INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS - RPDPrpdp.net/admin/images/uploads/resource_6915.pdf · The Fall 2013 Instructional Materials were developed as a collaborative effort among the Nevada Department

Copyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education

INSTRUCTIONALMATERIALSfor the Criterion Referenced Test

READINGGRADE 7

Page iCopyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education For Nevada use only

Introduction

The Fall 2013 Instructional Materials were developed as a collaborative effort among the Nevada Department of Education, Nevada educators, and WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and service agency. The materials were designed to be used as part of various guided educational activities to support deep understanding of the Nevada Academic Content Standards. It is intended that teachers will use these materials to thoroughly investigate and discuss both the standards and the tasks that have been aligned to them.

While these materials can provide students with practice in responding to a variety of assessment items, we believe it is far more critical that they be used to help students deepen their understanding of the elements and expectations embedded in the standards. Through rich classroom discussion around each item and its answer choices or potential responses, you can guide students in the use of effective strategies that will support their ability to truly comprehend the standard more completely.

The teachers who have assisted in the development of these items have included “Teacher Tips” to assist in the use of these materials as an instructional resource for the Nevada Academic Content Standards. However, if you choose to use these support documents solely as an assessment practice activity, we highly recommend that you go back over each item with your students and evaluate each response so that students can better understand the knowledge needed for each represented standard.

DALE A.R. ERQUIAGASuperintendent of Public Instruction

JULIA TESKADeputy Superintendent

Business and Support Services

STATE OF NEVADA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION700 E. Fifth Street

Carson City, Nevada 89701-5096(775) 687 - 9200 • Fax: (775) 687 – 9101

http://www.doe.nv.gov

TEACHER LICENSURESOUTHERN NEVADA OFFICE

9890 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 221Las Vegas, Nevada 89183

(702) 486-6458Fax: (702)486-6450

http://teachers.nv.gov

BATTLE BORN

N E V A D A

Page 1Copyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education For Nevada use only

ReadingGrade 7

Name:

This booklet contains reading questions for you to answer. There are two types of questions in this booklet. For the multiple-choice questions, you will be given four answer choices—A, B, C, and D. You are to choose the correct answer from the four choices. Each question has only one right answer. The written-response questions require you to give a written response to a question as indicated in the booklet. You will be given separate sheets of paper to answer these questions.

You may use the rubric below to help you do a good job when you are answering the written-response questions.

Score Point Expectation

Full Credit • Your response demonstrates understanding of the reading.

• Your response addresses all parts of the question.

• Your response includes enough related details to support your answer.

Partial Credit • Your response demonstrates understanding of the reading.

• Your response addresses only part of the question.

• Your response includes some details to support your answer.

• Your response may include details that do not support your answer.

Minimal Credit • Your response demonstrates a limited understanding of the reading.

• Your response includes few details to support your answer.

• Your response includes unrelated and inaccurate details.

No Credit • Your response is incorrect.

Grade 7 Reading� Instructional Materials

Go OnCopyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education For Nevada use onlyPage 2

Four�friends�are�working�to�put�on�a�play�when�they�make�a�magical�discovery.�Read�the�passage.�Then�answer�questions�1�through�11.

Make a Wish

Deanne

1 What would you do if you were given one opportunity to make the world a better place? Most of us can only ask ourselves that question in an abstract way, but I suddenly find myself faced with that question in the most literal sense—a genie has given me a wish.

Neil, Ray, Leslie, and I were at the flea market looking for props for Neil’s play. I found an ornate bottle that I thought might work well in one of the scenes, so we bought it and some other things and brought them back to the theater to ready them for rehearsals. As I was polishing the bottle, a genie suddenly emerged.

The genie told us that we could each have one wish. His only stipulation was that we could not use our wish to ask for more wishes. The genie then generously offered us twenty-four hours to ponder our wishes, which has been all-consuming for me ever since.

In order to organize the possibilities, I created a spreadsheet to chart the pros, cons, and potential side effects of the many wishes for which I could opt. For instance, before I wish for world peace, I want to know whether it will be a lasting peace, or if it only applies to the present generation? If I ask for an end to drought, will that lead to flooding? There are many serious questions that I must pose to the genie before I can make my wish. I’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make the world better, so I am determined to make the most of it.

* * * * * * * Neil

5 I found a genie in a bottle! I know, right? I was at the flea market looking for stuff for my play—it’s a musical drama called “When Elvis Met Richard,” about the 1970 meeting between legendary singer Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon. I’m hoping it goes straight from the Elmore Middle School stage to the Broadway stage. Fingers crossed!

I was mostly looking for a velvet painting of Elvis for the final scene. Oh, I forgot to mention that my friends Deanne, Ray, and Leslie were with me. After I found my painting, I spotted this crazy bottle that I knew would be fabulous in the big Oval Office scene. It’s totally shabby chic, if you know what I mean.

Back at the theater, Deanne was polishing up the bottle when out floats this genie. He said that our wish was his command, and we were all, like, what? But he convinced us it was real and not reality TV. Then he bums us out telling us that since there are four of us, we only get one wish each, and we can’t wish for more wishes! Can you believe it? I’m going to need three wishes just to get through the week!

Anyway, long story short, the genie gave us a day to think about our wishes. But I don’t need to think about it—I already know that tomorrow I’m going to wish for success for my play. I think it’s great on its own, but a little help wouldn’t hurt, right? Once the glowing reviews come in, I’m off to Hollywood! Wish me luck!

flea market: a place where inexpensive or used goods are sold



* * * * * * * Leslie

I am so confused. You know how when you’re at the grocery store and you’re looking at an aisle full of cereal and there are fifty different kinds of raisin puffs to choose from? You just stand there staring at them, not knowing what to do, until you run out of the store in a state of extreme frustration without any cereal! Well, I’m facing that problem now, only a million times worse!

10 Today we were at the flea market looking for props for Neil’s play. There were velvet Elvises from every era and of every size, and I couldn’t decide what to get, so I went looking for help— that was when I found the bottle.

At the theater, Deanne was polishing the bottle when suddenly a genie appeared—a real magical genie! Can you believe it? He granted us each one wish and a day to think about it. I’m so glad he didn’t give us three wishes, because I’d be even more of a mess.

Even with one wish, I have no idea what to do! Should I use it on just me, or my family, or on the city, or the country, or the whole Earth? This is the hardest decision of my life. Maybe I should give my wish to someone else.

* * * * * * * Ray

Do you want to hear a ridiculous story? I was at the flea market today with Neil, Leslie, and Deanne, looking for stuff for Neil’s play. Between you and me, the play is going to be terrible. Our director, Deanne, is very organized and thoughtful, but she can’t overcome the terrible script. Neil is a nice guy, but his play would require a miracle just to get up to the level of awful. I play Nixon.

At the flea market, Neil sent Leslie off to find a velvet painting of Elvis. For some reason, Deanne put Leslie in charge of finding props for the play, which is crazy because Leslie can barely decide whether or not to open her eyes in the morning. I found this dirty old bottle that I thought might be useful and we took everything back to the theater.

15 Deanne was cleaning the bottle when suddenly this weird guy showed up and claimed to be a “genie” who lived in the bottle. I didn’t see him come out of any bottle, but everyone else seemed to buy it, so I played along. This guy then says that we each get one wish, which is totally bogus—it’s supposed to be three wishes, Einstein. Then he tells us to go home, think about it, and come back tomorrow.

