President Carter’s greatest foreign policy achievement was

A. the Panama Canal Treaty

B. ending the Iran Hostage Crisis

C.  ending the oil crisis

D. the Camp David Accords

E. ending the Cold War

 

6. The one event that contributed the MOST to the defeat of Carter in the 1980 presidential election was

A. The Love Canal Incident

B. The Three Mile Island incident

C. The Iran Hostage Crisis

D. The Failure of the Camp David Accords

E. Carter’s support of the ERA

 

7. Supply side economics (Reaganomics) favored

A. increased government spending to stimulate the economy

B. the proliferation of the rich

C. high interest rates

D. moderate tax cuts

E. economic aid to the poor

 

8. During the Reagan years, all of the following suffered severe economic reductions EXCEPT

A. urban aid

B. education

C. health care

D. defense

E. environment

 

9. All of the following were supporters of the New Right Movement EXCEPT

A. Billy Graham

B. Phyllis Schlafly

C. Jerry Falwell

D. Jesse Helms

E. Henry Kissinger

10. The major drug problem in the 1980s

A. heroin

B. LSD

C. crack cocaine

D. marijuana

E. mushrooms

 

11. George H.W. Bush, supported all of the following EXCEPT

A.     The Americans with Disabilities Act

B.     Tripling the budget for the war on drugs

C.     The invasion of Panama to capture General Noriega

D.     The family leave bill

E.     The funding of new prisons

 

12. The United States’ response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait was to

A.     Organize immediately an alliance to force Iraq out.

B.     declare war on Iraq in January 1991

C.     swiftly bomb the Iraqi’s out of Kuwait

D.     recognize Iraq as a Bulwark against Iran

E.     demonize Saddam Hussein in November justify an attack

 

13. The Persian Gulf War

A.     was fought almost exclusively by traditional means

B.     brought greater freedom to minorities in Iraq

C.     led to the capture of Saddam Hussein

D.     produced extensive ecological damage

E.     had surprisingly few civilian deaths

 

14. In the 1992 campaign, Clinton adopted all of the following positions EXCEPT

A.     be tough on crime

B.     reduce the bureaucracy

C.     privatize Social Security

D.     cut taxes for the middle class

E.     reforming welfare

 

15. All of the following are true of Silicon Valley EXCEPT

A.     its early firms began by relying on military contracts

B.     it had no real competition anywhere

C.     it benefited from having a cheap, non-union labor pool

D.     its growth exploded with the consumer electronics revolution

E.     it boosted the greatest concentration of new wealth in the US

 

16. The boom of the 1990s

A.     left a higher percentage of people in poverty than ever

B.     allowed women to earn much more compared to men

C.     did little to close the gap between the best and poorest paid

D.     promoted real improvement  in race relations

E.     closed the gap between the best and poorest paid citizens with the increase in minimum wage

 

17. Which event happened last?

A.     George W. Bush defeated Al Gore for president

B.     President Clinton is re-elected

C.     Republicans announce “Contract with America”

D.     Impeachment trial of President Clinton

E.     Terrorist attack New York City and the Pentagon

 

18. All of the following were elements of Reagan’s foreign policy EXCEPT

A. American intervention in the third world

B. funding national security programs

C. reduction of nuclear weapons

D. cold war patriotism

E. the Star Wars Program

 

19. The leader who initiated in reforms in the Soviet Union

A. Konstantin Cheropov

B. Mikhail Gorbachev

C. Yuri Andropov

D. Leonid Breschnev

E. Vladimir Putin

 

20. All of the following were involved in the Iran-Contra affair EXCEPT

A. John Poindexter

B. William Casey

C. Muamar Qaddafi

D. Ronald Reagan

E. Oliver North

 
The format of the test is identical to that of an AP exam. We used inspiration from past published exams to help students prepare for the ultimate goal of the course, passing the AP exam. As a team we met to discuss the different levels of questions and their authenticity for the AP exam format.
When creating an exam we need to establish the validity and of the exam. Validity is making sure the exam aligns to the standards. We need to make sure our exams are not swamped with level 1 and 2 questions, but a broad variety. Reliability is making sure that the test is fair no matter to which class it is issued to.

During my time as a virtual school teacher we did not create our assessments; this was up to the curriculum team. We did this because no matter which online teacher a student received they would be receiving the exact same course and same testing material. Many brick and mortar schools are going to this same approach. The standards are the same no matter the teacher, which means assessments should be equal among colleagues. Collaborating and teaming together allows for the standards to be assessed in similar fashions and ensure validity and reliability of the teaching.

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