Assessing with Primary Sources

Main Content

An Introduction to Building Assessment Systems

This site offers educators assessments that use primary sources from the Library of Congress and other resources to assess the literacy skills found in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the C3 Framework. Educators can pick and use an individual assessment or select several assessments to take the steps to create an assessment system focused on skill acquisition across several topics or units of study.

Step 1: Search Over 100 Primary Source Assessments

Example of Assessment

Select from over 100 multiple-choice assessments with primary sources by topic. Focus on specific Common Core standards to give you consistent information about your students’ skill acquisition across several units of study.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Step 2: Document Student Progress 

Example of a Grade System

Document all of your students’ scores related to the standard(s) you have targeted. Teachers have used Google Forms, Excel, and other digital formats for ease of collection and documentation. In the example to the left, 0s and 1s represent incorrect and correct responses, respectively.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Step 3: Target Students' Strengths and Weaknesses

Example of Assessment

Use the open-ended assessments with primary sources to collect additional information about why students are struggling or excelling with the standards you targeted.


Library of Congress LogoDisclaimer:                                                                                                                                   Southern Illinois University has been a proud member of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program and other collaborators listed here does not indicate an endorsement of the Library of Congress, the National Science Foundation, or any other agency.