Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo

Part One - Graded Assessments

1) Five graded assessments(this is not just the score, but student responses and
points earned/deducted - could be screenshots from Canvas)
I have attached links to PDFs of the five graded assessments.
Johnnys graded assessment
Suzies graded assessment
Sallys graded assessment
Mollys graded assessment
Ashleys graded assessment
2) Grading guide/rubric (copied from Summative Assignment)

Answer Key for Unit Test:

Matching Section (1 point each) -

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.

Political Cartoon (1 point) -

6. What can you infer from this political cartoon?

Answer: The colonies must unite to fight against the British for Independence.
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo

Fill in the Blank (1 point each) -

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

Short Essay (8 points) -

12. Here is a section from the Declaration of Independence:

Read the section and below write your thoughts on what exactly this means and is it still true for
today.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness."
Answer: This will be a student generated response and/or opinion. Partial credit will be
rewarded, if the student includes a general logical thought process. General guidelines
would be to explain why the colonists included this passage and what this means to them.

13-15. Cause and Effect (2 points each) -

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.

Multiple Choice (1 point each) -

16. The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to

Answer: announce the colonists' independence from Great Britain
17. Which of the following best describes why the colonists opposed Great Britain's taxing
laws?
Answer: the colonists were denied representation in the governmental body that created
the taxes
18. According to the Founding Fathers, the natural rights all men are born with are
Answer: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
19. Great Britain's governing body that created the taxation laws
Answer: Parliament
20. Thomas Jefferson refers to a specific individual as "he" in the body of the Declaration of
Independence. To whom is he referring to?
Answer: King George III
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo

3) Grade you assigned each student

NAME GRADE RECEIVED

Johnny 25 out of 30 = 83.33%

Suzie 20 out of 30 = 66.67%

Sally 8 out of 30 = 26.67%

Molly 26 out of 30 = 86.67%

Ashley 27 out of 30 = 90%

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.

Part Two - Visual Representation of Data

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to (SWBAT)...

1. Explain the events that lead to the Revolutionary War.
2. Describe the 6 major acts.
3. Identify the Declaration of Independence.
4. List major roles within the war.
5. Justify what it would be like to be a colonist during this Revolutionary Era.
Grading and Interpretation of Assessment Data Megan DePalmo

Part Three - Reflection

Interpretation of Assessment Data

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.

Best Practices for Grading Assignment 1 and Avoiding Bias

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

Assignment 1, criterion-referenced grading, or using standards, objectives, or benchmarks as

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,

or words of encouragement to attempt every question on the summative assessment.

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.

Support Students in Applying Feedback and Next Steps in the Classroom

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

needs of every student is the best approach to take in the future.

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

outcome are in multiple formats.

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

Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116.

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

classroom. Stenhouse Publishers.

Part Four - Parent Letter

Dear Parents/Guardians of Suzie,

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

source analyzation practice.

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

performance on the next assessment.

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

we set together will help her reach success.

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

Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116.

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

classroom. Stenhouse Publishers.