Commonwealth of Virginia

Standards of Learning Assessment Program

Blueprints for Grade Three

History and Social Science

©1997 by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education, James Monroe Building,

101 N. 14th Street, Richmond, Virginia, 23219. All rights reserved. Except as permitted by law, this material may not be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. Please contact the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education at (804) 225-2102, Division of Assessment and Reporting, to request written permission.

Standards of Learning (SOL) Test Blueprint

Introduction

What is a test blueprint?

A test blueprint is a guide for test construction and use. The Standards of Learning (SOL) test blueprints serve a number of purposes. One, they serve as a guide to test developers as they write test questions and construct the SOL tests. Two, they serve as a guide to educators, parents and students in that they show (a) the SOLs covered by the test and which, if any, have been excluded; (b) which SOLs are assigned to each reporting category; (c) the number of test items in each reporting category and on the total test; (d) general information about how the test questions were constructed; and (e) the materials that students are allowed to use while taking the test.

How is the test blueprint organized?

There is a blueprint for each test (e.g., grade 3 English, grade 5 mathematics, grade 8 science, U.S. History). Each blueprint contains the following information:

1. Test Development Guidelines: guidelines used by Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement and the members of the Content Review Committees in developing the SOL tests. This section contains three parts:

A. General Considerations — lists general considerations that were used in developing the test as well as considerations specific to a particular content area.

B. Item Format — lists information on how items for the test are constructed.

C. Ancillary Materials — lists any materials (e.g., calculators, rulers, protractors, compasses, dictionaries) that students are allowed to use while taking each test.

2. Blueprint Summary Table: a summary of the blueprint which displays the following information:

• reporting categories for each test;

• number of test items in each reporting category;

• Standards of Learning (SOLs) included in each reporting category. SOLs are identified by numbers and letters that correspond to the original SOL document (letters are assigned to the "bullets" in the original document);

• SOLs which are excluded from the SOL test;

• number of operational items on the test;

• number of field-test items on the test; and

• total number of items (operational and field-test items) on the test.

3. Expanded Blueprint: provides the same information as the Blueprint Summary Table except that the full text of each SOL is included. In addition, SOLs that are excluded from the test are categorized by the reason they were not included.

What is a reporting category?

Each test covers a number of SOLs. In the test blueprint, SOLs are grouped into categories that address related content or skills. These categories are labeled Reporting Categories. For example, a Reporting Category for the Grade 5 Mathematics test is "Computation and Estimation." Each of the SOLs in this reporting category addresses computation using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division or require the student to estimate the answer to a problem. When the results of the SOL tests are reported, the scores will be presented in terms of scores for each Reporting Category and a total test score.

Are some SOLs assigned to more than one reporting category?

"Bullets" under a particular SOL are sometimes coded to different reporting categories. For example, the Science SOL 2.7a which deals with the effects that weather and seasonal changes have on the growth and behavior of living things is assigned to the reporting category "Life Processes and Living Systems" in the Grade 3 Science test. However, SOL 2.7b which deals with the effects of weather and seasonal changes on weathering and erosion of the land surface is assigned to the reporting category "Earth/Space Systems and Cycles." Each "bullet" is assigned to only one reporting category.

Why are some SOLs not tested on the SOL tests?

In some content areas, there are SOLs that do not lend themselves to multiple-choice testing. For example, in English, the oral language SOLs cannot be appropriately assessed in a multiple-choice format. In other cases, an SOL listed in one content area is covered by a similar SOL in another content area. For example, English SOL 4.9 which addresses the use of available technology to research a topic is covered by a similar SOL at grade 5 (Computer/Technology SOL C/T 5.3).

At the end of the blueprint for each test, the SOLs not tested are listed in "SOLs Excluded from Testing." In the expanded blueprint the SOLs excluded from testing are categorized by the reason they are not being tested.

Will all SOLs listed in the blueprint be assessed each time the SOL tests are given?

Due to the large number of SOLs in a content area for a grade span, every SOL will not be assessed on every SOL test form. By necessity, to keep the length of a test reasonable, each test will sample from the SOLs within a reporting category. However, every SOL is eligible for inclusion on each form of an SOL test.

Grade 3: History and Social Science

Test Development Guidelines

A. General Considerations

1. All items included in this test will address the knowledge and skills specified in the 1995 Virginia Standards of Learning in History and Social Science for grades K-3.

2. The items will be free of stereotyping or bias directed at a particular age, gender, economic status, racial, ethnic or religious group, or geographic region.

3. The test will be untimed.

4. There is no penalty for guessing. Students will be scored on the number of correct answers out of the total number of operational items on the test.

5. Where appropriate, "real-life" examples and situations that the student would likely encounter will be used to present data or ask questions.

