Assessments
Included here are four different forms of assessment that I used with my 9th Grade World/Global Studies students. First is a combination of a research and performance-based assessment I created at Washtenaw International High School. This is a cumulative final assessment focused on discussing and debating our essential unit questions from throughout the year. I also included two different forms of assessment from my unit on East Asia developed while student teaching at Upper Darby High School, specifically focused on China. This includes an individual exam on modern China and a rubric for an essay about Chinese culture more generally. In addition, I included a group project that the students did as their final project for the Middle East unit at Upper Darby High School.
Group/Individual Research & Performance-Based Assessment - Ancient World History Cumulative
This was the final assessment for 9th graders after completing one year of World Studies. Students did something similar earlier in the year where they did a shorter version of the research and debate style but into early Greek philosophers like Thales and Zeno and their interpretations of illusion, reality, change, and the creation of life. This helped them be more familiar and prepared for the format of the final assessment where they worked in assigned small groups to help each other prepare for fishbowl style debates/discussions about essential questions from throughout the year.
I enjoyed designing and using this assessment with my students. It was a way for students to engage actively in making connections across the many different units we studied throughout the course of the year, and the emphasis was focused on deep understanding of ideas and historical contexts rather than a memorization of lots of facts or information about a specific era or culture. I also liked the reflection piece, which served as a measure of student growth because students had to compare/contrast their own answers from that time with answers they wrote at the beginning of the academic year. The reflection was useful for growth, but also for continued focus on growth as learners because they had to set goals for the upcoming academic year. I then emailed these goals to students just before the start of their sophomore year as a reminder of what they hoped to achieve.
Although this assessment is a lot of fun for the students and myself to see how people engage and interact with others across different time periods and cultures, it still has number of kinks to work out. Finding ways to ensure that students are working collaboratively but still being evaluated on their own learning, knowledge, and communication is one area I hope to improve. This assessment does include evaluation based upon individual notes, reflections, and participation during the debate, but in the debate, students can be supported by their peers/teammates and establishing clear expectations and guidelines for how to collaborate without copying ideas is essential. I plan to provide more clear explanations of my expectations and possible consequences for possible collusion or dishonesty going forward.
I enjoyed designing and using this assessment with my students. It was a way for students to engage actively in making connections across the many different units we studied throughout the course of the year, and the emphasis was focused on deep understanding of ideas and historical contexts rather than a memorization of lots of facts or information about a specific era or culture. I also liked the reflection piece, which served as a measure of student growth because students had to compare/contrast their own answers from that time with answers they wrote at the beginning of the academic year. The reflection was useful for growth, but also for continued focus on growth as learners because they had to set goals for the upcoming academic year. I then emailed these goals to students just before the start of their sophomore year as a reminder of what they hoped to achieve.
Although this assessment is a lot of fun for the students and myself to see how people engage and interact with others across different time periods and cultures, it still has number of kinks to work out. Finding ways to ensure that students are working collaboratively but still being evaluated on their own learning, knowledge, and communication is one area I hope to improve. This assessment does include evaluation based upon individual notes, reflections, and participation during the debate, but in the debate, students can be supported by their peers/teammates and establishing clear expectations and guidelines for how to collaborate without copying ideas is essential. I plan to provide more clear explanations of my expectations and possible consequences for possible collusion or dishonesty going forward.
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Individual Exam - Modern China
This exam was given after several weeks of discussion about modern China. This was the second exam I gave to students, so they were already fairly familiar with the organization of the test. The students were given a review packet several days before the exam, and we also spent time in class reviewing main ideas about modern China before they took the exam.
In general, I was very pleased with this exam. I especially liked the short answer about the piece of Mao's propaganda. We had worked on analysis of similar propaganda posters in class, so this was a good way to examine both how they connected ideas about modern China and how well they mastered the ability to analyze propaganda.
One thing I would change about this exam is the wording for question 17. Many students were confused by this question, so I ended up not counting this question in the total points for the exam. In future versions, I would reword this to say:
During the Beijing Massacre in Tienanmen Square, what did the people in the square support?
A. Mao's Cultural Revolution
B. China's Communist government
C. Democracy in general
D. Taiwan's Nationalist government
My other main concern with this test and tests more generally is that it does not accurately represent the learning of some students. For example, I had one student, Michelle, who did not test well. Although she did a good job and learned a lot of the material, she simply did not test well, typically receiving either a B or a C on a test when she was at least a B+ or an A student. In an attempt to provide students with other ways to demonstrate their learning, I also included the Chinese Culture essay assignment.
In general, I was very pleased with this exam. I especially liked the short answer about the piece of Mao's propaganda. We had worked on analysis of similar propaganda posters in class, so this was a good way to examine both how they connected ideas about modern China and how well they mastered the ability to analyze propaganda.
One thing I would change about this exam is the wording for question 17. Many students were confused by this question, so I ended up not counting this question in the total points for the exam. In future versions, I would reword this to say:
During the Beijing Massacre in Tienanmen Square, what did the people in the square support?