The whole thing is a hoax. I’ll bet that right after everyone makes their wishes, some guy with a camera will pop out and laugh at us and we’ll look like idiots. Well, I’m not falling for it. I’ve decided that I’ll wait until everyone else has made their wish, and then I’m going to say, “I wish that you would cancel all their wishes!” Ha! Then who’s going to look foolish?

“Make a Wish” © WestEd.



■1What were the characters looking for at the flea market?

A an old bottleB an old cameraC a painting of ElvisD a painting of Nixon

■2How does Deanne’s approach to her wish help to define her character?

A It highlights her trust of others.B It displays her desire to be liked.C It emphasizes her carefulness.D It shows her need to be in charge.

■3In paragraph 8, the word glowing suggests reviews that are

A quickly written.B mostly respectful.C widely published.D highly favorable.

■4In Leslie’s version of events, which idea is her grocery store story used to develop?

A the effect of being suspicious of othersB the difficulty of having too many

choicesC the problem of getting everything

you wantD the importance of exploring all parts of

an issue

■5Which sentence best states a theme of the passage?

A Decisions can be easily changed.B Events can be viewed in conflicting

ways.C Agreeing to a promise can lead to

surprising results.D Working together toward a common

goal can bring success.

■6Which character’s wish is most likely to have a positive effect on the greatest number of people?

A DeanneB NeilC LeslieD Ray

Answer the following questions about the passage “Make a Wish.”



■7How does the flea market setting influence the plot?

A It lets the characters find something unusual.

B It gives the characters a reason to cooperate.

C It allows the characters to resolve a problem.

D It makes the characters understand an issue.

■8How is the genie used to develop the plot of the passage?

A He hastens the climax.B He relates the exposition.C He introduces the conflict.D He suggests the resolution.

■9Read the sentence below from the passage.

Most of us can only ask ourselves that question in an abstract way, but I suddenly find myself faced with that question in the most literal sense— a genie has given me a wish.

Which word in the sentence is the best clue to the meaning of the word abstract?

A ourselvesB questionC suddenlyD literal

■10The word ornate has the same root as the word ornament. Based on this information, what does the word ornate mean in paragraph 2?

A fancily decoratedB overly expensiveC nicely maintainedD completely original



■11Four different characters narrate the passage. Analyze how the narrative structure helps readers to understand human nature. Use details from the passage to support your response.

Write your answer to Question 11 on a separate sheet of paper.



An Excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kidsby Michael Pollan

The following questions, 12 through 23, were derived from the passage “An Excerpt from The�Omnivore’s�Dilemma�for�Kids” by Michael Pollan, ISBN 0803735006, copyright 2009, pages 61–64. However, permissions for reproducing this passage in an online format were not granted by the author and/or publisher. To obtain copies of the passage please contact your District Assessment Director. Alternatively, you may locate the book in your school or local library and make copies of the excerpt for in-classroom use.

Reproduction of the passage for Nevada educators and students use in their classroom only.

Food�writer�Michael�Pollan�thinks�modern�humans�need�to�reexamine�the�way�we�eat.�Read�the�passage.�Then�answer�questions�12�through�23.



■12According to the author, what is the omnivore’s dilemma?

A finding safe foods to eatB locating new foods to eatC finding enough foods to eatD deciding which foods to eat

■13Which word from paragraph 2 has a positive connotation?

A needsB differentC varietyD plants

■14Which statement best describes how the author feels about modern supermarkets?

A They should offer more processed foods.

B They should improve advertising messages.

C They are a wonderful convenience for people.

D They present people with too many food options.

■15Based on information in the passage, people in Mexico and West Africa used to eat foods that were

A from far away.B new and exciting.C local and in season.D found in grocery stores.

■16Read the sentences below from the passage.

This built-in sweet tooth is so strong that we will keep eating sweets even after we are no longer hungry. Our instinct doesn’t realize that in modern times there are always sweet foods available to us. We don’t have to go hunting and gathering to get more—all we have to do is walk to the refrigerator.

The sentences indicate that part of the omnivore’s dilemma is knowing

A where to find food.B when to stop eating.C which foods are healthy.D how to get enough to eat.

Answer the following questions about the passage “An Excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids.”



■17Which best describes the organization and purpose of the section “The Modern Omnivore”?

A cause and effect, to explain how the human diet has changed

B question and answer, to explain when foods are usually eaten

C problem and solution, to explain why grocery stores were developed

D compare and contrast, to explain why humans have become healthier

■18What example does the author use to show the interaction between diet and brain size?

A koalasB butterfliesC carnivoresD herbivores

■19What purpose does the section “The Omnivore’s Brain” serve in the passage?

A It provides views that oppose the author’s claims.

B It provides scientific evidence for the author’s claims.

C It is an outline of the author’s ideas about future events.

D It is an explanation of the author’s solutions to the problem.

■20Which sentence from the passage best summarizes the author’s main idea?

A “By following simple rules like these, people solved the omnivore’s dilemma.”

B “Modern Americans have lost the solution to the omnivore’s dilemma and today the problem is bigger than it has ever been.”

C “The first thing we should remember is that our bodies have evolved to help us solve the omnivore’s dilemma.”

D “The omnivore’s dilemma is one reason our brains are so large.”

■21Which claim from the passage is least provable?

A “We learned what was safe to eat and what could kill us.”

B “Sometimes it even seems like we’ve forgotten why we eat.”

C “For example, we have different teeth for different jobs.”

D “Our digestive tract is also good at digesting different types of foods.”

■22Based on the meaning of the prefix herb-, herbivores eat only

A fish.B plants.C red meat.D white meat.



■23The author says that people in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma but that modern people have lost the solution.

A Explain how people in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma.

B Explain how the solution to the omnivore’s dilemma has become lost to modern people.

Use details from the passage to support your response.

Write your answer to Question 23 on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to answer Parts A and B.



A�prince�and�a�young�woman�run�an�unusual�race�in�this�unusual�fairy�tale.�Read�the�passage.�Then�answer�questions�24�through�36.

A Race Between Capricious and Prudence

1 Here’s a story for you. Let’s say that this story happened in a kingdom far, far away, in a time long since past. I thought of saying that it happened in your town last week, but a story like this couldn’t happen here, could it? No, not likely. Let’s say that our story happened in a kingdom called Wantalot.

Now, in the Kingdom of Wantalot, there lived a handsome prince. Funny how the princes in stories are always handsome, isn’t it? Well, this one is no exception—if anything he was more handsome than most. This particular prince was known far and wide for wanting to possess everything he saw. The funny thing was, though, that as soon as the prince got what he wanted, he immediately lost interest and began coveting something else. Let’s call him Prince Capricious.

The king of Wantalot, Capricious’s father, was a very kind man. The people of the kingdom were very fond of their king, even if he did overindulge his son. Let’s call him King Magnanimous II.

Now, when the prince wanted something, he immediately went to his father and asked for it. “Father, I want a new golden Frisbee1,” the prince said. (Yes, gold is probably a poor material with which to make a flying disk, but go with me here. I’m trying to make a point.) “I do so need a new golden Frisbee because my old one has completely lost its shine, and they’re on sale right now at Goldmen’s, and all of the princes have new ones, and you wouldn’t want me to be the only one without the latest model of golden Frisbee, would you?”

5 King Magnanimous protested a bit, saying that the prince didn’t really need a new golden Frisbee and that he never even used the old one and that gold was really a poor material for a flying disk anyway. But the prince was persistent, eventually exclaiming, “I will simply MELT if I do not get a new golden FrisbeeTM!”

