Commonwealth of Virginia

Standards of Learning Assessment Program

Blueprint for the United States History Test

©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.

United States History 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 U. S. History.

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

3. 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.

4. The test will be untimed.

5. 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.

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

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

8. Information will be presented through written text and/or through visual material, such as graphs, charts, maps, cartoons, or other illustrations.

9. More than one item may be linked to a piece of written text, or a graph, chart, map, cartoon, or other illustration.

10. 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. Some items will be in the form of sentences that require completion.

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

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

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

6. 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

United States History Blueprint Summary Table

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

Reporting Category: History: First Contact to 1789

Number of Items: 10

United States History SOLs in This Reporting Category:

11.1 The student will analyze and explain the contacts between American Indians and European settlers during the Age of Discovery, in terms of

a) economic and cultural characteristics of the groups;

b) motives and strategies of the explorers and settlers;

c) impact of European settlement on the American Indians; and

d) legacies of contact, cooperation, and conflict from that period.

11.2 The student will compare the colonization of Virginia with that of other American colonies, in terms of

a) motivations of ethnic, religious, and other immigrants and their influences on the settlement of colonies;

b) economic activity;

c) political developments; and

d) social customs, the arts, and religious beliefs.

11.3 The student will analyze and explain events and ideas of the Revolutionary Period, with emphasis on

a) changes in British policies that provoked the American colonists;

b) the debate within America concerning separation from Britain;

c) the Declaration of Independence and "Common Sense;"

d) individuals, including Virginians, who provided leadership in the Revolution; and

e) key battles, military turning points, and key strategic decisions.

11.4 The student will analyze the events and ideas of the Constitutional Era, with emphasis on

b) issues and policies affecting relations among existing and future states, including the Northwest Ordinance.

Reporting Category: History: 1789-1877

Number of Items: 10

United States History SOLs in This Reporting Category:

11.5 The student will analyze and explain events of the Early National Period, with emphasis on

a) organization of the national government under the new Constitution;

b) major domestic and foreign affairs issues facing the first presidents and Congress;

c) the development of political parties;

d) the impact of Supreme Court decisions affecting interpretation of the Constitution, including Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland;

e) foreign relations and conflicts, including the War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine;

f) the Louisiana Purchase and the acquisition of Florida; and

g) economic development, trade, tariffs, taxation, and trends in the national debt.

11.6 The student will analyze the causes and effects of major events of the Civil War and Reconstruction, including

a) slavery;

b) States’ Rights Doctrine;

c) tariffs and trade;

d) settlement of the West;

e) secession;

f) military advantages of the Union and the Confederacy;

g) threat of foreign intervention;

h) economic and political impact of the war;

i) roles played by individual leaders; and

j) impact of Reconstruction policies on the South.

Reporting Category: History: 1877-1945

Number of Items: 10

United States History SOLs in This Reporting Category:

11.7 The student will analyze the impact of immigration on American life, in terms of

a) contributions of immigrant groups and individuals; and

b) ethnic conflict and discrimination.

11.8 The student will summarize causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution, with emphasis on

a) new inventions and industrial production methods;

b) new technologies in transportation and communication; and

g) the impact of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration on American society.

11.9 The student will analyze and explain the importance of World War I, in terms of

a) the end of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of new states in the Middle East;

b) the declining role of Great Britain and the expanding role of the United States in world affairs;

c) political, social, and economic change in Europe and the United States; and

d) causes of World War II.

11.10 The student will analyze and explain the Great Depression, with emphasis on

b) weaknesses in key sectors of the economy in the late 1920’s;

d) causes and effects of the Stock Market Crash;

e) the impact of the Depression on the American people;

f) the impact of New Deal economic policies; and

g) the impact of the expanded role of government in the economy since the 1930’s.

11.11 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the origins and effects of World War II, with emphasis on

a) the rise and aggression of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan;

b) the role of the Soviet Union;

c) appeasement, isolationism, and the war debates in Europe and the United States prior to the outbreak of war;

d) the impact of mobilization for war, at home and abroad;

e) major battles, military turning points, and key strategic decisions;

f) the Holocaust and its impact; and

g) the reshaping of the United States’ role in world affairs after the war.

