Explore how to design EOCEP-aligned assessment items that mirror the historical thinking, evidence use, and content understanding students practice during instruction. This article examines the five primary EOCEP item formats and demonstrates how the Test Blueprint, Historical Thinking Skills (HTS), Depth of Knowledge (DOK), and Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) can inform assessment design. Educators will learn how to select or craft items that align with instructional goals, match item formats to cognitive demand, and use PLDs to inform feedback and support. Examples from USHC Standard 2 illustrate how coherent assessment design can reinforce evidence-centered historical thinking while preparing students for EOCEP expectations.
Resources
Teaching with Instructional Anchors: How to Organize Content to Deepen Thinking and Strengthen Alignment
Learn how to organize coherent, evidence-centered instruction around high-leverage instructional anchors that develop historical thinking and support EOCEP success. This article models a six-step...
View AssetUSHC 2 Lesson Design Exemplar: Designing Coherent, Evidence-Centered Instruction
Explore a model of coherent, evidence-centered lesson design for USHC Standard 2. Using the Missouri Compromise as an instructional anchor, this exemplar demonstrates how to align historical thinking...
View AssetFrom Standards to Success: USHC 2- Content Mapping Chart Template
Use this content mapping template to organize the historical developments surrounding an instructional anchor and strengthen alignment between content, historical thinking, and evidence. Educators...
View AssetFrom Standards to Success: USHC 2 Instructional Anchor Task Planner
Use this planning tool to organize the key components of a coherent, evidence-centered U.S. History lesson. Educators identify the historical thinking required by an indicator, select an appropriate...
View AssetFrom Standards to Success: PLD-Informed Task Scaffold
Use this scaffold to design PLD-informed expectations and instructional supports for a common, evidence-centered U.S. History task. Educators begin with the same rigorous prompt for all students, then...
View AssetFrom Standards to Success: Instructional Anchor Suggestions for USHC Standard 2
Use this quick-reference guide to identify high-leverage instructional anchors for USHC Standard 2. Organized by indicator, the resource suggests anchors such as historical developments, turning...
View AssetFrom Standards to Success: Expanded Historical Thinking Skills Reference
Use this quick-reference guide to clarify the six Historical Thinking Skills (HTS) embedded within the South Carolina U.S. History standards: Comparison, Causation, Periodization, Contextualization...
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