Upon hearing these words, the king relented. For all he knew, his son just might go off and melt, and then how would the king feel? So an order was dispatched to Goldmen’s, which would immediately send over the latest and greatest model. The prince felt overwhelmed with joy as he took the Frisbee in his hands, excitement vibrating through him like an electric current. But inevitably (for it happened in the same way with everything), as the prince tossed the Frisbee to the breeze, along with it he tossed his desire for the Frisbee. That flight was the first and last at the hands of the prince, for Capricious had already set his sights on something shinier.

As you may have guessed, the prince’s fickleness led to a large pile of neglected items. This pile stood in back of the castle, and it grew so much with each passing year that by the time Capricious was thirteen years old, the pile had become a mountain of castaway items. It was so big, in fact, that the people of Wantalot named it Mount Consumption. Needless to say, Mount Consumption was conspicuous—it could be seen from miles around.

1Frisbee® is a Registered Trademark of © 2013 Wham-O Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Now, on a farm nestled in the shadow of Mount Consumption there lived a small family. The family made a meager but honest living tilling the land, and they were content—until one day when the family’s shovel broke. The shovel was very old and had been handed down through the generations. It had been mended many times, but it had finally given out—its digging days were done. The family did not have enough money to buy a new shovel, so they sent their wise young daughter to the nearby castle to see if she could work something out. Let’s call the daughter Prudence.

Prudence was able to get an immediate audience with the king (she was industrious and the king was a nice guy, remember). “Your Majesty,” said Prudence, “my family is in need of a new shovel. Would you be willing to trade a shovel for some fresh vegetables?”

10 “Oh, certainly, my dear,” said King Magnanimous, “but you may keep your vegetables. I will give you one of my son’s shovels for free. He doesn’t use them. Just go to Mount Consumption out back and pick one of the golden ones from the pile—there are plenty to be had.”

“NO!” roared Prince Capricious, who was sitting next to his father, explaining how much he needed a new platinum kite. “Those shovels are mine!”

Well, the king insisted and the prince protested, but they were at an impasse—neither would relent. Finally, Prudence spoke up.

“Your Majesty, if I may offer a suggestion, how about a contest? You could put a shovel at the very tippy top of Mount Consumption. Then the prince and I can race up the mountain. Whoever gets to the shovel first wins.”

So the race was run, and it was an arduous task for both participants due to the great height of the mountain and the unsteady footing. But in the end, there was a victor—Prince Capricious won the race and claimed his prize.

15 Now, you may think this is an unsatisfying ending, which it is. But that’s what happened.

Afterword�

Okay, so I don’t like that ending either. It offends my sense of justice. But it’s already written, so it can’t be changed. However, we do have the option of adding an afterword, so here it is.

A funny thing happened after Prince Capricious won the race. Since it was the first time he ever got something that wasn’t just given to him, the prince took great pride in the shovel and prized it as his most valuable possession and used it on a regular basis for the rest of his life. And King Magnanimous felt so grateful for this outcome that he gave Prudence a brand new golden shovel, which she immediately sold and bought a new tractor. Now that’s a better ending, isn’t it?

“A Race Between Capricious and Prudence” © WestEd.



■24Why does the author repeat the word “funny” in paragraph 2?

A to suggest that the prince is cleverB to hint that the situation is peculiarC to indicate that the prince is sneakyD to show that the situation is impossible


But inevitably (for it happened in the same way with everything), as the prince tossed the Frisbee to the breeze, along with it he tossed his desire for the Frisbee.

What does the figurative language in the sentence show about the prince?

A He wants to try playing as many sports as possible.

B He is more interested in obtaining things than in using them.

C He enjoys watching sports more than he likes playing them.

D He likes collecting things and keeping them in perfect condition.

■26What is the main purpose of the mountain in the passage?

A to indicate the king’s enormous wealthB to show the outer boundaries of the landC to demonstrate the size of the king’s

empireD to illustrate the foolish waste of usable

objects

■27In paragraph 8 of the passage, the alliteration in the phrase “its digging days were done” helps to create the image of a shovel that is

A dead.B dangerous.C dirty.D distressed.

■28Which analysis of King Magnanimous do paragraphs 5 and 17 support?

A He likes to argue with Capricious.B He enjoys giving gifts to Capricious.C He feels that Capricious shows poor

judgment.D He thinks Capricious should appreciate

possessions.

■29Which of Prudence’s qualities is shown in the “Afterword” section of the passage?

A her fairnessB her confidenceC her practicalityD her courteousness

Answer the following questions about the passage “A Race Between Capricious and Prudence.”



■30The “Afterword” section has a theme that is different from the rest of the passage. Which sentence best states the theme of the “Afterword” section?

A Hard work can produce great rewards.B An earned object is the most valuable.C Good manners can have positive results.D A wise use of gifts reflects good

character.

■31Which sentence best states a central idea of the passage?

A “The people of the kingdom were very fond of their king, even if he did overindulge his son.”

B “The prince felt overwhelmed with joy as he took the Frisbee in his hands, excitement vibrating through him like an electric current.”

C “That flight was the first and last at the hands of the prince, for Capricious had already set his sights on something shinier.”

D “But in the end, there was a victor—Prince Capricious won the race and claimed his prize.”

■32Which object does the author use to draw a contrast between the points of view of Prudence and Capricious?

A a shovelB a tractorC a golden diskD a platinum kite

■33Which statement best describes how setting the passage in “a kingdom far, far away, in a time long since past” influences another element of the story?

A It gives the theme importance.B It makes the conflict more urgent.C It allows the plot to be exaggerated.D It lets the characters act more naturally.


The funny thing was, though, that as soon as the prince got what he wanted, he immediately lost interest and began coveting something else.

What does the word coveting mean in the sentence?

A carefully seekingB quickly learningC earnestly askingD greatly desiring


Well, the king insisted and the prince protested, but they were at an impasse—neither would relent.

What does the word impasse mean in the sentence?

A a situation that cannot be resolvedB an issue that cannot be understoodC an agreement that cannot be honoredD a problem that cannot be investigated



■36The author writes that “a story like this couldn’t happen here, could it?” Analyze whether the themes the author develops in the passage can be applied to modern times. Use details from the passage to support your response.




Marian�Anderson�was�one�of�the�most�celebrated�singers�of�the�twentieth�century.�Read�the�passage.�Then�answer�questions�37�through�47.

Marian Anderson: A Voice for Freedomby Bryan Brown

1 On the morning of April 9, 1939, for the first time ever, workers carried a grand piano up the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Others set up microphones and a sound system. By 5 o’clock on that Easter Sunday, about 75,000 people had crowded onto the Mall. Many were from the city’s black community. As one attendee later said, everyone knew how important the day was.

At last, African-American contralto Marian Anderson stepped up to the microphone. “I had a feeling that a great wave of goodwill poured out from these people, almost engulfing [overwhelming] me,” she later wrote. “And when I stood up to sing [“America”], I felt for a moment as though I were choking. For a desperate second I thought that the words, well as I know them, would not come.”

Anderson had been denied the right to sing in Washington’s Constitution Hall because she was black. Many people had been enraged at the injustice. In response, a few influential people, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, had organized the concert on the Mall. Now, Anderson was standing at the place where, 24 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. would give his “I Have a Dream” speech. On that afternoon in 1939, Anderson struck her blow for freedom simply by singing.

“Free as a Bird”

Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 27, 1897. The oldest of three girls, she was a happy child, especially when singing in the choir at the Union Baptist Church. From the beginning, adults noticed her naturally beautiful, powerful voice.

5 When Marian was 12, her father died. Marian had to go to work to help support her family. She delivered laundry that her mother took in, and scrubbed the white marble steps of Philadelphia row houses.

