Items that typically require students to construct a written response to a question or prompt.
Formative Assessments
Ongoing checks on student understanding to inform instruction and provide feedback to students.
History Labs
Classroom investigations of an overarching or essential question about an event, person, or concept in history. Students use multiple primary and secondary sources to develop their interpretations. Evidence-based interpretations are presented to support conclusions and respond to the overarching question.
Performance Assessment Tasks
The application of student understanding in the context of a performing real or authentic task.
Selected Response Items
Items in which students select from a range of possible answers; examples include multiple choice, true/false, weighted multiple choice, true/false, multiple true/false, matching, and fill in the blank (with word bank).
Summative Assessments
Cumulative instructional evaluations of overall student achievement to measure mastery.
Traditional Multiple-Choice Items
Multiple-choice items that consist of a stem (typically a question or incomplete statement) and four possible responses, only one of which is correct.
Weighted Multiple-Choice Items
Multiple-choice items in which there are several possible choices that are weighted according to accuracy and defensibility.
Center for History Education