Commonwealth of Virginia

Standards of Learning Assessment Program

Blueprint for the World History to 1000 a.d./World Geography 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.

World History to 1000 a.d. /World Geography

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 World History to 1000 a.d. and certain SOLs from World Geography.

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 test 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

World History to 1000 a.d. / World Geography

Blueprint Summary Table

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

Reporting Category: Ancient Civilizations

Number of Items: 7

Grade 8 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

8.1 The student will describe early physical and cultural development of mankind from the Paleolithic Era to the revolution of agriculture, with emphasis on

a) the impact of geography on hunter-gatherer societies;

b) characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies;

c) toolmaking and use of fire;

d) technological and social advancements that gave rise to stable communities; and

e) how archeological discoveries are changing our knowledge of early peoples.

8.2 The student will compare selected ancient river civilizations, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Shang China, and other ancient civilizations (such as the Hebrew and Phoenician kingdoms and the Persian Empire), in terms of

a) location in time and place;

b) the development of social, political, and economic patterns;

c) the development of religious traditions; and

d) the development of language and writing.

Reporting Category: Greece and Rome

Number of Items: 11

Grade 8 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

8.3 The student will describe, analyze, and evaluate the history of ancient Greece from about 2000 to 300 b.c., in terms of its impact on Western civilization, with emphasis on

a) the influence of geography on Greek economic, social, and political development.

b) Greek mythology and religion;

c) the impact of Greek commerce and colonies on the Mediterranean region;

d) the social structure, significance of citizenship, and development of democracy in the city-state of Athens;

e) the significance of the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian Wars;

f) life in Athens during the Golden Age of Pericles;

g) the contributions of Greek philosophers (including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle), playwrights, poets, historians, sculptors, architects, scientists, and mathematicians; and

h) the conquest of Greece by Macedonia, and the spread of Hellenistic culture by Alexander the Great.

8.4 The student will describe, analyze, and evaluate the history of ancient Rome from about 700 b.c. to 500 a.d., in terms of its impact on Western civilization, with emphasis on

a) the influence of geography on Roman economic, social, and political development;

b) Roman mythology and religion;

c) the social structure, significance of citizenship, and the development of democratic features in the government of the Roman Republic;

d) Roman military domination of the Mediterranean basin and Western Europe and the spread of Roman culture in these areas;

e) the roles of Julius and Augustus Caesar and the impact of military conquests on the army, economy, and social structure of Rome;

f) the collapse of the Republic and the rise of imperial monarchs;

g) the economic, social, and political impact of the Pax Romana;

h) the origin, traditions, customs, beliefs, and spread of Christianity;

i) the origin, traditions, customs, beliefs, and spread of Judaism;

j) the development and significance of the Catholic Church in the late Roman Empire;

k) contributions in art and architecture, technology and science, literature and history, language, religious institutions, and law; and

l) the reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

Reporting Category: The Middle East, Russia, and Early Medieval Europe

Number of Items: 9

Grade 8 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

8.5 The student will analyze the conflict between the Muslim world and Christendom from the 7th to the 11th century a.d., in terms of its impact on Western civilization, with emphasis on

a) the origin, traditions, customs, beliefs, and spread of Islam;

b) theological differences between Islam and Christianity;

c) cultural differences between Muslims and Christians;

d) religious, political, and economic competition in the Mediterranean region; and

e) historical turning points that affected the spread and influence of both religious cultures.

8.6 The student will describe, analyze, and evaluate the history of the Byzantine Empire and Russia from about 300 to 1000 a.d., in terms of its impact on Western civilization, with emphasis on

a) the establishment of Constantinople as the capital of the Roman Empire;

b) the expansion of the Byzantine Empire and economy;

c) codification of Roman law and preservation of Greek and Roman traditions;

d) conflicts that led to a split between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches;

e) Byzantine art and architecture; and

f) Byzantine influence on Russia and Eastern Europe.

8.7 The student will describe, analyze, and evaluate the history of Europe during the Middle Ages from about 500 to 1000 a.d., in terms of its impact on Western civilization, with emphasis on

a) the structure of feudal society and its economic, social, and political effects;

b) the Age of Charlemagne and the revival of the idea of the Roman Empire;

c) the invasions and settlements of the Magyars and the Vikings, including Angles and Saxons in Britain; and

d) the spread and influence of Christianity throughout Europe.

Reporting Category: Asia, Africa, and the Americas

Number of Items: 8

Grade 8 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

8.8 The student will describe and compare selected civilizations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, in terms of chronology, location, geography, social structures, form of government, economy, religion, and contribution to later civilizations, including

a) India, with emphasis on the caste system; the traditions, customs, beliefs, and significance of Hinduism; and the conquest by Moslem Turks;

b) China, with emphasis on the T’ang dynasty; the traditions, customs, beliefs, and significance of Buddhism; the impact of Confucianism and Taoism; and the construction of the Great Wall;

c) Japan, with emphasis on the development and significance of Shinto and Buddhist religious traditions, and the influence of Chinese culture;

d) the kingdoms of Kush in eastern Africa and Ghana in western Africa; and

e) the Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

8.9 The student will give examples of the practice of slavery from the earliest civilizations to 1000 a.d.

Reporting Category: History Skills

Number of Items: 8

Grade 8 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

8.10 The student will improve skills in historical research and geographical analysis by

a) identifying, analyzing, and interpreting primary sources and secondary sources to make generalizations about events and life in world history up to 1000 a.d.;

b) identifying, analyzing, and interpreting global population distribution in the Middle Ages;

c) identifying and comparing contemporary national political boundaries with the location of civilizations, empires, and kingdoms from 4000 B.C. to 1000 a.d.; and

d) identifying and comparing the distribution of major religious cultures in the contemporary world with the origin and spread of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism up to 1000 a.d.

Reporting Category: Geography Skills

Number of Items: 6

Grade 10 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

10.1 The student will use maps, globes, photographs, and pictures to analyze the physical and human landscapes of the world in order to

a) recognize the different map projections and explain the concept of distortion;

b) show how maps reflect particular historical and political perspectives;

c) apply the concepts of scale, orientation, latitude and longitude; and

d) create and compare political, physical, and thematic maps of countries and regions.

Reporting Category: Geography Knowledge and Concepts

Number of Items: 12

Grade 10 SOLs in This Reporting Category:

10.2 The student will analyze how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, in terms of

a) how humans influence and are influenced by the environment; and

b) how people’s ideas and relationship to the environment change over time, particularly in response to new technologies.

10.3 The student will explain how

a) geographic regions change over time;

b) characteristics of regions have led to regional labels; and

c) regional landscapes reflect the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants as well as historical events.

10.4 The student will analyze how certain cultural characteristics can link or divide regions, in terms of language, ethnic heritage, religion, political philosophy, social and economic systems, and shared history.

10.5 The student will compare and contrast the distribution, growth rates, and characteristics of human population, in terms of settlement patterns and the location of natural and capital resources.

Reporting Category: Geography Knowledge and Concepts

Number of Items: 12

Grade 10 SOLs in This Reporting Category (continued):

10.6 The student will analyze past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction as they are influenced by social, economic, political, and environmental factors.

10.10 The student will analyze the patterns of urban development, in terms of site and situation, the function of towns and cities, and problems related to human mobility, social structure, and the environment.