There was never money for music lessons. But people sensed that Marian had a destiny. On many occasions, the congregation at Union Baptist raised money for her. “We want to do something for our Marian,” the Reverend Wesley Parks said. The first collection brought in $17.02. Marian used the money to buy fabric, which her mother made into Marian’s first evening gown.

“I sang naturally, free as a bird, with a voice of considerable size and wide range,” Anderson later wrote in her autobiography. “There was no difficulty in filling the church auditorium.” Soon, she was in demand at black colleges and churches.

“A Cold, Horrifying Hand”

But there were barriers to overcome. One day, Anderson tried to apply to a Philadelphia music school. When she reached the front of the line, the white woman who was taking applications ignored her for a long time. Finally, the woman said, “We don’t take colored.” (Colored is a term once widely used for black Americans that is now considered offensive.)

contralto: the lowest range of the female singing voice



“I don’t think I said a word,” Anderson later wrote. “It was as if a cold, horrifying hand had been laid on me. I turned and walked out. It was my first contact with the blunt, brutal words, and this school of music was the last place I expected to hear them.”

10 As Anderson grew more famous and traveled farther from home, discrimination remained a problem. In the South in the early 20th century, Jim Crow laws required the separation of races in many public places.

Nonetheless, in time, she established a reputation in the great concert halls of Europe. There she perfected a program of European art songs and spirituals. In 1935, the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini heard Anderson sing in Salzburg, Austria. “A voice like yours is heard once in a hundred years,” he said.

At this point, Anderson was ready to be discovered by her own country. She appeared repeatedly on the radio, heard by millions of Americans. In 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt invited Anderson to sing at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and herself. The next day, Mrs. Roosevelt wrote in her newspaper column, “My Day,” “I have rarely heard a more beautiful and moving voice.”

In 1939, promoters tried to rent Constitution Hall for a Marian Anderson concert. Constitution Hall was owned by a group called the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The all-white DAR was an exclusive organization of women descended from patriots of the American Revolution. The DAR refused to rent its hall to nonwhites.

A storm of protest followed the decision. Eleanor Roosevelt was so angry that she resigned from the DAR. Soon, she helped organize the concert on the Mall.

A Great Day of Pride

15 Easter Sunday started out cold and overcast. But by late afternoon, the sun had broken through the clouds. Shortly after 5 o’clock, Harold Ickes (ICK-eez), the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, introduced Anderson to the crowd. “Genius draws no color line,” he said.

Somehow, Anderson remembered, she got her voice to work. “I am so overwhelmed, I just can’t talk,” she told the audience at the end of the concert. “I can’t tell you what you have done for me today. I thank you from the bottom of my heart again and again.”

The concert proved to be a turning point for Anderson. She went on to achieve great fame. In 1955, she overcame discrimination at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, becoming the first African-American singer to perform there as a regular member.

Black Americans looked upon the Easter 1939 concert with tremendous pride. Decades later, many took part in the civil rights demonstrations of the 1960s. For them, that great day Marian Anderson sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial had been the start of it all.

“Marian Anderson: A Voice for Freedom” by Bryan Brown. From Junior Scholastic, March 6, 2006 issue. Copyright © 2006 by Scholastic Inc. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.

Jim Crow: a term for discriminatory laws, from an offensive reference to black people

spirituals: religious songs originated by black people in the southern United States



■37In the extended metaphor in paragraph 2, to which experience does Anderson compare her emotions?

A floatingB surfingC drowningD diving

■38How did Anderson’s singing at the Union Baptist Church most contribute to her future success?

A It relieved her fear of performing.B It helped to develop her musical ability.C It allowed her to meet with Eleanor

Roosevelt.D It raised money for her Lincoln

Memorial concert.

■39Based on the passage, which word best describes the community in which Anderson was raised?

A supportiveB wealthyC inventiveD carefree


“It was as if a cold, horrifying hand had been laid on me.”

What tone does Anderson set with the simile in the sentence?

A wearyB bitterC oppressedD baffled


“Genius draws no color line,” he said.

What is the author’s purpose for including the sentence?

A to prove Anderson’s intelligenceB to encourage support for AndersonC to describe Anderson’s appearanceD to emphasize admiration for Anderson

■42Which event most directly led to the concert on the Mall?

A Anderson performed with the Metropolitan Opera.

B Anderson performed for Arturo Toscanini in Austria.

C Anderson was not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall.

D Anderson was not let in to a Philadelphia music school.

Answer the following questions about the passage “Marian Anderson: A Voice for Freedom.”



■43Which person quoted in the passage speaking about Anderson is most qualified to assess her musical ability?

A Wesley ParksB Arturo ToscaniniC Eleanor RooseveltD Harold Ickes

■44Why does the author both start and end the passage with Anderson’s performance at the Easter concert in Washington, D.C.?

A to highlight the large attendance at the concert

B to emphasize the historical importance of the concert

C to increase the suspense of the outcome of the concert

D to illustrate the joy felt by those who attended the concert

■45How are the headings used to organize the passage?

A They give historical context to Anderson’s career.

B They emphasize specific problems Anderson faced.

C They highlight words that Anderson found inspiring.

D They introduce different time periods in Anderson’s life.

■46Based on the meaning of the prefix auto-, an autobiography is a biography that is written

A by its subject.B in praise of its subject.C by an expert on its subject.D after the death of its subject.



■47The author claims that the Easter 1939 concert helped to advance the rights of African-Americans. Analyze whether there is sufficient support for this claim in the passage. Use details from the passage to support your response.




Mafatu�is�a�boy�who�lives�on�the�island�of�Hikueru�in�the�South�Pacific.�He�has�long�been�afraid�of�the�sea.�Read�the�excerpt�from�the�play.�Then�answer�questions�48�through�59.

An Excerpt from Call It Courageadapted by Bryon Cahill

Cast of Characters:

Narrators 1, 2, 3, 4Mafatu Mafatu’s fear Mafatu’s courage Kana, a�village�boyVillage boys 1, 2, 3 Moana, the�sea�god

SCENE 2

1 Narrator 4: Everyone sees Mafatu as the scared little boy who contributes nothing.

Narrator 1: Mafatu wants desperately to help his village in any way that he can. He spends his time weaving nets for the fishermen and avoiding other boys.

Narrator 2: The one boy who is friendly to Mafatu is Kana. Sometimes, Kana stays behind with Mafatu when the other boys go fishing with their fathers.

Kana: The bonitos1 have begun to run, Mafatu.

5 Mafatu: Yes.

Kana: My father brought back word from the reef today. Already there are bonitos out there. Tomorrow we boys will go after them. That’s our job. It will be fun, eh?

Narrator 3: Mafatu’s knuckles whiten. His ears pound with the swift fury of the sea. Kana, seeing that he is scared, starts to walk away.

Mafatu’s courage: I wanted to cry out to him, “Wait, Kana! I’ll go! I’ll try!”

Mafatu’s fear: But the words did not come.

10 Narr 4: Later in the evening, the boys’ fathers all boast about their sons. Mafatu’s father, Tavana Nui, is silent. He is ashamed of his boy.

Village boy 1: Hikueru is too poor. There are only fish from the sea. A man must be fearless to provide food. We will all go—every one of us!

Village boy 2: Not all of us will go. Not Mafatu!

Village boy 3: Ha! He is afraid!

1bonitos: mackerel-like fish



Kana: He makes good spears.

15 Village boy 1: Ho! That is woman’s work.

Village boy 2: Mafatu is afraid of the sea.

Village boy 3: He will never be a warrior.

Kana: I have tried to be friendly to him. But he is good only for making spears. Mafatu is a coward.

