GovernmentHigh School Assessment: BCR Writing

Governor’s Academy for American Government

Objectives Train accomplished educators to

write fair, valid, and accurate constructed response items

Prepare teachers to practice and then edit their own BCRs after using and collecting student responses

Key Words

Clang—cues or inferences within an item or with other

itemsConstructed Response—

items requiring students to compose written answers,

either BCRs or ECRs

Key Words (continued) Selected Response—multiple choice

items with one correct answer and three distracters

Stem—where the question or problem is stated

Stimulus—a reading or graphic that precedes an item

Items on a large-scale assessment have to be valid, fair, and accurate. Valid—a question actually

measures what it claims to measure

Fair—all students have an equal opportunity to answer a question correctly

Accurate—a question has only one clearly correct answer

How do MSDE and ETS ensure that a large-scale assessment item is valid, fair, and accurate? Expert Item Writers Reviews by ETS Reviews by MSDE Content Committee Review Bias and Sensitivity Committee

Review Field Testing Item Statistics

Expert Item Writer Experienced Teacher Participated in Training

Successfully Attended training workshop Practiced writing and editing items Read key documents

What are the difficulty levels of an item Item difficulty—measured by P-

value, an objective statistic easily measured

Cognitive difficulty level—estimated by writers and consultants, subjective based on one of many taxonomies

Cognitive Levels Low

Knowledge: define, identify, quote, recall, list

Comprehension: compare, describe Medium

Analysis: explain, summarize, construct, cause and effect

High Synthesis: arrange, create, plan Evaluation: judge, grade, weigh, evaluate,

assess

What Are Some Differences Between Large-scale and Classroom Assessments? Higher Stakes vs. Lower Stakes End-of-Course Test vs. Unit

Test Bias Issues Sensitivity Issues

Constructed Response (CR) Items Brief Constructed Response (BCR)

items Students have approximately 6

minutes to complete a BCR Extended Constructed Response

(ECR) items Students have approximately 25

minutes to complete an ECR

Format for a BCR

Read the information below and use it to complete the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

Directly ask students for information or an explanation.

Ask a higher-level cognitive question. Remind students to “Include details and

examples to support your answer.”

Stimulus

Examine this sample BCR written in the old format Describe situations in which

freedom of expression may be legally limited.

Explain why limiting freedom of expression is justified in each of the situations you described.

Include details and examples to support your answer.

SOCIAL STUDIES RUBRIC--REVISION 6/01Level 4 This response shows understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is insightful, integrates knowledge, and demonstrates powerful application.

--The application shows powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills. --Concepts are accurate and well supported. --There are no misconceptions.--The response is comprehensive. Level 3 This response shows some understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response includes appropriate application that demonstrates evidence of higher order thinking skills.

--The application shows some evidence of higher order thinking skills.--Concepts are accurate and supported.--There are no interfering misconceptions.--The response may not develop all parts equally. Level 2  This response shows knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is acceptable with some key ideas. The response shows little or no evidence of application. 

--The response includes some basic ideas.--The response provides little or no support.--There are minimal misconceptions.

 Level 1 This response shows minimal knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is related to the question, but it is inadequate. 

--The response includes incomplete or fragmented ideas or knowledge.--There may be significant misconceptions.

 Level 0  The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant. There may be no response. 

Score Level 0

The response is completely incorrect or unrelated to the question/topic.Can state “I agree”, “I disagree” or “yes” and “No”. Restates the question rewording the prompt

What do the score points look like?

Score Level 1

Minimal basic knowledgeCan be one-word statements or fragmented sentences that relate to the question or topic.May have incorrect information or basis of the argument is flawed with support for incorrect information (significant misconceptions)

Score Level 2

Basic knowledge with supporting facts.Can have minor misconceptions.Little or no evidence of application. There may be HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills), but they are not developed.

Score Level 3 Response shows understanding. Applies information to a new situation developing the HOTS.There are no interfering misconceptions.

Score Level 4Response shows understanding and comprehension of the problem or topic. Applies information to a new situation developing the HOTS in a powerful way.There are no misconceptions or statements that are untrue or inaccurate.

Read the excerpt below and use it to complete the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows. 

Any person aggrieved [treated unjustly] by a decision of a historic district commission . . . may appeal the decision in the manner provided for an appeal from the decision of the zoning board. . . .

—Maryland Statues, Land Use, Sec. 8.15

 

• Describe how the excerpt shows the concept of due process. • Explain the importance of due process to a democratic society. • Include details and examples to support your answer. Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

Answer Cues:• outlines clear procedures, appeal process,

government decision • protects property ownership, checks on government

decisions, government cannot do whatever it wants Sample Response:The Land Use Statutes illustrate the concept of due

process by showing the steps that can be taken by people unhappy with a commission’s decision. It explains what decisions will be made by which commission and then describes the appeal process.

The constitutional protection of due process is important because it guarantees that the government cannot do whatever it wants, whenever it wants. Only the designated commissions can make decisions regarding land use, not someone else. Also, there is a check provided against the abuse of power by the commission in the appeal process. This guarantees that the government will not arbitrarily take citizens’ property.

Read the excerpt below and use it to complete the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows. 

(b) To promote the health, security, general welfare, and morals of the community, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore may regulate and restrict, for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes:

(1) The height, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures;

(4) The size of yards, courts, and other open spaces;(5) The density of population; and(6) The location and use of buildings, signs, structures, and land.

—Maryland Statues, Land Use, Sec. 2.01

 

• Explain how local government policies can affect land usage. • Analyze why local government is concerned with land usage.  • Include details and examples to support your position. Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

Answer Cues:• government policy can restrict housing developments and the impact of

urban sprawl, protect natural resources and land from development and possible pollution; affect economic development; change zoning laws for businesses and buildings; limit the size, use, and location of buildings and land

• local government is concerned with land usage to control over development and urban sprawl, to protect the environment from pollution and exploitation, to help the local economy, to collect property taxes, to minimize the impact of population growth in a town or to maintain the “quality of life” of a community

 Sample Response:The government can affect land usage in many ways. For example, the

government can limit through laws and regulations the amount of housing developments and roads that are built in a community in order to prevent overcrowding, traffic congestion, and the negative impact of urban sprawl. Governments should be able to protect both the people of a community and the community’s natural resources.

Local governments have a responsibility of regulating land use and making sure citizens use land properly. Local governments should be concerned with the effects of urban sprawl and population growth. If this occurs, the government must decide how it will develop roads and allow businesses and homes to be built. At the same time, the government must make sure that the environment is protected and pollution does not damage the air and water supplies. Local governments do not want their citizens, many who will vote in local elections, to be upset by developing land in a certain way.

Checklist for Constructed Response ItemsDo the items

Elicit a full range of responses—from minimal to complete?

Include a model response (with a score of four) and answer cues?

Use stimulus?

Do the items Tell students clearly what they are

being asked to do? Scaffold the questions or tasks

(have bullets that build upon each other)?