The National Archives at Seattle

Washington State: Classroom Based Assessment(CBA)

Links to Primary Documents at the National Archives and Records Administration

10th-11th Grade

Government Revenue & Responsibility (Economics)

Student assignment:

In a persuasive paper or presentation, you will:

  1. Provide a general overview of a policy or program (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, school funding).
  2. Analyze the development of the policy/program by explaining how stakeholders have influenced or attempted to influence the government revenue collection and expenditure related to this policy/program (e.g., proposals for tax increases, changes to benefits).
  3. Describe who pays for and who benefits from the revenue collection and expenditures related to the policy/program.
  4. Present a position/thesis evaluating the government revenue collection and expenditures related to the policy/program.

Primary source documents from "Our Documents, 100 Milestone Source Documents from the National Archives and Records Administration," relating to this Classroom Based Assessment [CBA]:

Important notes for using this section:

  • Following each sub-topic is a list representing specific documents that are believed to best illustrate a topic. Each document is linked to an interactive digital copy of the record itself, complete with description, background information and teaching suggestions, from the "Our Documents" web site www.ourdocuments.gov. The transcribed copy is for your convenience and for students having difficulty reading handwriting. All pages can be easily downloaded and/or printed. Just click on the document title and it will take you to the specific "Our Documents" page.

Sample Topics and Associated Primary Sources:

United States Economic Principles and Development

Anti-Monopoly Movement Effects of US Tariffs Expansion of Territory Fair Labor Policies Federal Banking System Government Programs International Economics Populating Unpopulated Areas Price Fixing Commerce Raising Revenue

Associated Washington State Standards {EALR}

  • Civics 4.3.3a: Evaluate how corporations, government agencies, organizations, and public opinion influence development of public policy.
  • Economics 3.1.3b: Analyze costs and benefits of how government redistributes income through taxation and government expenditures.
  • Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.3f: Create a product that uses social studies content to support a thesis and present product in appropriate manner to a meaningful audience.
  • Students Social Studies Skills 1.1.3d: Evaluate reliability, credibility, and validity of information from a variety of social studies sources.

Scoring
EALR Scoring
(*for additional levels, see OSPI Scoring Rubric)
Civics 4.3.3a *at highest level... Analyzes the development of the policy/program selected with at least three examples of how stakeholders have influenced or attempted to influence the government revenue collection and expenditure related to this policy/program. Includes a general overview of the program.
Economics: 3.1.3b *at highest level... Provides a general description of who pays for and who benefits from the collection of revenue and expenditures related to the policy/program with at least three representative examples (at least one example of each) supported by explicit evidence.
Social Studies Inquiry and Information Skills 1.1.3f *at highest level... Presents a clearly stated position/thesis evaluating the government collection of revenue and expenditures related to a policy issue with at least three reasons explicitly supported by accurate evidence.
Students Social Studies Skills 1.1.3d *at highest level... Annotated bibliography includes a variety of resources from multiple perspectives. Annotations discuss reliability and credibility and show validity through comparison of resources. Annotations include the information that was useful to the development of your research.

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