6. Items will be grade-appropriate in terms of difficulty, interest, and reading level.

7. Information will be presented through written text and/or through visual material, such as graphs, charts, maps, cartoons, or other illustrations. More than one item may be linked to a piece of written text, or a graph, chart, map, cartoon, or other illustration.

8. When acronyms are used, both the complete name and the acronym will be given in most cases, for example, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

B. Item Format

1. Each item will be a multiple-choice item containing four choices. Choices such as "None of the above", "All of the above", and "Not here" will not be used.

2. Answer choices will be arranged vertically beneath the item stems unless space considerations prevent such an arrangement.

3. Item stems will be in the form of questions or in the form of sentences that require completion.

4. Numerical answer choices, such as dates, will be arranged in ascending order.

5. Graphic displays, their corresponding questions, and response choices will appear on the same or facing pages.

6. Artwork accompanying items will be placed above the question unless, for clarity, the size or format of the artwork lends itself to another arrangement.

7. Negative words in the item stem (i.e., "not," "least," "except") will be emphasized by italics, boldface type, underlining, or capital letters.

C. Ancillary Materials

None

Grade 3: History and Social Science

Blueprint Summary Table

*These field-test items will not be used to compute students’ scores on the test.

Reporting Category: History

Number of Items: 10

Kindergarten SOLs in This Reporting Category:

K.1 The student will understand that history relates to events and people of other times and places by

a) identifying examples of past events in legends and historical accounts, including Paul Revere's ride and the stories of Johnny Appleseed, Booker T. Washington, and Betsy Ross;

b) identifying examples of interesting Americans through exposure to biographies of important people of the past, including George Washington, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, and Davy Crockett; and

c) describing the people and events honored in commemorative holidays, including Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, President's Day, and Lee/Jackson/King Day.

Grade One SOLs in This Reporting Category:

1.1 The student will compare everyday life in different places and times and recognize that people, places, and things change over time through such comparisons as

a) current school and community with past school and community; and

b) contemporary American life with American life in previous time periods.

1.2 The student will understand through biographies and stories the deeds for which our nation honors leaders from the past, including a variety of political, scientific, social, and military leaders, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Jane Addams, and John Paul Jones.

1.3 The student will study the life of people and events associated with major holidays such as Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, Independence Day, Flag Day, Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, etc.

1.4 The student will construct time lines to show sequence and change and will identify examples of possible cause and effect.

Reporting Category: History

Number of Items: 10

Grade Two SOLs in This Reporting Category:

2.1 The student will study the contributions of ancient Egypt and China which have had an impact on world history, with emphasis on written language, laws, calendars, and architectural monuments such as the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China.

2.2 The student will compare rural, urban, and suburban communities and describe how the local community has changed physically and demographically over time.

2.3 The student will compare the tribes of American Indians in Virginia with nomadic (e.g., Sioux) and settled, agricultural tribes (e.g., Pueblo) in other regions in America.

Grade Three SOLs in This Reporting Category:

3.1 The student will explain the term "civilization" and describe the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, in terms of geographic features, government, agriculture, architecture, music, art, religion, sports, and roles of men, women, and children.

3.2 The student will describe the discovery of the Americas by Columbus and other European explorers and also the first permanent Spanish, French, and English settlements in North America, with emphasis on the people (explorers and their sponsors), their motivations, the obstacles they encountered, and the successes they achieved.

3.3 The student will describe the settlement of Jamestown and the Virginia colony, with emphasis on economic and other reasons that brought settlers to Virginia, the establishment of representative government, the economy, settlers' interactions with American Indians, and the introduction of slavery into Virginia.

3.4 The student will identify historical cause-and-effect relationships such as colonists establishing governments similar to those that governed those colonists in Europe.

Reporting Category: Geography

Number of Items: 10

Kindergarten SOLs in This Reporting Category:

K.2 The student will compare and contrast the relative location of people, places, and things by

a) placing objects using near/far, up/down, left/right, behind/in front; and

b) locating land and water on a map using north, east, south, and west.

K.3 The student will use simple maps, globes, and other three- dimensional models to

a) become aware of the physical shape of our state and nation; and

b) locate areas referenced in historically based legends and stories.

K.4 The student will identify symbols such as

a) community symbols (traffic signs, traffic lights, street and highway markers, etc.); and

b) map symbols (legend references to land, water, roads, and cities).

Grade One SOLs in This Reporting Category:

1.5 The student will locate the local community, Richmond, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the United States, the seven continents, and the four oceans on a map and a globe.

1.6 The student will construct a simple map of a familiar area incorporating cardinal direction, scale, and map symbols.

1.7 The student will describe how climate, location, and physical surroundings affect the way people live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.

1.8 The student will use maps, pictures, and stories to compare the geography of the local community with that of other communities in Virginia, the United States, and the world.

