Jeremie Smith

EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010

Assessment During Instruction

Introduction and Description of Assessment

I strongly believe that using formative assessment to guide specific instructional strategies is

crucial to becoming an effective educator. As a pre-service teacher, I am constantly asking myself how

I can creatively use formative assessment activities to help me design daily classroom instruction that

best contributes with meeting predetermined district, school, course, and unit goals and objectives. The

following discussion will navigate through the process of how I would create, use, and apply the

findings of a formative assessment in a hypothetical class. In an attempt to make the discussion as

applicable to my development as an educator, I have chosen to describe the school in which I will begin

student teaching in January 2011 and a topic that I may well have the opportunity to teach.

According to Illinois Interactive Report Card’s (IIRP) website, my school is very diverse. The

demographical distribution of students is 54% White, 32% Black, 4% Hispanic, and 9% Asian. In

addition, there are 35% of students who qualify as “Low Income”. Despite many sub-groups meeting

Safe Harbor target goals, the school did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) last year and is in

its 3rd year of Academic Watch Status for State School Improvement. The hypothetical students of my

class are near the top of the school’s range of ability level because the class is Sociology, an elective

class in the Social Studies department that is limited to Junior and Senior students and is designed

primarily for college preparation. There are however, four students that have special needs in my

class. Of the 26 students in the class, three have IEP requirements for testing associated with ADD and

one student has a mild form of Dyslexia.

 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

Our Sociology class is working on a unit titled, “Social Stratification”. Over the course of three

weeks, we will be examining many different societies and applying sociological concepts in the

analysis of the different types of stratification that exist in the world, historically and today. Two

essential questions of the Social Stratification are:

 How can sociological principles explain differences of how social status is determined and the
presence of marginalized people in society?

 What are the characteristics of social stratification in our national and local contexts?

The formative assessment that will be discussed will occur on the third day of the unit. The first two

days of the unit will include a presentation that introduces the key vocabulary terms and concept of

social stratification, and an in-class reading and discussion of two case studies, the caste system of

historical India, and the contemporary class system in Japan (which replaced a historical caste system).

The learning objectives for the lesson that will be specifically assessed include:

 Students can describe and summarize the qualities of and differences between class and caste
systems.

 Students can analyze and classify specific societies and communities using sociological
analysis.
The primary purpose of this assessment is to determine how much more time (if any) needs to be spent

building a foundation of sociological analytical framework, what concepts need further explanation,

and if more concrete examples of any concepts are necessary to meet the learning objectives. The

following lessons of the Social Stratification Unit will be adjusted based on the results of the

assessment. Three types of assessment items have been chosen as the best approach to meet the

formative goals of the assessment and measure student progress on stated learning objectives. Three
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

Multiple Choice questions were included because this type of selected response question has great

diagnostic power in sampling a broad range of knowledge. Students will also complete four short

answer items. These items are targeted specifically to measure understanding of key vocabulary terms

for the unit. The strength of short answer items is that they provide an accurate measure of

understanding of complex ideas and are analogous with oral questioning. This allows students to

synthesize meaning and incorporate understanding with previous knowledge and ideas introduced in

prior Sociology and Social Studies classes. Finally, students will be asked to complete one short essay

question. This essay question will ask students to apply the discussed sociological concepts and a prior

discussed case study to an analysis of their own society.

The assessment is constructed to assess the learning objectives at various levels of Bloom’s

taxonomy. The Multiple Choice questions ask students to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension

of concepts introduced in the previous lesson. The Short Answer items also gauge students’ level of

understanding and therefore pertain to the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Both of these sections

of the quiz directly pertain to the first learning objective. The Essay item allows students the

opportunity to synthesize, apply, and evaluate the sociological concepts. These are cognitive processes

that are necessary components for reaching the higher critical-thinking levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

The essay question specifically addresses the second learning objective and help frame both essential

understanding for the unit.