Narr 1: The boys disappear down the moonlit beach. Their laughter floats back on the night air. Mafatu stands still.

20 Mafatu’s fear: Kana had spoken. He had voiced, once and for all, the feeling of the tribe. I, Mafatu, whom my father had once called Stout Heart, was a coward.

Mafatu’s courage: That’s when I made up my mind. A fierce resentment flowed through me. I knew in an instant what I had to do: prove my courage to myself, and to others, or I could no longer live in their midst.

Narr 2: Mafatu walks with purpose to his hut. There, he finds his dog, Uri.

Mafatu: We’re going away, Uri. Off to the south there are other islands.

Narr 3: Together, Mafatu and Uri head off to the shore’s edge. Mafatu flings half a dozen green drinking nuts and his fish spear into a canoe. Then boy and dog board the tiny vessel.

25 Narr 4: He picks up a paddle, and, without giving another thought to fear, pushes off.

Mafatu’s courage: The lagoon was as untroubled as a mirror. Noiselessly, I propelled the canoe forward, sending it half a length ahead with every thrust of my paddle.

Mafatu’s fear: As I drew nearer to the barrier reef, the thunder of the surf increased. The old, familiar dread of it sunk in my stomach’s pit.

Narr 1: Mafatu’s hands tighten on the paddle. For a second, he almost turns back. But then he sees his albatross, Kivi, flying high above him, guiding him.

Mafatu: Kivi! You have come along on this adventure with us! My heart is lifted!

30 Narr 2: The bird circles slowly in the moonlight, then heads out to the open ocean. Mafatu grips the steering paddle and follows.

SCENE 3

Narr 3: Day breaks over a gray and dismal world. Mafatu looks back over his shoulder, searching for the last glimpse of Hikueru, his home. But the island has vanished.

Mafatu’s courage: I was out there. I was doing it. Me. The boy who was afraid.

Narr 4: The sea is calm for Mafatu at first. As he paddles, he meets all sorts of sea creatures.



Mafatu’s courage: Flying fish broke the water, skimming away in a silver shimmer of flight. A dolphin sped after us, smooth-rolling in its pursuit, so close that I could hear the sound of its breathing.

35 Narr 1: Mafatu opens one of the green drinking nuts and tilts his head back to let the cool liquid trickle down his parched throat.

Mafatu: Would you like some food, Uri?

Narr 2: Mafatu scoops out some gelatinous meat for his pup, who eats it gratefully.

Narr 3: The boy looks to the sky, searching for Kivi.

Mafatu: There are hundreds of birds in the sky, Uri! Perhaps thousands! Kivi could be any one of them or none at all!

40 Narr 4: Uri just looks at Mafatu with curious dog eyes.

Narr 1: Suddenly, the wind picks up.

Mafatu’s fear: Storms in the South Pacific frequently come out of nowhere. I was very young when the sea god took my mother, but I remember how fast the weather turned.

Narr 2: A light drizzle quickly turns to hard rain and blasts Mafatu’s sail.

Mafatu’s fear: A heavy squall came upon us, and the waves got higher. All around us was tumbling water, gray in the hollows, greenish in the slopes. Like advance scouts of an oncoming army, wind gusts moved down upon our canoe, striking at it savagely.

45 Mafatu: Spare us, Moana!

Mafatu’s courage: Somehow, the sound of my own voice reassured me. I guided our small canoe well and with a skill I did not know I possessed.

Narr 3: The sky darkens. A burst of lightning lights up the sea with supernatural brilliance. An instantaneous crack of thunder shatters the world.

Narr 4: The storm rages on for hours, but Mafatu manages to keep his canoe afloat. The storm very slowly weakens in the night. When it finally subsides, the boy is exhausted from struggling against the currents. He believes he hears an old, familiar voice ringing in his ears.

Moana: Someday, Mafatu, I will claim you.

50 Narr 1: In the morning, the sun is warm on Mafatu’s sleeping face. He wakes and sees Uri looking out at something in the far distance.

Mafatu’s courage: It was land!

Mafatu: Uri! Uri! It’s land. Land!

“An Excerpt from Call It Courage” adapted by Bryon Cahill. From Read Magazine, October 2010 issue. Copyright © 2010 by The Weekly Reader Corporation. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc.



■48Read the sentences below that are spoken by different characters in the play.

He spends his time weaving nets for the fishermen and avoiding other boys.

The one boy who is friendly to Mafatu is Kana.

Based on the sentences, what can the reader conclude about Mafatu?

A He has very few friends.B He is too busy for friends.C He used to have more friends.D He wants to make more friends.

■49What is the most likely reason that the author names Kana but not the other village boys?

A because Kana is the greatest fisherman on Hikueru

B because Kana is the only person who has met Moana

C because Kana is the son of the island leader Tavana Nui

D because Kana is the only person who is friendly to Mafatu

■50Read the sentence below from the play.

The lagoon was as untroubled as a mirror.

The simile in the sentence is used to show that the water of the lagoon was

A warm.B calm.C bright.D clear.


I was very young when the sea god took my mother, but I remember how fast the weather turned.

What does the sentence help the reader to understand?

A how old Mafatu isB how prepared Mafatu isC why Mafatu fears the oceanD what Mafatu knows about storms

Answer the following questions about the play “An Excerpt from Call It Courage.”




Like advance scouts of an oncoming army, wind gusts moved down upon our canoe, striking at it savagely.

The figurative language in the sentence suggests that the storm is

A cheating Mafatu.B attacking Mafatu.C unaware of Mafatu.D uninterested in Mafatu.

■53Read the sentences below that are spoken by different characters in the play.

I guided our small canoe well and with a skill I did not know I possessed.

The storm rages on for hours, but Mafatu manages to keep his canoe afloat.

Which idea do the sentences suggest?

A Mafatu has experience building fishing boats.

B Mafatu has been fishing many times in boats.

C Mafatu has a lot of experience steering boats.

D Mafatu has a natural talent for steering boats.

■54How does the storm help to shape Mafatu’s character?

A It allows him to gain confidence.B It permits him to forgive his mistakes.C It lets him realize what is most

important in life.D It makes him understand his

restlessness.


In the morning, the sun is warm on Mafatu’s sleeping face.

If the play were to be produced onstage, which designer’s work would be affected most by the sentence?

A the set designerB the sound designerC the lighting designerD the costume designer



■56Which line from the play best shows that nature must always be respected?

A Narr 3: Day breaks over a gray and dismal world.

B Mafatu: There are hundreds of birds in the sky, Uri!

C Moana: Someday, Mafatu, I will claim you.

D Mafatu’s courage: It was land!

■57How does the author develop Mafatu’s competing emotions?

A by having the narrators describe themB by letting the villagers speak with themC by dividing them into different

charactersD by representing them with different

animals

■58Which sentence best states the theme of the play?

A Fears can be overcome by facing them.B Friendships must be equal in order

to last.C The hopes of others can be difficult

to fulfill.D A community must work together

to survive.

■59Read the sentences below from the play.

The storm very slowly weakens in the night. When it finally subsides, the boy is exhausted from struggling against the currents.

Based on the sentences, what does the word subsides mean?

A enduresB combinesC ascendsD decreases



The�numbers�we�use�for�counting�have�not�always�existed—they�had�to�be�invented.�Read�the�following�two�passages�about�the�development�of�numbers�and�counting.�Then�answer�questions�60�through�69.�

The History of Countingby Denise Schmandt-Besserat

1 The most universal way of counting, the one the majority of people use today, is known as abstract�counting, using abstract numbers. We separate, or abstract, the idea of “one,” “two,” “three,” and so on, from the thing we are counting. This system is very convenient because:

• Abstract numbers count anything.

