Overview

In this performance assessment, students will read and review informational texts and scholarly materials to research and investigate sources, generating topics, questions, and a claim statement. Students will then synthesize their research to communicate their findings through research source cards, where they will analyze and evaluate the sources they found through the lens of the research topic and their claim statement. 

Specifically, students will be asked to perform tasks guided by the guided inquiry framework, including brainstorming topics based on interest and curiosity, building on prior knowledge, engaging in critical thinking to address self-identified knowledge gaps, crafting questions and claims, and conducting scholarly research.

Students can create the final research source cards in any appropriate way, including, but not limited to, PowerPoint or Google Slides (or another slideshow tool), Microsoft Word or Google Docs, or another instructor-approved application or tool. Final student work should be saved as a PDF for uploading to the virtual scoring software.

This assessment can be used at any time in grade 9 or 10, or in an English elective course, using nonfiction resources and conducting research. However, this assessment might be most useful just before starting a research project or writing assignment, or during an informational reading and writing unit. 

Details

Big Ideas & Competencies

Big Ideas Competencies

B. Reading Informational Text

Students can read with purpose, understand and analyze information and evidence to construct meaning in increasingly complex texts.

B3

Students can understand text structures, features and domain-specific language in different mediums.

E. Research and Inquiry

Students can engage in research and inquiry to investigate topics, evaluate and analyze the validity of sources, and synthesize information to communicate findings.

E2

Students can generate search terms and questions to initiate inquiry of a topic.

NOTE ABOUT ASSESSMENT RUBRICS

Below are analytic teacher rubrics. The column on the left shows the dimension that is being measured in the student’s performance. The levels across the top row indicate the performance level in the dimensions. Occasionally all dimensions and performance levels are exemplified by multiple students in a single recording.

Teacher Rubric

Dimensions Not Yet Meeting Expectations Meeting Expectations Exceeding Expectations

Initiate Inquiry

  • Students can generate search terms with guidance to advance inquiry of a topic.
  • Students can generate, with guidance, questions to advance inquiry on a topic.
  • Students can, with guidance, engage in research to investigate a topic. 
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can adequately generate simple, or surface-level questions to advance inquiry of a topic.
  • Students can adequately generate simple or surface-level questions to advance inquiry of a topic.
  • Students can adequately engage in simple or surface-level research to investigate a topic. 
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can generate clear, relevant search terms to advance inquiry of a topic.
  • Students can generate clear, relevant questions to advance inquiry about a topic.
  • Students can more than adequately engage in research to investigate a topic. 
No exemplars at this time.

Determine Credibility

  • Students can with guidance analyze the validity of a resource.
  • Students can with guidance evaluate the validity of a resource. 
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can engage in simple or surface-level analysis concerning the validity of a resource.
  • Students can engage in simple or surface-level evaluations concerning the validity of a resource.
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can analyze the validity of a resource using clear, relevant questions.
  • Students can evaluate the validity of a resource using clear, relevant questions. 
No exemplars at this time.

Understand Text Structures, Features, and Purpose

  • Students can with guidance determine text purpose and appropriateness for research.
  • Students can with guidance locate research appropriate text and resources using different mediums. 
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can engage in simple or surface-level determination of text purpose and appropriateness for research.
  • Students can adequately locate research with appropriate text and resources using different mediums. 
No exemplars at this time.
  • Students can determine text purpose and appropriateness for research using clear, relevant questions.
  • Students can locate research with appropriate text and resources using different mediums using clear, relevant questions. 
No exemplars at this time.

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