Students will receive an explanation of how this assessment will be used formatively to guide

the instructional plan for the unit. The assessment is called a “Quiz’ because it will be graded and

returned to students but will count as a “minor grade” like a daily assignment, rather than a “major

grade” like a unit exam. This will transparently place the assessment as something that is worth an
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

honest effort from students but not something that they should stress about. Students will be allowed

the entire class period (50 minutes) to work independently on the assessment, but in anticipation of

many completing early, there will be an activity available that they can work on quietly when they

finish. The four students with IEP accommodations will be taken into a separate testing room and a

paraprofessional will orally read the quiz. The student with dyslexia will have the opportunity to

dictate answers to the paraprofessional if needed.

 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction
Social Stratification Quiz

Multiple Choice (1 point each) – Choose the best answer for the following questions.

1. Ranking people according to a combination of economic factors and social factors is a description
of peoples’ _________________________.

a. Income Level
b. Socioeconomic Status (SES)
c. Prestige
d. Power

2. A Sociological explanation that emphasizes competition over scarce resources as the cause of social
inequality is ___________________________.

a. Functionalist Theory
b. Class Theory
c. Coercion Theory
d. Conflict Theory

3. An example of “Ascribed Status” is a person who has elevated social status because:

a. Inherited Wealth
b. Athletic Achievements
c. Educational Background
d. Career Success
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

Short Answer (2 points each) – Identify and Signify each of the key terms provided.
Specifically, provide a definition for the term and describe why the term is significant to the discussion
and analysis of social stratification.

4. Achieved Status –

5. Caste System –

6. Functionalist Theory –

7. Bourgeoisie –

Essay (4 points) - Please write your response on a separate sheet of paper with your name written on
the opposite side of your essay response. Be sure to include specific examples and sociological terms
presented in class in your analysis. The expectation is that your answer will be 2-3 paragraphs long.
You will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling, or handwriting.

8. Compare or contrast one of the case studies presented in class (Historical India or Contemporary
Japan) with American society and your local community. The following questions should help
guide your analysis:

 What qualities of Social Stratification are present in each society?

 What are some specific examples of why a person might have high and low status in each
society?

 In which society is social mobility (ability to move up or down in status in the social
hierarchy) more likely to occur?
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

Scoring Guide and Explanation

Multiple Choice Section: (Correct Answers)

1. B.

2. D.

3. A.

Short Answer Section: (Examples of acceptable answers. Student answers will, of course, range greatly
but I feel it is important to have an idea of the types of answers I am expecting students to be capable of
producing ideally.)
4. Achieved Status is a distinction based upon something someone has achieved in life as a
result of his or her own personal efforts, talents, or opportunities. Achieved Status is a
crucial element to a class system and is different from Ascribed Status because it is based on
something that an individual has some measure of control.

5. A Caste System is a system of social stratification that is based upon ascribed status that is
designated at birth and outside a person’s control. It is a system of social stratification that
has been common in human history, particularly in feudal Europe and India.

6. Functionalist Theory is a sociological theory based on an idea that society must have certain
features and roles to maintain social harmony. This theory explains social stratification by
describing how levels of social status “function” to contribute to maintain the social system.

7. Bourgeoisie is a term used in Marxist theory to describe individuals whom own the means
of production in a capitalist society. According to this sociological theory, the only
determinant of class stratification is the ownership of property.

Essay Section: (Holistic Scoring Rubric)

4 points (Excellent):

 Describes one previously covered case study in detail and correctly classifies the society as an
example of class or caste system by citing 3 qualities of the chosen society (for example: measures
of status, number of levels of stratification, or social problems related to stratification).

 Correctly uses and applies the concepts of “Ascribed” and “Achieved” status.

 Uses the Sociological perspective to describe 3 or more specific qualities in American society that
place it as specifically a class or caste system.
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction

 Evaluates which discussed society is more likely to have social mobility by applying critical-
thinking to the sociological concepts of social stratification.
3 points (Satisfactory):
 Partially describes one previously covered case study in detail and correctly classifies the society as
an example of class or caste system by citing 2 qualities of the chosen society (for example:
measures of status, number of levels of stratification, or social problems related to stratification).

 Correctly uses and applies the concepts of “Ascribed” and “Achieved” status in a partial or
incomplete manner.

 Uses the Sociological perspective to describe 2 specific qualities in American society that place it as
specifically a class or caste system.