• Each abstract number is expressed by a word that remains the same no matter what is being counted.

2 Mathematicians think that abstract counting developed over a long period of time. Some suggest that the evolution of counting may have happened in three steps: 1. counting without numbers, 2. concrete counting, and 3. abstract counting. Ancient objects used for counting found in the Middle East support this idea.

3 The earliest counting devices are notched bones that were found among the remains of hunters and gatherers who lived about fifteen thousand years ago in what is now the Middle East. Although we do not know what these ancient people counted with the notched bones, these counting devices may tell how they counted. Because each notch is similar to the next one and because there never seems to be a total indicated on the bones, it is likely that the hunters and gatherers had not yet developed numbers. Each notch probably stood for “and one more.”

4 The counters found in the villages and towns built by farmers between five thousand and ten thousand years ago were small tokens of many shapes. Each token shape was used to count only one type of thing. For example, sheep were counted with disks, but jars of oil were counted with egg-shaped tokens. (We know this because the signs for sheep and oil in early Sumerian writing pictured a disk and an egg shape.)

5 The fact that each different type of item was counted with a different-shaped token suggests that the early farmers had different sets of numbers to count various things. They counted concretely. They used the tokens by matching them with the number of things counted: One sheep was shown by one disk, two sheep by two disks, and so on.

6 We owe the invention of abstract numbers to the Sumerians who lived in the first cities, in the region of present-day Iraq, about five thousand years ago.

7 Why is this counting system different from the others? For the first time, number and things counted were separated, or abstracted. Sheep and jars of oil were finally counted with the same numbers!

8 Why did it take thousands and thousands of years to invent abstract numbers? Why weren’t they invented sooner? It was not a question of intelligence: The size of your brain is the same as that of a child who lived fifty thousand years ago. Probably it was a matter of need. The simple life of hunters and gatherers required little counting, since these people lived on the animals they caught



or the plants and fruits they gathered daily. The fact that it was the first farmers who invented tokens suggests that domesticating animals and plants made counting necessary. It makes a lot of sense that counting became important when the life of a community depended on knowing how many bags of grain to keep for planting the next harvest and how many animals would feed the village during the winter season.

9 There can also be no doubt that abstract counting was invented to cope with the development of business, trade, and taxes in the first cities. A more precise method of counting became necessary once workshops produced quantities of pottery and tools. But it was the tax system that had the biggest impact on counting. Every month, each Sumerian had to deliver to the ruler specific amounts of fish, oil, grain, or animals. Because of this, the palace accountants had to come up with a way to keep track of large amounts of goods.

10 The three steps in counting, therefore, were responses to new demands brought about by the increased complexity of life.

11 Once abstract numbers were invented, they were used more and more widely in trade and in calculations needed for everyday life.

12 And with the greater use of numbers also came the need for larger and larger numbers. In the country of Sumer, the most common large number that was used in everyday life was 60. It was called “the big one,” which suggests that, at some time, it had been the highest number. But by 2500 B.C., the Sumerians’ largest number had grown to 36,000. It was probably used very rarely and then only by palace accountants to calculate tax collections.



An Excerpt from Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Ideaby Charles Seife

1 It’s difficult for a modern person to imagine a life without zero, just as it’s hard to imagine life without the number seven or the number 31. However, there was a time where there was no zero—just as there was no seven and 31. It was before the beginning of history, so paleontologists have had to piece together the tale of the birth of mathematics from bits of stone and bone. From these fragments, researchers discovered that Stone Age mathematicians were a bit more rugged than modern ones. Instead of blackboards, they used wolves.

2 A key clue to the nature of Stone Age mathematics was unearthed in the late 1930s when archaeologist Karl Absolom, sifting through Czechoslovakian dirt, uncovered a 30,000-year-old wolf bone with a series of notches carved into it. Nobody knows whether Gog the caveman had used the bone to count the deer he killed, the paintings he drew, or the days he had gone without a bath, but it is pretty clear that early humans were counting something.

3 A wolf bone was the Stone Age equivalent of a supercomputer. Gog’s ancestors couldn’t even count up to two, and they certainly did not need zero. In the very beginning of mathematics, it seems that people could only distinguish between one and many. A caveman owned one spearhead or many spearheads; he had eaten one crushed lizard or many crushed lizards. There was no way to express any quantities other than one and many. Over time, primitive languages evolved to distinguish between one, two, and many, and eventually one, two, three, many, but didn’t have terms for higher numbers. Some languages still have this shortcoming. The Siriona Indians of Bolivia and the Brazilian Yanoama people don’t have words for anything larger than three; instead, these two tribes use the words for “many” or “much.”

4 Thanks to the very nature of numbers—they can be added together to create new ones—the number system didn’t stop at three. After a while, clever tribesmen began to string number-words in a row to yield more numbers. The languages currently used by the Bacairi and the Bororo peoples of Brazil show this process in action; they have number systems that go “one,” “two,” “two and one,” “two and two,” “two and two and one,” and so forth. These people count by twos. Mathematicians call this a binary system.

5 Few people count by twos like the Bacairi and Bororo. The old wolf bone seems to be more typical of ancient counting systems. Gog’s wolf bone had 55 little notches in it, arranged into groups of five; there was a second notch after the first 25 marks. It looks suspiciously as if Gog was counting by fives, and then tallied groups in bunches of five. This makes a lot of sense. It is a lot faster to tally the number of marks in groups than it is to count them one by one. Modern mathematicians would say that Gog, the wolf carver, used a five-based or quinary counting system.

6 But why five? Deep down, it’s an arbitrary decision. If Gog put his tallies in groups of four, and counted in groups of four and 16, his number system would have worked just as well, as would groups of six and 36. The groupings don’t affect the number of marks on the bone; they only affect the way that Gog tallies them up in the end—and he will always get the same answer no matter how he counts them. However, Gog preferred to count in groups of five rather than four, and people all over the world shared Gog’s preference. It was an accident of nature that gave humans five fingers on each hand, and because of this accident, five seemed to be a favorite base system across many cultures. The early Greeks, for instance, used the word “fiving” to describe the process of tallying.

“The History of Counting” by Denise Schmandt-Besserat. Copyright © 1997 by Denise Schmandt-Besserat. Reprinted by permission of Raines & Raines. “An Excerpt from Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea” by Charles Seife. Copyright © 2000 by Charles Seife. Reprinted by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.



■60In “The History of Counting,” what evidence does the author use to support the idea that counting with abstract numbers is convenient?

A Abstract numbers can be easily replaced by tokens.

B Abstract numbers were used by hunters and gatherers.

C Abstract numbers stay the same for anything being counted.

D Abstract numbers were developed in a series of simple steps.

■61How does the author of “The History of Counting” relate two central ideas of the passage?

A by comparing the use of notched bones to the use of counting tokens

B by linking the use of counting systems to the needs of hunters and gatherers

C by explaining how the rise of civilization created a need for abstract counting

D by showing that intelligence was essential to the development of abstract counting

■62What is the main purpose of the final paragraph in “The History of Counting”?

A to describe the limitations of early counting systems

B to note how early counting systems affected cultures

C to show when various counting systems were developed

D to emphasize that counting systems progressed with society

■63In paragraph 9 of “The History of Counting,” what does the word precise mean?

A efficientB exactC normalD useful

■64Which is the best summary of “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea”?

A Early people had primitive counting methods that did not include numbers. Gradually, counting systems matured to become more elaborate and exact.