Grade Two SOLs in This Reporting Category:

2.4 The student will describe our nation as composed of states and locate the following on a map of the United States: Washington, D.C.; the states of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee; and major rivers, mountain ranges, and lakes in the United States.

2.5 The student will demonstrate map skills by constructing a simple map of the North American continent, which will include the essential map elements of title, scale, key, directional indicator, and date.

Reporting Category: Geography

Number of Items: 10

Grade Three SOLs in This Reporting Category:

3.5 The student will distinguish between meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude and use the equator and prime meridian to identify the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western hemispheres and the locations of the ancient civilizations, European nations, and American colonies which the student is studying.

3.6 The student will use maps, tables, graphs, and charts to classify regions with common characteristics, such as deserts.

Reporting Category: Economics

Number of Items: 10

Kindergarten SOLs in This Reporting Category:

K.5 The student will match simple descriptions of work that people do and the names of those jobs with examples from the local community and historical accounts.

K.6 The student will identify basic economic concepts, including

a) the difference between basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) and wants (luxuries);

b) the practice of exchanging money for goods; and

c) examples of people saving for the future.

Grade One SOLs in This Reporting Category:

1.9 The student will describe the differences between human resources (people at work), natural resources (water, soil, wood, coal, etc.), and capital resources (machines, tools, etc.) used to produce different goods or services.

1.10 The student will explain the difference between goods and services and will describe how people are both buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers) of goods and services.

1.11 The student will explain that limits on resources require people to make choices about producing and consuming goods and services.

1.12 The student will simulate the exchange of money for goods and services and will identify ways to save money.

Reporting Category: Economics

Number of Items: 10

Grade Two SOLs in This Reporting Category:

2.6 The student will explain the interdependence of producers and consumers in a market economy by describing factors that have influenced consumer demand and describing how producers have used natural resources, human resources, and capital resources to produce goods and services in the past and the present.

2.7 The student will identify examples of making economic choices and will explain what is given up when making a choice; distinguish between money and barter economies; and explain the differences between using cash, checks, and credit to purchase goods and services.

2.8 The student will compare different ways that money can increase in value through savings and investment (e.g., bank savings accounts, investments in stocks and bonds, and investments in real estate and other valuable goods).

Grade Three SOLs in This Reporting Category:

3.7 The student will describe the economic specialization and interdependence involved in the production of goods and services in various types of communities in the past.

3.8 The student will explain in simple terms how opportunity cost, scarcity, and price influence economic decision making.

3.9 The student will explain the relationship between taxation and government services.

3.10 The student will describe the impact of changing modes of transportation and communication on the distribution of goods and services.

Reporting Category: Civics

Number of Items: 10

Kindergarten SOLs in This Reporting Category:

K.7 The student will demonstrate an understanding that being a good citizen involves important actions by

a) taking turns and sharing;

b) taking responsibility for certain classroom chores;

c) taking care of his/her own things (pencils, clothing, papers, books) and respecting what belongs to others;

d) identifying examples of honesty, courage, patriotism, and other admirable character traits seen in American history; and

e) identifying examples of rules and the consequences of breaking them.

K.8 The student will identify traditionally patriotic symbols such as

a) those associated with America including the flag, the bald eagle, monuments, etc.; and

b) those associated with Virginia including the flag, the cardinal, etc.

K.9 The student will learn traditionally patriotic activities, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star-Spangled Banner.

Grade One SOLs in This Reporting Category:

1.13 The student will describe and compare the making of some class rules by direct democracy (e.g., the entire class votes on the rules) and by representative democracy (e.g., the class elects a smaller group to make the rules).

1.14 The student will identify the bodies of elected representatives responsible for making local, Virginia, and United States laws.

1.15 The student will name the President of the United States and recognize national symbols and traditions of Virginia and the United States such as flags, holidays, and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Reporting Category: Civics

Number of Items: 10

Grade Two SOLs in This Reporting Category:

2.9 The student will identify examples of the extension of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in American history and identify the contributions of individuals and groups, including Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

2.10 The student will explain the difference between making laws, carrying out laws, and determining if laws have been violated and identify the government bodies that perform these functions at the local, state, and national levels.

Grade Three SOLs in This Reporting Category:

3.11 The student will explain the fundamental ideals and principles that form the foundation of our republican form of government including inalienable rights ("life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"), the rule of law, justice, and equality under the law.

3.12 The student will explain the interaction between rights and responsibilities; why we have rules, laws, and constitutional mandates to protect rights and make sure responsibilities are carried out; consequences for violating them; and the role of citizenship in promoting them.

3.13 The student will identify examples from history of conflicts over rights, how those conflicts were resolved, and the important people who helped resolve them.