Reporting Category: History: 1945 to Present

Number of Items: 10

11.12 The student will analyze and explain United States foreign policy since World War II, with emphasis on

a) the origins and both foreign and domestic consequences of the Cold War;

b) communist containment policies in Europe, Latin America, and Asia;

c) the strategic and economic factors in Middle East policy;

d) relations with South Africa and other African nations;

e) the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War; and

f) new challenges to America’s leadership role in the world.

11.13 The student will evaluate federal civil rights and voting rights developments since the 1950’s, in terms of

a) the Brown v. Board of Education decision and its impact on education; and

b) civil rights demonstrations and related activity leading to desegregation of public accommodations, transportation, housing, and employment.

Reporting Category: Geography

Number of Items: 7

11.15 The student will explain relationships between geography and the historical development of the United States by using maps, pictures, and computer databases to

a) locate and explain the location and expansion of the original colonies;

b) trace the advance of the frontier and the territorial expansion of the United States and explain how it was influenced by the physical environment;

c) locate new states as they were added to the Union;

d) understand the settlement patterns, migration routes, and cultural influence of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups;

e) compare patterns of agricultural and industrial development in different regions as they relate to natural resources, markets, and trade; and

f) analyze the political, social, and economic implications of demographic changes in the nation over time.

Reporting Category: Economics

Number of Items: 7

11.8 The student will summarize causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution, with emphasis on

c) incentives for capitalism and free enterprise;

d) the impact of immigration on the labor supply and the movement to organize workers;

e) government policies affecting trade, monopolies, taxation, and money supply; and

f) expansion of international markets.

11.10 The student will analyze and explain the Great Depression, with emphasis on

a) causes and effects of changes in business cycles; and

c) United States government economic policies in the late 1920’s.

Reporting Category: Civics

Number of Items: 7

11.4 The student will analyze the events and ideas of the Constitutional Era, with emphasis on

a) new constitutions in Virginia and other states, the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Articles of Confederation;

c) the Constitutional Convention, including the leadership of James Madison and George Washington;

d) the struggle for ratification of the Constitution, including the Federalist Papers and the arguments of the Anti-Federalists; and

e) the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.

11.13 The student will evaluate federal civil rights and voting rights developments since the 1950’s, in terms of

c) reapportionment cases and voting rights legislation and their impact on political participation and representation; and

d) affirmative action.

11.14 The student will demonstrate an understanding of domestic policy issues in contemporary American society by

a) comparing conservative and liberal economic strategies;

b) explaining current patterns of Supreme Court decisions and evaluating their impact; and

c) comparing the positions of the political parties and interest groups on major issues.

11.16 The student will interpret the significance of excerpts from famous speeches and documents in United States history, including "The Letter from Birmingham Jail," "Speak softly and carry a big stick . . . ," "The Gettysburg Address," and "The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom."

United States History SOLs Excluded from This Test

The following SOLs are not measurable in a multiple-choice format.

11.17 The student will develop skills for historical analysis, including the ability to

a) analyze documents, records, and data (such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, etc.);

b) evaluate the authenticity, authority, and credibility of sources;

c) formulate historical questions and defend findings based on inquiry and interpretation;

d) develop perspectives of time and place, including the construction of various time lines of events, periods, and personalities in American history; and

e) communicate findings orally, in brief analytical essays, and in a comprehensive paper.

11.18 The student will develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing with respect to enduring issues and determine how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled. Such issues include

a) civil disobedience vs. the rule of law;

b) slavery and its impact;

c) the relationship of government to the individual in economic planning and social programs;

d) freedom of the press vs. the right to a fair trial;

e) the tension between majority rule and minority rights;

f) problems of intolerance toward racial, ethnic, and religious groups in American society; and

g) the evolution of rights, freedoms, and protections through political and social movements.