Assessment Practice and Preview
Unit 4 · Lesson 4.14 · Last updated June 2026
A 45-minute lesson where students return to their Lesson 4.2 Policy Proposals, practice a four-step framework for evaluating economic development policies using a sample country profile, and are introduced to the end-of-unit summative assessment structure and rubric.
Overview
Students are guided through a thought process for completing the end-of-unit assessment. Using the Policy Proposals collected in Lesson 4.2 and a Sample Country Profile, they practice analyzing which policies would have the highest net benefit for a given country. Following this, students are introduced to the assessment's structure and rubric. Note: In this lesson, students reference a class copy of the Instructions and Rubric — they will receive their own copy along with all additional assessment documents in Lesson 4.15.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze and evaluate policy proposals aimed at promoting economic health and development in a country.
- Identify requirements for the summative assessment.
- Explain how the summative assessment will be evaluated.
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Materials
- Instruction Slides (display during class period)
- Policy Proposals (collected in Lesson 4.2 — if not previously completed, print 1 copy per student)
- Sample Country Profile (Class Set — 1 copy per pair of students)
- Instructions and Rubric (Class Set — 1 copy per student; consider placing in plastic sheet protectors to discourage writing on the document)
Lesson Sequence
Slides 2–4
- Display Slide 2. Return previously collected Lesson 4.2 Policy Proposals to each student. If students did not complete Policy Proposals, provide a new copy or have them share with a classmate who did. Note: If the class did not complete Lesson 4.2, skip to Step 4. (Additional educator tips and suggested answers are in the notes section throughout Instruction Slides.)
- Allow 2 minutes to review initial rankings and reasoning.
- Display Slide 3. Tell students to discuss their responses to the questions with a peer. Call on several students to share.
- Proceed to Slide 4. Explain the learning objectives and tell students that this lesson will provide an opportunity to practice the thought processes required for the summative assessment and introduce them to the assessment's requirements and rubric. Reassure students that the practice in the next portion will likely alleviate many of their concerns.
Slides 5–28
Practice — Slides 5–20
- Progress through Slides 5–6. Remind students of the potential for various recommendations. Click to reveal details about factors contributing to differences in recommendations.
- Advance through Slides 7–8. Reinforce that while economists generally agree on which factors determine national wealth, there is no universal agreement on which are most important — a successful approach for one country cannot simply be replicated in another.
- Proceed to Slide 9. Distribute 1 copy of Sample Country Profile to each pair. Instruct pairs to review the country information and discuss which policy from Policy Proposals they believe would have the largest positive impact on this country's economic development and why. Allow approximately 4 minutes. Pairs do not need to reach a consensus.
- Progress through Slides 10–14. Identify and model the steps for recommending an effective policy. Clarify that there is no single "correct answer" — the focus is on analyzing the relative efficacy, costs, and benefits of policies. (See slide notes for additional support.)
- Display Slide 15. Allow students a moment to discuss with their partner which policies are likely to have the highest net benefit for the sample country.
- Proceed to Slide 16. Briefly explain the rationale for the policies listed as having the highest net benefits. Pro Tip: Acknowledge that arguments could be made for different selections — the quality of students' explanation on the assessment will be crucial to their success.
- Progress through Slides 17–18. Tell students the final step is to explain their recommendations. During the assessment, students will compose 2–3 well-developed paragraphs. Click to reveal remaining text and emphasize that responses should include discipline-specific vocabulary, economic indicators, principles of economic thinking, and examples from the course.
- Advance to Slide 19. Reiterate that while economists agree on core wealth determinants, there is no universal agreement on which are most important.
- Display Slide 20. Instruct students to briefly discuss the prompt with a partner using the same thought process from Steps 6–9. Collect Sample Country Profile when finished. Note: Students will encounter a similar prompt on the actual assessment.
Assessment Introduction — Slides 21–28
- Progress through Slides 21–22. Tell students the unit assessment will focus on their ability to analyze the short- and long-term costs and benefits of proposed economic development policies. They will learn about it today and complete it in Lesson 4.15.
- Advance to Slide 23. Distribute 1 copy of Instructions and Rubric to each student. Direct students to read the front page. Encourage them to note questions as they read.
- Progress through Slides 24–26. Review and clarify the general overview and assessment structure using the no-stakes true/false quiz.
- Display Slide 27. Preview the additional documents students will use during the assessment and explain how each is designed to support success.
- Advance to Slide 28. Remind students the rubric is their roadmap to success. Allow a moment to read it. Reinforce that it assesses economic content knowledge (including discipline-specific vocabulary) and analysis of economic indicators. Clarify any rubric questions.
Slides 29–30
- Progress through Slides 29–30. Direct students to discuss the questions on Slide 30 with a peer. Collect the class set of Instructions and Rubric.
Aligned Standards
Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics
Standard 2 Decision-Making
Standard 5 Business Decisions and Market Structures
Standard 7 Role of Government
Standard 9 International Trade
Standard 10 Technology
Standard 16 Growth and Fluctuations
What Educators Are Saying
Great preview to the lesson and building on skills that will be utilized.
High School Economics Teacher, Arizona
The 4-step framework is clear.
High School Economics Teacher, Arizona
They are very concise and very easy to implement.
High School Economics Teacher, Texas