Unit 3 - Macroeconomics

Unit 3 Summative Assessment (A Practical Guide to the U.S. Economy)

During the pilot of the Unit 3 (Macroeconomics) multi-part summative assessment, we noticed that students could retrieve economic concepts but were getting bogged down trying to find credible data sources and the “right” data points. The revisions help shift the cognitive load away from logistics and toward genuine economic reasoning.

3.8 and 3.13 (Parts 1 and 2)

• Scaffolding Data Sources: The first two parts of the assessment now provide students an opportunity to visit and interpret FRED graphs. This also sets them up for success in Part 3, where they identify patterns and trends in the data.

3.19 (Part 3)

• Clearer Structure and a Stronger Focus on Economic Reasoning: Again, students are directed to credible economic data from FRED to reduce search time and cognitive load and focus students’ efforts on analyzing trends rather than hunting for isolated data points. The revisions to the layout of Part 3 highlight the “big picture”: assessing the overall health of the economy and offering actionable, evidence-based advice to a young adult.

Unit 4 - Global Connections

4.4 (Analyzing Costs and Benefits of Investing in Human Capital)

• Scaffolding Added in Instruction Slides: The lesson now begins with a brief refresher on the definition of human capital, particularly helpful for classes that did not complete Lesson 4.3. A new PPF slide models how investing in human capital boosts productivity and long-run growth, and an additional slide before the summarizer highlights the trade-offs policymakers face when choosing which investments yield the greatest payoff.

4.6 (Technological Innovation and Economic Growth)

• Clearer Reading Support and Connections: We have added instructions at the top of the reading to guide students as they annotate, refreshed the slides, and updated the summarizer to allow students to reflect on a unit essential question: “Why are some countries richer than others?”

We will continue to make changes as we observe and implement lessons at the high school and community college and receive feedback from our members.

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