1. Proclamation of 1763: Forbade the colonists from settling west of the Appalachian
Mountains.
2. Stamp Act: Affected items including most printed materials including wills,
newspapers and playing cards.
3. Tea Act: Gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea trade and increased
taxes.
4. Sugar Act: Taxed luxury items like molasses, sugar, wine and coffee.
5. Intolerable Acts: Boston and requiring colonists to quarter (house and feed) British
Soldiers.
Answer: The colonies must unite to fight against the British for Independence.
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
7. Located in Virginia, this battle concluded the war, and resulted in the British troops
surrendering.
Answer: Battle of Yorktown
8. Disguised as Native Americans, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three
ships to dump chests of British tea into the harbor. Their actions were an effort to protest against
taxation.
Answer: Boston Tea Party
9. Five colonists were shot and killed, after tensions rose between British soldiers and
Americans. The event is said to have sparked the Revolution.
Answer: Boston Massacre
10. Where the document that officially renounced Great Britain's control over the colonists
was drafted.
Answer: 2nd Continental Congress
11. The turning point of the war that convinced the French to become the colonists' ally.
Answer: Battle of Saratoga
In your own words, complete part A,B, and C below by explaining the effect the ___ Act had on
the colonists. (2-3 sentences)
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
Questions 13-15 are student generated responses pertaining to the specific Acts asked.
There should be 2-3 sentences to respond with the effects of each Act. All effect answers
should demonstrate knowledge of how each Act escalated towards the Revolution.
4) Feedback to students
Individual feedback was given on each unit test submitted. The feedback can be viewed in the
PDFs inserted at the top.
Introduction
Administering and grading the assessment made by my PLT in the first assignment was
challenging. Prior to this course, I had not created a summative assessment for my content area,
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
social studies. The unit test was given to five college students, most who had not been taught the
material since their junior year of high school. Even though I was aware of their different pre-
knowledge backgrounds, I tried to fairly calculate each students performance on the assessment
with the answer key. Our course discusses the importance of avoiding bias or the subjective
preference or penalization of some individuals over others (Witte, 2012, p. 105). If a teacher
were to implement bias during the grading process, the student learning evidence would be
affected. The assessment data highlighted strengths and weaknesses in the unit test, specifically
tied to the five different learning outcomes. The areas the students struggled with needed to be
analyzed by the educator, and used to create an action plan that will move instruction forward in
a positive direction.
The summative assessment encompassed more than three question formats, and required
a different grading approach for each. My PLT determined point values for the various question
types, before opening the test to the selected group of students. Rather than having our 20
problem assignment add up to 100 points, we made the total points possible equal 30. Our
method for assigning values was based on a correlation with where questions ranked on Blooms
Taxonomy; questions that fell in the lower levels were given smaller point values. Canvas, the
online tool used to create Assignment 1, fast graded all of the unit tests submitted. After the
initial scoring by the website, I assessed section by section of the test with the answer key made
by my team. The final grading of specific sections of the exam, including the fill in the blank
section and short answers, were left to the teachers discretion. I read every students response
for these questions, before determining how much credit they should receive. My decisions were
based on their ability to answer all parts of the question, use proper spelling and grammar, and
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
articulate a thoughtful response. Because the sections were based on the learning outcomes from
the reference point for determining students achievement (Wormeli, 2006, p. 199) was used.
The constructive feedback left on individual tests was posted for students to review.
Impact on Students
After grading Assignment 1, I imagine the students have mixed feelings towards their
performance. The consistent poor results from the first learning outcome suggest they might have
felt confused and unable to achieve mastery of the content. While it has been said in our ED 312
section to not offer unnecessary praise for mediocre performance, assessments should not tear
down students self-esteem either. ome of the students, such as Sally and Suzie, most likely feel
discouraged from the score given to their effort. Multiple questions were left blank on unit test,
indicating a feeling of self-defeat or being overwhelmed. The classroom climate might be more
negative after the test, which would require the teachers efforts to address individual student
concerns and boost the moral of the class. Remaining encouraging and approachable to the
learners would prevent them from falling backwards in their academic progress. Feedback was
given to each student that showed ways they can improve their responses for future assignments,
Feedback to Students
The feedback given to individual students is based on the learning outcomes being
measured for the unit. Students were given comments on what I was specifically looking for, if
they missed the question or ways to modify their responses to align more with the outcomes.