A. Mao's Cultural Revolution
B. China's Communist government
C. Democracy in general
D. Taiwan's Nationalist government
My other main concern with this test and tests more generally is that it does not accurately represent the learning of some students. For example, I had one student, Michelle, who did not test well. Although she did a good job and learned a lot of the material, she simply did not test well, typically receiving either a B or a C on a test when she was at least a B+ or an A student. In an attempt to provide students with other ways to demonstrate their learning, I also included the Chinese Culture essay assignment.
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Individual Essay - Chinese Culture
This was an in-class essay assignment, and we spent some class time discussing the essay and brainstorming topics and examples to include in the essay. I handed out the rubric and spent time explaining what I was expecting them to talk about in each paragraph. Then, as a class, we also worked on a brainstorm web of what to include in each paragraph, talking about examples of what ancient Chinese culture looked like and how it has changed since that time.
Overall this was a fairly good assignment. I was generally pleased with the students' essays and how they demonstrated their learning in the essay. I was impressed by the varied examples that some students presented and the connections that several students drew, highlighting themes throughout history.
However, in the future, I would also change some aspects of the preparation for this assignment. I ran out of time for a complete class brainstorming session about examples to use in the essay, and for many students the sections that we did not talk about as a class were much weaker.
In addition, I hope that in the future, I will be able to dedicate more time to the writing process. Many of my freshmen were not prepared to know what I meant when I used terms like "topic sentence" or "thesis" for a more descriptive essay. They also did not have an opportunity to revise their work or get peer feedback, both of which can be especially important tools and parts of the writing process. In the future, I would spend time discussing writing, hopefully collaborate with some of the freshmen English teachers, and work to make sure students understand the writing process. Furthermore, I would also like to discuss proper citation format and plagiarism with my students to help them prepare to be academically honest as they continue in school.
Overall this was a fairly good assignment. I was generally pleased with the students' essays and how they demonstrated their learning in the essay. I was impressed by the varied examples that some students presented and the connections that several students drew, highlighting themes throughout history.
However, in the future, I would also change some aspects of the preparation for this assignment. I ran out of time for a complete class brainstorming session about examples to use in the essay, and for many students the sections that we did not talk about as a class were much weaker.
In addition, I hope that in the future, I will be able to dedicate more time to the writing process. Many of my freshmen were not prepared to know what I meant when I used terms like "topic sentence" or "thesis" for a more descriptive essay. They also did not have an opportunity to revise their work or get peer feedback, both of which can be especially important tools and parts of the writing process. In the future, I would spend time discussing writing, hopefully collaborate with some of the freshmen English teachers, and work to make sure students understand the writing process. Furthermore, I would also like to discuss proper citation format and plagiarism with my students to help them prepare to be academically honest as they continue in school.
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Group Project - The Middle East
This group project served as the final evaluation and assessment for the Global Studies unit on the Middle East. It gave students an opportunity to work with peers and find more creative ways to demonstrate their mastery of the content. I assigned the groups after giving thought to student preferences, and class time was provided to work on the projects. Each group met, chose a type of project, and presented their final product to the class.
Included below are all the core elements for this group project. Specifically, it includes:
Although I was impressed with some of the groups when we did this project, many of the students were not as productive as I had hoped. One group had one student do all of the work on their book over the weekend, while another group argued over every detail, which made their final product less than what they wanted it to be. Despite my assigned small group assignments earlier in the course, many of my students were not ready to do group work with so much freedom.
In light of this, depending on the extent to which group work is typically used in a school or district, I would recommend even more scaffolding for students as they set out on project like this. This, in part, means providing more group work opportunities earlier in the semester and establishing clear expectations for how to work in groups from the first day of class. More specifically, with this project, I would recommend having an official meeting with each group individually to check in before they start making their final product. This would allow me to make sure they have covered all of the necessary content in their project and help the students to solidify their vision of their project.
Included below are all the core elements for this group project. Specifically, it includes:
- the group request form, which students filled out to help in my group assignments;
- the project requirements/assignment sheet;
- the resource list for students;
- the daily reports (Days 1 &2) for the days spent on group work;
- the personal reflection and opinion assignment sheet;
- the group evaluation for students to evaluate their group member's; and
- the evaluation form or rubric for the assignment.
Although I was impressed with some of the groups when we did this project, many of the students were not as productive as I had hoped. One group had one student do all of the work on their book over the weekend, while another group argued over every detail, which made their final product less than what they wanted it to be. Despite my assigned small group assignments earlier in the course, many of my students were not ready to do group work with so much freedom.
In light of this, depending on the extent to which group work is typically used in a school or district, I would recommend even more scaffolding for students as they set out on project like this. This, in part, means providing more group work opportunities earlier in the semester and establishing clear expectations for how to work in groups from the first day of class. More specifically, with this project, I would recommend having an official meeting with each group individually to check in before they start making their final product. This would allow me to make sure they have covered all of the necessary content in their project and help the students to solidify their vision of their project.
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