Strategies for Answering Extended/Short Answer Response Questions

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Strategies for Answering Extended/Short Answer
Response Questions
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Extended-Response (4 pt) and Short-Answer (2 pt)
Questions

• Typically difficult for students.
• Each question requires a specific task from the
  student.

To find these requirements, look at the scoring
guide
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How to Find Scoring Guides

1. Start on the ODE homepage.
2. Near the top-right of the page, click on Testing.
   
3. On the left menu, click on Released Test
   Materials.
4. Select Released Test Materials for Ohio's Grade
   3-8 Achievement Tests.

1. Select your grade, subject and year of the test.
   Scoring guides are on the right.

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Extended-Response/Short Answer Recommendations

• Read the question carefully and completely.
• Underline each keyword (action words).
• Circle each special keyword.

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Key Words

• Test makers do not make all questions in the
  same way
• Questions have a mix of keywords, special
  keywords and subjects.
• The most common combinations are
• Four Keywords
• Two Special Keywords for one Subject
• Two Keywords on two Subjects

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Patterns of a Short-Answer (2 pt) Question

• A two-point question has two brief tasks or one
  detailed task
• In order to respond effectively, students must
  recognize

• Two keywords, or tasks.
• One keyword for two subjects.
• One special keyword about one subject.

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Short Answer (2pt) Questions

• Questions contain keywords and expect an answer
  for each one
• Ex Identify, describe, explain, compare,
  determine, list, draw, graph, give details, etc
• When reading the question, mark all keywords. If
  there are fewer marked keywords than the number
  of points, the special keywords need extra
  attention.

• Special keywords
• Describe, explain or compare.
• Require more depth and detail.
• Worth two points since there is partial credit.

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39. Explain why Railroad Time was created.
Then, explain why it was replaced with another
system. Write your answer in the Answer
Document (2 points)

• One keyword for two subjects.

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Scoring Guide
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Patterns of an Extended Response (4 pt) Question
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Two Special Keywords for One Subject
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Four Keywords
What are two theories about the shifting sands on
Jockeys Ridge? Using information from the
passage, describe two possible solutions to the
problem of sand migration. Write your answer in
your Answer Document. (4 points)
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Scoring Guide
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One Special Keyword for Two Subjects
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Two Special Keywords for One Subject
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Classroom Practices that Develop Needed Knowledge
and Skills
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Effective Classroom Practices

• Advance organizers
• Corrective instruction
• Clarity of presentation
• Use of examples
• High expectations
• Effort reinforcement
• Classroom time management
• High level questioning
• Classroom assessment

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AB Quadrant Questions

• Cause students to summarize and draw conclusions.
• Useful to bring about combination and
  recombination of experiences which lead to
• Generalization
• Understanding

• Their importance is limited since these questions
  tax the lower cognitive domain.
• These are too common in the classroom.
• Requires students to use mainly
• Recall and limited reasoning
• Problem-solving limited to facts already stated

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CD Quadrant Questions

• Open-ended questions that lead to further
  questions, cause students to experiment or lead
  to research
• These questions
• Foster thinking
• Enlarge the scope of material being studied
• Deepen students interest on the topic

• These are probably the least-asked questions
• There are no right answers
• Requires students to use both
• Concrete thinking
• Abstract thinking