NAEP U.S.
History Assessment Measures
Four historical themes are the core organizing structure of the
framework. The themes were intended to cover all major branches of
historical study. The themes are also used to define the subscales
for reporting the U.S. history assessment results; in other words,
one can compare the performance among different population groups on
each of the themes. The themes are as follows:
1. Change and continuity in American democracy: ideas,
institutions, events, key figures, and controversies;
2. The
gathering and interactions of peoples, cultures, and ideas;
3.
Economic and
technological changes and their relation to society, ideas, and
the environment; and
4.
The changing
role of America in the world.
Eight chronological periods were used in developing the
assessment to ensure appropriate chronological coverage. The periods
focus attention on several major eras of U.S. history and overlap at
times. The eight periods are as follows:
1. Beginnings to 1607;
2. Colonization, settlement, and communities (1607 to 1763);
3. The Revolution and the new nation (1763 to 1815);
4. Expansion and reform (1801 to 1861);
5. Crisis of the Union: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850 to
1877);
6. The development of modern America (1865 to 1920);
7. Modern America and the World Wars (1914 to 1945); and
8. Contemporary America (1945 to present).
The two ways of knowing and thinking about U.S. history—the
cognitive dimension of the assessment—were also used as a guide to
develop questions. The two cognitive domains are as follows:
1. Historical knowledge and perspective: includes knowing and
understanding people, events, concepts, themes, movements,
contexts, and historical sources; sequencing events; recognizing
multiple perspectives and seeing an era or movement through the
eyes of different groups; and developing a general
conceptualization of U.S. history.
2. Historical analysis and interpretation: includes explaining
issues, identifying historical patterns; establishing
cause-and-effect relationships; finding value statements;
establishing significance; applying historical knowledge; weighing
evidence to draw sound conclusions; making defensible
generalizations; and rendering insightful accounts of the past.
The U.S. history framework specifies the amount of assessment time
to be devoted to each of the three components for grades 4, 8, and
12.
Source:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/whatmeasure.asp
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