Commonwealth of Virginia

Standards of Learning Assessment Program

Blueprints for Grade Five

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 5: 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 grade 4.

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.

Ancillary Materials

None

Grade 5: 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: 15

Grade Four SOLs in This Reporting Category:

4.3 The student will explain the economic, social, and political life of the Virginia colony, with emphasis on

a) its political and economic relationship to England and other nations;

b) characteristics and contributions of various groups of people;

d) reasons for, and Virginia’s role in, the American Revolution; and

e) the backgrounds, motivations, and contributions of George Washington, George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Patrick Henry, and other prominent Virginians in the Revolutionary era.

4.4 The student will describe the social and political life of Virginians between the Revolutionary War and the end of the Civil War, with emphasis on

a) the contributions of Virginians to the establishment of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the success of the new national government;

b) conflicts between northern and southern states and within Virginia, including Nat Turner’s Rebellion, and events leading to secession; and

c) Virginia’s role in the Civil War, including major battles and leaders in the Confederate army, including Robert E. Lee, J.E.B. Stuart, and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

4.5 The student will evaluate the social, political, and economic life in Virginia from the Reconstruction Period to the 20th century, with emphasis on

a) the Reconstruction Period and its impact on politics and government, the economy, demographics, and public opinion; and

b) the impact of segregation and Jim Crow laws.

4.6 The student will trace the history of Virginia in the 20th century, with emphasis on

a) the accomplishments of prominent Virginians, including Woodrow Wilson, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., L. Douglas Wilder, and Arthur Ashe; and

b) social and political events linked to desegregation and Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history.

4.7 The student will develop historical analysis skills including

a) identifying, analyzing, and making generalizations about the life in Virginia history using primary sources including artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, art, documents, and newspapers;

b) distinguishing fact from fiction by comparing documentary sources on historical figures and events with fictionalized characters and events; and

c) summarizing and sequencing major events in Virginia history from 1607 to the present and locating significant places and events on a map.

Reporting Category: Geography

Number of Items: 15

Grade Four SOLs in This Reporting Category:

4.1 The student will explain the impact of geographic factors in the expansion and development of Virginia, with emphasis on

a) the location of American Indians, various European settlers, and African slaves; and

b) the location and growth of cities in relation to the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, major rivers, the fall line/fall zone, and the Shenandoah Valley.

4.2 The student will use the concepts of absolute location (e.g., using grid systems) and relative location (e.g., direction, reference to neighboring states, and water features) to

a) locate and identify on maps and globes his/her local city or county, Virginia, the other original states, the United States, Western Europe, and West Africa;

b) explain how physical characteristics, transportation routes, climate, and specialization influenced the variety of crops, products, and industries and the general patterns of economic growth in Virginia;

c) illustrate how communities in Virginia differ in physical features, such as land use, population density, architecture, services, and transportation; and

d) construct physical maps and three-dimensional models that include the essential map elements and the geographic regions of Virginia (Tidewater, Piedmont, Ridge and Valley, Allegheny Plateau), and the U.S. (Coastal Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Basin and Ridge, Coastal Range).

Reporting Category: Economics

Number of Items: 5

Grade Four SOLs in This Reporting Category:

4.3 The student will explain the economic, social, and political life of the Virginia colony, with emphasis on

c) the role of money, banking, saving, and credit in colonial Virginia.

4.5 The student will evaluate the social, political, and economic life in Virginia from the Reconstruction Period to the 20th century, with emphasis on

c) the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society.

Reporting Category: Economics

Number of Items: 5

Grade Four SOLs in This Reporting Category (continued):

4.6 The student will trace the history of Virginia in the 20th century, with emphasis on

c) the impact of advances in transportation and communication on migration, economic development, and the integration of Virginia into the U.S. economy and eastern Virginia into the northeast megalopolis; and

a) the role of money, banking, saving, and credit in contemporary Virginia.

Reporting Category: Civics

Number of Items: 5

Grade Four SOLs in This Reporting Category:

4.3 The student will explain the economic, social, and political life of the Virginia colony, with emphasis on

f) the significance of the Charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, and the Declaration of Independence.

4.6 The student will trace the history of Virginia in the 20th century, with emphasis on

e) the types of taxes collected and the types of services provided by each level of government.