This prompt was developed by the Center for the Study of Evaluation and Educational Policy at Boston College. It has been used in several metropolitan areas in the Northeast. In addition, the essays were rated on ten more specific dimensions, including grammar, argument structure, coherence,and theme. To see results of this assessment, click here . An instrument was developed to assess reading and research skills.
Students read a multiparagraph advertisement from the local newspaper.
It described a mosquito plant and claimed that it would repel mosquitoes with its scent. Students were asked to summarize the material in their own words, define words in context, generage questions they would need to research in order to decide whether the claims in the advertisement were legitimate, and evaluate several potential sources of information for their relevance to the completeness of the answers, with a score of 3 assigned to those that were accurate, showed elaboration, insight and logical reasoning. A score of 1 was assigned to answers that contained misinterpretations of the information and provided little information. To see results of this assessment, click here .