B The number seven was not needed or understood by primitive people. Some early people used estimation rather than counting to keep track of certain possessions.

C Early people did not have any need to count numbers larger than one. People in some cultures counted by groups of two, while others preferred to count by groups of five.

D Making marks on bones was the main method early people used to keep track of numbers. It was faster to count things in groups of numbers than it was to count things individually.

Answer the following questions about the passages “The History of Counting” and “An Excerpt from Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea.”



■65Read the sentence below from “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea.”

Instead of blackboards, they used wolves.

Which statement best explains how tone is created in the sentence?

A The length creates a gruff tone.B The contrast creates a humorous tone.C The comparison creates an awed tone.D The exaggeration creates a

scornful tone.

■66Which point does the author of “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea” support by citing the Bacairi of Brazil and the early Greeks?

A Different peoples developed different counting systems.

B Some cultures have never developed words for counting.

C Many primitive peoples used notched bones for counting.

D Systems of counting developed over long periods of time.

■67In “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea,” how does the author support the theory that the quinary counting system is based on the number of fingers on the human hand?

A by explaining that although any base numbering system would work, the quinary system is used in many cultures

B by showing that some cultures string words together to create new numbers, but the quinary system is more easily understood

C by explaining that primitive peoples could not count beyond one, but they later developed a quinary system using notched bones

D by showing that although base counting systems were not used by early peoples, the quinary system eventually became widely used

■68In paragraph 6 of “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea,” what does the word arbitrary mean?

A made by a small groupB coming about by chanceC built upon over a long timeD expressed by a specific person



■69Although “The History of Counting” and “Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea” share a topic, they each have a different focus. Analyze differences in focus between the two passages. Use details from both passages to support your response.


You may want to go back and check your answers or answer questionsyou did not complete.


Copyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education For Nevada use onlyPage 33


READINGGRADE 7

Appendix I

ScoringSupportMaterials


Teacher Support Materials from Nevada Department of Education Purpose of Reading Text The purpose of reading must be taught to students. The state Criterion Referenced Test and the Nevada Academic Content Standards in English language arts include two types of reading passages: literary and informational.

1. Literary text—to identify, describe, analyze, and compare characters, character traits, themes, settings, sequence, plot, conflict, resolution of conflict, and figurative language, and to make inferences and predictions.

2. Informational text—to locate essential information from text features, distinguish between fact/opinion, determine organizational structure, identify or describe main ideas, draw conclusions about text, summarize an author’s ideas, evaluate an author’s ideas and arguments, assess evidence to support an author’s ideas, identify unsupported or faulty reasoning of an author’s position, evaluate how an author’s ideas shape the text, summarize an author’s ideas, and assess the reasonableness of evidence.

By using these materials, you can identify, read, and discuss these different text types and the corresponding knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate. These same reading analysis skills apply to core classes such as mathematics, science, and social studies . Vocabulary Knowledge The Nevada Department of Education believes that students are not thoroughly being taught the content vocabulary of the Nevada Academic Content Standards in English language arts. For example, character traits, author’s purpose, main idea, organizational structure, fact/opinion, analyze, and predict are terms used in the assessments at grade-appropriate levels. Students in Nevada must have repeated experiences with speaking, listening, reading, and writing the vocabulary of the standards. Students should be able to use the vocabulary of the standards when they are engaged in classroom discussion, read it in assessments, and effectively use the vocabulary in their writing. As Dr. Robert Marzano pointed out in his analysis of current research in the September 2009 edition of Educational Leadership, in an article titled The Art and Science of Teaching Better Vocabulary Instruction, direct vocabulary instruction matters. You might find some of the following strategies to be effective for teaching vocabulary in your classroom:

• Pre-teach vocabulary at the start of the lesson. • Make connections to real-life situations by providing a description, explanation, or example. • Make an interactive word wall that allows students to physically interact with the vocabulary in the classroom. • Ask students to re-state or re-explain a word’s meaning in their own words or discuss the word with one another. • Ask students to construct a picture, graphic, or symbol for each word. • Have students play games with the words, such as Bingo with definitions, Pictionary, Charades, etc.


Types of Questions and Support Documents The State of Nevada reading assessment includes two types of questions—multiple-choice questions for all grades (3–8 and high school) and constructed-response questions for grades 4–8. We have provided p-values (the proportion of students who got the item correct) for the multiple-choice items that were field tested in the 2012–2013 CRT administrations. The p-values indicate how students performed on the items. In addition, we have provided the percentage of students selecting each response option. The p-values, combined with the item-level percentages by response option, provide valuable data to the field as to what types of errors students are making. To further assist with the understanding of constructed-response items, scoring guides and annotated student examples have been included.

To help prepare students for constructed-response questions, we have provided you with:

1. the student checklist (included in the student test booklet at grades 4 and 5) 2. the general student rubric (included in the student test booklet at grades 6–8) 3. item-specific rubrics 4. annotated student work

Students can learn to use the checklist or rubric to determine if they have answered the constructed-response questions completely. Familiarity with the tools provided as part of the assessment and with the vocabulary of the standards can result in less anxiety on the part of students and teachers. (Please note that the student checklist and the general student rubric can be on the walls of your classroom throughout the school year. As you assign constructed-response questions, students can use these tools as they develop their answers.) The types of questions included in these instructional materials allow for the assessment of different levels of cognitive complexity. The questions are developed so that students cannot just skim and scan the passages to find the answers; they must go back and reread the text to determine the correct answer, including drawing inferences and conclusions from what they have read. Teaching students to identify, write, and use different levels of questioning skills as they read can only lead to improved comprehension and achievement on classroom, state, and national assessments. We suggest that you engage students in question writing so that they not only can recognize these levels of complexity, but can begin to formulate them as well. Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels In the appendices of these documents, you will find that we have included the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels for each item. It is important that both you and your students understand that our standards can be measured at multiple levels. The following information will assist you in refreshing your understanding of the DOK levels and the importance of the use of them in daily instruction. In addition to measuring a broad spectrum of English language arts content standards, the types of questions included in these instructional materials allow for the assessment of different levels of cognitive complexity. The different levels of complexity will also enrich your classroom discussions around the depth to which students need to understand the various standards. The Nevada Proficiency Examination Program in English language arts includes items to assess three DOK levels. These DOK levels are based on descriptions developed by Dr. Norman Webb and adapted for Nevada’s English language arts assessments. We suggest that you engage your students in question writing so they not


only can recognize these levels of complexity, but can begin to formulate them as well. The following are the three DOK levels used on Nevada’s English language arts assessments:

DOK Level 1: Recall—Level 1 requires the recall of facts or use of basic skills. A Level 1 item consists of literal recall from text, paraphrasing, or simple understanding of a single word or phrase. A Level 1 item may require a simple connection between sentences, which may be considered a very basic inference. DOK Level 2: Use of Concepts and Skills—Level 2 requires comprehension and mental processing of text or portions of text. A Level 2 item includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. A Level 2 item requires the application of skills and concepts. Some important concepts are covered but not in a deeply complex way.

DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving—Level 3 requires abstract reasoning, critical thinking, and/or the application of abstract concepts to new situations.

