been addressed in detail. presentation makes the work clear and easy to follow. There is no match between work, standards, and goals. is apparent and 3 Goals have been addressed, but a few missing details distract from work. Generally organized but some lapses distract from clarity. There are some easily eliminated The match between the work, standards, and goals is mostly accurate, with a few Reasoning is generally apparent and supported. 2 Goals have been addressed, but the use of supporting details is not consistent. Many lapses in but the work can be followed with a little effort. There is excessive The match between the work, standards, and goals is somewhat accurate, but contains many Reasoning is sometimes apparent and supported and other times confusing or 1 Goals are very superficially addressed. Lack of reduces clarity making the work very difficult to follow. Almost all of the work is Little if any match between work, standards, and goals. Reasoning is confused or totally , . .
These examples assume that the student has not been exposed to the contexts of the items during the teaching process. Scoring of these items tends to be more holistic as the scorer is trying to determine the level of reasoning, clarity, and thoroughness, as well as the accuracy of content. Generally, the scorer must approach the paper as a whole rather than as a sum of its parts. Examples of application of concepts: Use ’s theory to explain why beavers have big incisors (front teeth). You may include drawings to help you explain. Imagine that you are trying to explain his theory to a group of high school students. Write an article for the high school newspaper in which you discuss why beavers have big incisors (front teeth). You may include drawings for the article. a cartoon sequence using ’s theory to explain why beavers have big incisors (front teeth). Choose an animal we have not studied in class. Draw or describe a structure it has that makes it especially well-suited to its environment. Using ’s theory, explain how and why the animal has that structure. Scoring Suggestions: Scoring of conceptual items can be analytical, using a checklist of content points that must be included. This form of analytic scoring is easy to apply and many papers can be quickly scored. A scorer with very little content knowledge can easily and accurately score papers using an analytic checklist. For example, if an item asks a student to describe and give examples of ’s three laws, then a list of the three laws and a brief explanation of acceptable examples will suffice for a scorer. Scoring of conceptual explanations can be holistic, using thoroughness, clarity, accuracy, and reasonableness of the explanation. Holistic scoring may take a bit longer, but it looks at the work as a mini-presentation of information that should include not only accurate and complete information, but should be presented in a reasonable and clear fashion. Rubric for Explaining Concepts Level Thoroughness Clarity Accuracy Reasonableness 4 All fundamental Clear presentation All facts are Reasoning is
concepts are covered with adequate detail to enhance the work. makes the work easy to follow. There is no redundancy. accurate. apparent and well-supported. 3 Most fundamental concepts are covered with adequate detail, or all concepts are covered but details are minimal. Generally clear presentation, but some lapses are distracting. There are some easily eliminated redundancies. Most facts are accurate. Reasoning is generally apparent and supported. 2 A few fundamental concepts are covered with adequate detail, or most concepts are covered with few, if any, details. Many lapses in clarity, but the work can be followed with a some effort. There is excessive redundancy. Some of the facts are accurate, but many are inaccurate. Reasoning is sometimes apparent and supported, and other times confusing or unsupported. 1 No concepts are covered, or a few concepts are covered with no details. Lack of clarity makes the work very difficult to follow. Almost all of the work is redundant. Any facts presented are inaccurate. Reasoning is confused or totally unsupported. Decision Making Short open-ended items can ask students to make a decision and justify the decision with factual information they have covered in class and reasoned opinions. As with other written responses, graphic organizers may be used to help students extend their answers. Multiple questions may be given and scored as a single work. This often works for younger students who seem to be able to focus on only one process at a time and older students just learning the basics of a well-supported decision. At some point these crutches should be removed and students should be asked to respond to similar items making their own organizers or utilizing other techniques to ensure complete answers. The example below can be used after a unit on ecosystems. Example: Imagine that there is a pond on the school grounds. Next year there will be 100 new students in the school and the pond is the only place left to build a play area. Give
supported by facts. 3 Most views of issue are discussed with adequate detail, or one viewpoint is discussed in detail but other views are only cursorily reviewed. Generally clear but some lapses are distracting. There are a few Most facts are accurate. The of decisions are generally accurate. Reasoning includes validation for own views with some invalidation of opposing views, or validation of own views lacks some generally apparent supporting evidence. Most opinions are supported by facts. 2 Issue is viewed from one side only. There is some detail to this view. Many lapses in clarity, but the work can be followed with a little effort. There is excessive Some of the facts are accurate, but many are inaccurate. The of decisions are somewhat inaccurate. Reasoning includes little validation for own views and little or no attempt is made to invalidate opposing views. Opinions are weakly supported by facts. 1 Issue is viewed from one side with no details. Lack of clarity makes the work very difficult to follow. Almost all of the work is redundant. Any facts presented are inaccurate. The of decisions if given are totally inaccurate. Reasoning is not readily apparent. Own view appears to change within argument. Opinions are unsupported or are supported by more opinions.
