Improving the quality of constructed response items on the 3rd Grade WASL

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Improving the quality of constructed response
items on the 3rd Grade WASL

• Michelle Lewis
• Puget Sound Educational
• Service District
• Summer Institute
• August 2005

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Essential Questions

• What is the role of WASL aligned classroom-based
  assessment?
• What do students need to know and demonstrate on
  the 3rd grade reading WASL?
• What are the critical elements of a full-point
  constructed response?
• What instructional strategies and materials are
  effective in developing quality constructed
  responses?

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Assumptions

• Students who are reading near, at, or above grade
  level
• Get most multiple choice items correct
• Score ones on short answer items
• Score ones and twos on extended response items

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Should we be teaching to the test?

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3rd Grade Test Map

• Number of points possible - 40
• 20 multiple choice items worth one point each -
  20 points total
• 6 short answer worth two points each - 12 points
  total
• 2 extended response worth four points each- 8
  points total

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Learning Targets

• Literary Text
• Theme or message
• Summarization
• Make inferences or predictions
• Order steps, sequence
• Interpret vocabulary

• Informational Text
• Major ideas and supporting details
• Summarization
• Make inferences or predictions
• Order steps, sequence
• Interpret vocabulary

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Learning Targets

• Literary Text
• Understand literary and graphic elements
• Compare/Contrast elements of text
• Make connections within and among text
• Analyze authors purpose
• Extend information beyond the text

• Informational Text
• Understand text and graphic elements
• Compare/Contrast info presented
• Make connections within and among text
• Analyze authors purpose
• Extend information beyond the text

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What target is assessed?

• What information from the story helps you know
  that Amelia Earhart was fearless?
• A main idea of Country Fair is that there are
  many things for children to do at the fair. Fill
  in the web below with two more details that
  support this idea.
• What is the problem in Nifty Noodle Soup?
• Houghton Mifflin - A Legacy of Literacy

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Processing

• With a neighbor discuss
• Something new you learned today
• Something you knew before but were reminded of
  today
• Something interesting you heard so far

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How would you score this response?
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(No Transcript)
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Rubrics

• What is the difference between a response that
  scores a one and a two on the short answer items?
• What is the difference between a response that
  scores a one, two, three or four on an extended
  response item?

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Constructed Response Items
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Learning Target Demonstrate understanding of
text features (headings) and graphic features
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Processing

• How is the way you scored the response the same
  or different than they way this student scored on
  the WASL rubric?

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Processing

• How is the way you scored the students response
  the same or different than they way this student
  scored on the WASL rubric?
• What do we communicate to students when we score
  their constructed response items?

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Processing

• How is the way you scored the students response
  the same or different than they way this student
  scored on the WASL rubric?
• What do we communicate to students when we score
  their constructed response items?
• What are some possible problems that might occur
  when our scoring is out of alignment with the
  WASL?

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Consistencies

• All constructed response items include two
  elements
• A stem which asks the student to demonstrate a
  skill
• A tag line which tells what kind and how much
  evidence is needed for credit

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In your own words, write a summary of the
selection. (stem) Include three main events from
the selection in your summary? (tag line)
Example
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Test Language

• What are some key phrases that appear repeatedly
  in short answer and extended response items?
• What are some other key vocabulary words that
  students need to understand in order to
  demonstrate proficiency.

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Frequently Occurring Test Language

• Use two details from the story/selection/poem to
  support your choice.
• Use information from the story/selection/poem to
  support your response.
• Use two examples from the story/selection/poem .
• Include one detail from (title of the first
  selection) and one detail from (title of the
  second selection) in your answer.
• Include two details from the story/selection/poem
  in your answer.

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Before

• What is the authors opinion of the birds looks?
  Why does she think so?

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Before

• What is the authors opinion of the birds
  looks? Why does she think so?

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After

• What is the authors opinion of the birds
  looks? Provide information from the story to
  support your answer.

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Consistencies

• Short answers ask for two pieces of
  information/evidence
• Extended response items ask for four pieces of
  evidence/information
• Exceptions summary and sequence- short answer -
  3 pieces of evidence/information

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Adapting Questions

• What information in the story helps you know that
  Amelia Earhart was fearless?
• What is the problem in Nifty Noodle Soup?

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Writing WASL Aligned Questions

• Write a WASL aligned short answer item assessing
  summarization for the Time For Kids article about
  Robots.
• .

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Jigsaw Activity

• In team write WASL aligned prompt and for your
  assigned learning target
• Create an example of a full-point response
• Adjust your prompt, if necessary
• Prepare to share with your whole group

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Jigsaw Activity

• Person 1 - Authors Purpose
• Person 2 - Extend Information Beyond the Text
• Person 3 - Major ideas/Supporting Details
• Person 4 - Make inferences or predictions

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Processing Activity

• What implications does this information have on
  classroom instruction?
• What implications does this information have on
  curriculum selection?
• What implications does this information have on
  classroom based assessment?

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Constructed Response Schematic
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Any of these headings might be used for the fifth
paragraph
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(No Transcript)
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Powerful language

• On page ___, the author states.
• I know this because
• In the story
• (The character) says
• (The character) does

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Partner Talk

• Prove it!
• How do you know?
• What evidence supports your conclusion?
• Where did you find that in the story?

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Strategies

• Open book tests
• Model looking back in text for evidence and
  detail
• Read questions prior to reading. Place sticky
  notes next to answers/evidence with number of the
  question written on sticky note
• Use proper nouns in response

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Strategies

• Read the question, underline key words and circle
  the amount of information needed in response
• Number pieces of evidence in response
• Have a partner score and provide feedback based
  on rubric to improve response
• Model improving a one point response to a full
  point response on overhead

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Strategies

• Select a student or two to write response on
  overhead, as a class score with rubric and edit
  if necessary
• Return weekly story tests, show examples of full
  point responses along with rubric. Discuss why
  responses received full points.

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Resources

• Adapted and aligned assessment stems/rubrics for
  Open Court, Reading Mastery, Hartcourt Brace,
  Houghton Mifflin
• Sample Generic Rubrics and Stems
  http//www.k12.wa.us/assessment/WASL/ReadingAssess
  ment.aspx

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Michelle Lewis

• mlewis_at_pugetsoundesd.org