What is problematic about including this item in the assessment for a 3.0 proficiency level: “Generate a research project that compares, contrasts, and analyzes the theme of school choice across at least three forms of digital media”?

• A. It assesses content that is unrelated to the standard
• B. It contains biased content
• C. It is not constructed properly
• D. It does not assess the correct proficiency level

Answer: (D)

The main idea is matching the task to the expected depth of thinking for the 3.0 proficiency level. This prompt asks students to generate a research project that compares, contrasts, and analyzes a theme across at least three forms of digital media. That requires creating a multi-media, integrative artifact and performing sustained synthesis and analysis across sources, which is a high level of cognitive demand. For a 3.0 target, the assessment should gauge understanding and application within a more focused scope, not require designing and producing a complex across-media project. So the item is misaligned with the intended proficiency level, which is why it’s considered problematic here. The content itself isn’t inherently biased or poorly constructed; the issue is that the depth of thinking expected exceeds what a 3.0 item should elicit.