you believe your hypothesis is correct, and design an experiment which could test your hypothesis. Example of inference: These cups are made of two different materials. The materials of which cup would make the best insulation for a house. Give evidence to support and explain your answer. Example of observations: [Studies of two different species of grasshoppers.] Explain how the two grasshoppers are alike and how they are different. Make a chart to help you organize your answers. Alike Different Rubric for Scientific Inquiry Thoroughness Clarity Accuracy 4 Experiment has addressed all variables. Adequate controls are present. Trials are repeated until consistency is obtained. Observations are detailed. Clear presentation makes the work easy to follow. There is no redundancy. All facts and are accurate. Inference is reasonable and supported. A rigorous proof would result from this experiment. 3 Experiment has addressed most variables. Adequate controls are present. Trials Generally clear but some lapses are distracting. Most facts and are accurate. Inference is reasonable, but not as as it could be. A proof will well-
are repeated several times. Most observations are detailed. There are some easily eliminated result from this experiment, but it will not bear up under scrutiny. 2 Experiment has addressed a variable. Controls are attempted but not appropriate. Trials are repeated once or twice. A few observations are detailed. Many lapses in clarity, but the work can be followed with a little effort. There is excessive redundancy. Some of the facts and are accurate, but many are Inference could be supported by factual information, but the support is missing or confusing. Any proof resulting from this experiment will be inadequate. 1 Experiment does not address any variables. No controls are present. The experiment is one once. No observations are detailed. Lack of clarity makes the work very difficult to follow. Almost all of the work is redundant. Facts or presented are Inference cannot be supported by factual information. No proof will result from this experiment. Preparing for Short Open-ended Items 1. Prepare a set of short open-ended items. Each item should define the required components of the response, and the limits of the response. 2. Describe how the answer to each item will prove that a student has met an objective or objectives of your course. 3. Outline the criteria you will use for judging the items. 4. Prepare both an analytic checklist and a holistic rubric for scoring. Describe the situations in which you would use each type of scoring method.
Preparing for Checklists 1. Prepare a statement of the purpose of the checklist. 2. Describe how you will explain the use of the checklist to your students and their parents. 3. Outline the criteria you will use to score the checklist. 4. Decide how to “sell” the use of the checklist to others. 5. Describe some of the possible weaknesses of checklist. 6. List other assessments that will be required to complement this assessment. SCORING METHODS Scoring methods, like assessment methods, vary tremendously. The main concerns with scoring methods are reliability, efficiency, and ability to produce a meaningful score. OBJECTIVE SCORING Objective scoring methods used with selected response items depend on making a key showing the correct responses. The method is quick, reliable, and easy. Incorrectly marking the answer key is always a possibility and care should be taken to avoid this pitfall. ANALYTIC SCORING Analytic scoring is often used on content essays. A master list of information that must be present is developed, but once scoring begins it is a rapid process. The paper is read and missing information is deducted from the students score. This type of scoring does not generally attempt to address the overall quality of the paper or reasoning. Analytic scoring can be used for reports that have specific component requirements. Lab reports are often graded this way with points deducted for missing components such as a data table, a graph, or anything else deemed to be a necessary component. If care is not taken, more attention is paid to quantity rather than the quality of the student response. Examples:
has addressed most variables. Adequate controls are present. Trials are repeated several times. Most observations are detailed. clear but some lapses are distracting. There are some easily eliminated and are accurate. reasonable, but not as as it could be. A proof will result from this experiment, but it will not bear up under scrutiny. 2 Experiment has addressed a variable. Controls are attempted but not appropriate. Trials are repeated once or twice. A few observations are detailed. Many lapses in clarity, but the work can be followed with a little effort. There is excessive redundancy. Some of the facts and are accurate, but many are Inference could be supported by factual information, but the support is missing or confusing. Any proof resulting from this experiment will be inadequate. 1 Experiment does not address any variables. No controls are present. The experiment is one once. No observations are detailed. Lack of clarity makes the work very difficult to follow. Almost all of the work is redundant. Facts or presented are Inference cannot be supported by factual information. No proof will result from this experiment. Example of paragraph format: 4 Experiment has addressed all variables. Adequate controls are present. Trials are repeated until consistency is obtained. Observations are detailed. Clear presentation makes the work easy to follow. There is no redundancy. All facts and observations are accurate. Inference is reasonable and well- supported. A rigorous proof would result from this experiment. 3 Experiment has addressed most variables. Adequate controls are present. Trials are repeated several times. Most observations are detailed. Generally clear