Feedback was given demonstrate how they can alter their answers to fully answer the questions
being asked, and reach a higher level of thinking on future assignment. Words of encouragement
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
were also left to urge students to attempt every question on the summative assessment. Students
chose to leave particular questions blank and did not give the entire test their best attempt
possible. The constructive comments given also highlighted the needs of the students, especially
with learning outcome one; almost every student had a percentage of 40 in this category.
Additional supports can be applied to students, after receiving their feedback. Because
most of the students struggled with learning outcome one, I will need to discuss the question
format used in this section. Hopefully, the explanation of what the particular question format is
asking for will clear up any confusion the students have. I also want to administer a practice test.
According to Friend and Bursuck (2012), practice tests clarify test expectations and also
benefits the class by familiarizing students with the test format. Students will also be given
more practice with analyzing a source or text from the material. A previous course taken
introduced the SCIM-C method being used in social studies to promote historical inquiry among
learners. Applying this subject-content method would strengthen the students reading and
interpretation skills with documents. Also, it would be helpful to add scaffolding and activities
that have students make more connections with the material. Differentiating instruction to fit the
Conclusion
When I evaluated and graded the five students work, the weaknesses of the assessment
stood out to me. Comparing the responses from all students showed me which questions were
lacking in clarity or purpose on the test. I was able to critically examine the test and determine
what should be changed for future summative assessments. The fill in the blank section of the
unit test was originally perceived as good idea, but ended up asking poorly-worded questions; I
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
need to design these questions to truly have the answer complete the sentence, rather than define
the sentence or statement. Also, the content covered on the test did follow the learning outcomes
to be measured. In the future, I can make sure the questions made to cover the content from each
References
Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. D. (2002). Including students with special needs: A practical
guide for classroom teachers. Allyn & Bacon, A Pearson Education Company, 75
Witte, R.H. (2012). Classroom Assessment for Teachers. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair isn't always equal: Assessing & grading in the differentiated
We have wrapped up our unit on the Pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary War! The
unit test was administered earlier this week, and has been returned with feedback to each student.
Students were given time to ask questions, as well as discuss any comments or concerns about
individual grades, during their designated class time. Their thoughtful feedback was extremely
helpful in determining how I can alter future instruction to best aid each child in their learning
process.
Your daughter, Suzie, demonstrated an overall understanding of the content in the unit. I
noticed she excelled with questions measuring learning outcomes three and four, identifying the
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
Declaration of Independence, and listing major roles in the war; she earned 100% in both. Suzie
was successfully applied a higher level of thinking when she analyzed the document, interpreted
critical details, and explained the hidden message of a political cartoon. Because she did well
with more complex questions, I would like to continue offer assistance by using more text and
There were some areas of the assessment that Suzie did struggle with, however. She did
not do as well with questions from the learning outcomes to explain the events leading to the
war, and describe the six major acts. It came to my attention that all students consistently did
poorly on questions from the first learning outcome. These particular questions were made into a
fill in the blank format, which, understandably, caused some confusion. In order to avoid any
potential future issues, I will familiarize my classes with a variety of question formats.
Suzie also had trouble with defining the specific acts in the section of the assessment that
covered this material. As her parents/guardians, your support is essential to her continuous
academic growth, and I want to establish an important role for you in our class. I am asking if
Suzie can review the key terms from our class with you, once a week. Explaining the vocabulary
words, from her own perspective, will reinforce her understanding and, hopefully, improve her
Thank you for continuing to invest in Suzies education, and inquiring about her learning
progress. Your concern for her performance in this class is crucial because the positive influence
Thank you,
Ms. DePalmo
References
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo
Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. D. (2002). Including students with special needs: A practical
guide for classroom teachers. Allyn & Bacon, A Pearson Education Company, 75
Witte, R.H. (2012). Classroom Assessment for Teachers. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair isn't always equal: Assessing & grading in the differentiated