 Partially evaluates which discussed society is more likely to have social mobility by applying
critical-thinking to the sociological concepts of social stratification.
2 points (Needs Some Improvement):
 Superficially describes one previously covered case study in detail and attempts to classify the
society as an example of class or caste system by citing a quality of the chosen society (for
example: measures of status, number of levels of stratification, or social problems related to
stratification).

 Attempts to use and apply the concepts of “Ascribed” and “Achieved” status but fails to fully
establish meaning of the terms.

 Uses the Sociological perspective to describe a specific quality in American society that place it as
specifically a class or caste system.
 Attempts to evaluate which discussed society is more likely to have social mobility but fails to
demonstrate understanding of social mobility or discuss how the concept can be applied to either
society.

1 Point (Needs substantial Improvement):

 Superficially or incorrectly describes a previously covered case study or case study not discussed
and attempts to classify the society as an example of class or caste system by partially or incorrectly
citing a quality of the chosen society (for example: measures of status, number of levels of
stratification, or social problems related to stratification).

 Incorrectly uses or applies the concepts of “Ascribed” and “Achieved” status and fails to fully
establish meaning of the terms.
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction
 Uses the Sociological perspective to describe a general quality in American society that incorrectly
place it as specifically a class or caste system.

 Does not attempt to evaluate which discussed society is more likely to have social mobility or
totally fails to demonstrate understanding of social mobility or discuss how the concept can be
applied to either society.
0 Points:

 Does not attempt to answer provided essay prompt or writing is totally off-topic (fails to address
any guiding questions provided)

I have tried to construct this assessment so that it contains a relatively high level of validity,

reliability, and fairness. I have tried to improve validity be being sure that each assessment item is

linked directly to the Essential Questions of the Unit, Learning Objectives of the lesson being assessed,

and specific content introduced during class activities. Some objective scoring (multiple choice items)

combined with a scoring guide for the short answer questions and a detailed holistic scoring rubric for

the essay question strengthen my claim that this test is reliable. I also have tried to make the essays as

anonymous as possible by having students put answers on the opposite side of the page as their

response. I will be careful to grade the three different types of items separately by grading all students’

essays together, all short answer questions together, and then the multiple choice last. I think that my

assessment is fair because in addition to meeting standards of validity and reliability, I have planned in

some allowance for accommodations of students with specific special needs.

Because this is a formative rather than a summative assessment, the intended goal of the

assessment is to guide instructional planning for the rest of the unit. After grading the quiz, I will

return them in class and go over them with the students. At this point, I will use my professional

judgment to determine if we need to spend some more time establishing foundational knowledge of

sociological principles or if immediately proceed on to analysis of more specific societies and deepen
 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction
the discussion by introducing additional competing analytical frameworks for understanding social

stratification. It may be that additional instruction is required only on part of the material because a

strong majority of students perform well on most of the assessment but show less understanding of

some specific items. Or, the quiz may reveal that students can demonstrate knowledge and

comprehension but have difficulty applying the concepts and evaluating their own society using the

sociological framework provided. This formative assessment will help me make sure that I am using

instructional time in a manner that is efficient in best serving students’ needs and does not

unnecessarily repeat information students already comprehend. If I have a divide in class where some

students do very well and others do poorly, I will need to devise some system of instructional

differentiation to meet the needs of both groups of students.

The performance criteria for this assessment are best measured by looking at the range of scores

for the assessment. The total number of points available is 15. The distribution of points has been

carefully chosen so that the lower range of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Knowledge are weighted less than

the items that address the higher levels. It is for this reason that the Short Answer questions and the

Essay are heavily weighted. I would expect 75% of my student or more to score at least 12 points on

this quiz for me to feel confident in continuing on to new content or the further elaboration of the

previously introduced material. This quantifying of qualitative assessment allows me to know at a

glance how students are progressing as a class. The quiz should identify specific concepts that need re-

teaching. For example, if many students struggle with question #6, I will know that further instruction

on Functionalist Theory is necessary.

 Jeremie Smith
EPSY 485 – 11/8/2010
Assessment During Instruction