Length of Passages WestEd constructs the assessment forms and includes a range of passage lengths within the grade-level assessments. NDE and WestEd believe that it is important for students to have opportunities to read passages of differing lengths as a part of the regular curriculum. Students should have experience in sustaining comprehension with passages of varying lengths. We do not want students to be surprised by the volume of reading required on the state assessment. The following represent the guidelines for passage lengths for each grade level:

Grade 3 300–500 words Grade 4 300–550 words Grade 5 400–700 words Grade 6 400–800 words Grade 7 500–950 words Grade 8 500–1000 words HSPE 500–1200 words

Students should be made aware of the length of the assessment at their grade level, as well as passage lengths for successive grades. We believe that this will allow them to understand, for example, what a 500-word text actually looks like, so that they are not overwhelmed on the day of the assessment when they encounter one of the longer passages.

English Language Arts “Teacher Tips” Immediately following is a brief list of “Teacher Tips.” These are specific suggestions for how best to use these instructional materials to deepen your students’ understanding of the depth and breath of the content of the 2010 Nevada Academic Content Standards in English language arts.


Have students read the items before reading the passage. Then ask students to read the

passage and to highlight the places in the passage where evidence supports the answers to the items they read first. Have students explain why they highlighted the words or phrases they did.

To highlight a text without ruining it, use a sheet of transparency paper. Lay the

transparency over the text. Use a crayon or marker to note the evidence. Use a cleaning eraser sponge to make changes.

Motivate students to reread the passage by providing new purposes for reading the

passage. This will help students see the text with fresh eyes. Group items in batches, for use across multiple days. Return to the passage and a subset

of items over multiple days so that students have opportunities to go deeper into the text. Cover or hide the text features in a passage, and have students read the passage. Then

uncover the text features and have students read the passage again. Ask students to describe how their understanding of the passage has changed and how the text features contributed to their understanding.

Divide the class into two groups. Give each group a passage and its items. Have each

group become experts on its own passage. Then have each group teach the other group how to master the content and items.

Separate the passage from the items, and have students read the text closely with multiple purposes. Have students use readers’ marks or highlighting to annotate the passage. Then give students the passage with the items and have them answer the items. This will demonstrate how important close reading and annotation are.

Emphasize that readers read differently depending on genre. Give students an example of

a play with its stage directions removed; then have them read the play with the stage directions reinstated. Ask how the play is different if you take out the stage directions.

Have students play Flip It (or Three Rights and a Wrong). In an item, take the wrong

answer and turn it into a correct answer. Ask what it would take to flip it and make it correct.

Have students play Zip It to narrow down their answer choices. Print the answer choices

on index cards. Have students select the wrong answers and write their rationales for why the answers are wrong on the back of the card. Have students put the wrong answers into a resealable bag and zip it. On some days, grade students on the rationales for the right answers. On other days, grade them for the rationales for the wrong answers.

Use sticky notes to create a timeline, sequence, or summary. Have students draw a

picture to represent a scene on the front of a sticky note and write a scene description on the back. Have students stick the sticky notes on the board in the correct order.


Have students play Switch It Out. Teach students flexibility by switching out the tools they use to annotate a text. Use colored pens, markers, pens, and other tools so that no one tool gets too stale.

Use a flow chart to condense and summarize a passage. Draw seven boxes on the board. Have students retell the story in the seven boxes. Then draw five boxes underneath the seven boxes. Have students condense the story into the five boxes. Then draw three boxes underneath the five boxes. Have students condense the story into the three boxes.

Have students play Find Out More. Send students to find out more about a topic

presented in a passage. Ask what they are still wondering about after reading the passage. Have students write a note to the author suggesting what he or she could add to the passage, or have students write the next journal entry, scene, or section of the passage, using the information they have found.

Have students write a missing question. Ask what additional questions should the item

writer have written about this passage. Then have students write those questions. Have students write the next scene in a passage. Have them explain why they made the

decisions they made, based on the information in the original passage.

Help students understand how to cite information from a passage. Ask them whether they should use details, quotes, or paraphrases, or refer to ideas.

Connection to Smarter Balanced Assessments With the use of these materials, students can become familiar with the different types of questions used on the current state assessments and future Smarter Balanced assessments. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents can find additional Smarter Balanced type assessment items at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments. On this site you will also find instructional resources and information that may assist you and your students as we transition to the new generation of assessments by the school year 2014–2015. We hope that interaction with these instructional support materials will lead to higher understanding of the Nevada Academic Content Standards in English language arts and lower anxiety around the assessment tasks that are being presented to our students. If you have questions about the English language arts materials or how to embed this information into your curriculum, please contact your district English language arts leaders. If you have any questions concerning the Nevada Department of Education state assessments please contact either Darrin Hardman at [email protected], Lisa Ford at [email protected], one of our two English language arts specialists, or Dave Brancamp at [email protected], our assistant director for the Assessments, Program Accountability, and Curriculum department.


Correct Answers for Multiple-Choice Items

ItemNumber NVACS* DOK P-value A B C D

1 RL.7.1 1 0.63 28% 6% 63% ✓ 3%

2 RL.7.3 2 0.61 15% 14% 61% ✓ 10%

3 L.7.5a 2 0.57 10% 14% 19% 57% ✓

4 RL.7.2 2 0.67 8% 67% ✓ 13% 12%

5 RL.7.2 2 0.41 21% 41% ✓ 17% 21%

6 RL.7.1 2 0.54 54% ✓ 19% 13% 14%

7 RL.7.3 2 0.62 62% ✓ 14% 12% 12%

8 RL.7.3 2 0.53 23% 12% 53% ✓ 11%

9 L.7.5b 2 0.54 12% 15% 19% 54% ✓

10 L.7.4b 1 0.55 55% ✓ 8% 20% 17%

11 RL.7.5 3 N/A --- --- --- ---

12 RI.7.1 1 0.52 29% 8% 11% 52% ✓

13 RI.7.4 2 0.56 27% 11% 56% ✓ 6%

14 RI.7.6 2 0.47 19% 10% 24% 47% ✓

15 RI.7.1 2 0.74 10% 8% 74% ✓ 8%

16 RI.7.2 2 0.40 27% 40% ✓ 19% 13%

17 RI.7.5 2 0.53 53% ✓ 16% 14% 17%

18 RI.7.3 1 0.76 76% ✓ 7% 9% 8%

19 RI.7.5 2 0.57 10% 57% ✓ 11% 20%

20 RI.7.2 2 0.47 17% 47% ✓ 28% 8%

21 RI.7.8 3 0.53 17% 53% ✓ 17% 13%

22 L.7.4b 1 0.77 8% 77% ✓ 10% 5%

* Nevada Academic Content Standards

P-value is the proportion of students who got ✓ = Correct Answerthe item correct (Continued on next page)

Item Level DataPercentage of Students Selecting

a Given Response



23 RI.7.3 3 N/A --- --- --- ---

24 RL.7.1 2 0.61 18% 61% ✓ 11% 10%

25 RL.7.4 2 0.76 7% 76% ✓ 8% 9%

26 RL.7.2 2 0.59 18% 12% 11% 59% ✓

27 RL.7.4 2 0.68 68% ✓ 5% 13% 13%

28 RL.7.1 2 0.61 8% 13% 18% 61% ✓

29 RL.7.1 2 0.35 25% 17% 35% ✓ 23%

30 RL.7.2 2 0.51 21% 51% ✓ 14% 13%

31 RL.7.2 3 0.42 32% 13% 42% ✓ 13%

32 RL.7.6 2 0.68 68% ✓ 8% 17% 6%

33 RL.7.3 3 0.54 18% 13% 54% ✓ 15%

34 L.7.4a 2 0.66 15% 9% 10% 66% ✓

35 L.7.4a 2 0.59 59% ✓ 17% 15% 9%

36 RL.7.3 3 N/A --- --- --- ---

37 RI.7.4 2 0.62 17% 14% 62% ✓ 7%

38 RI.7.3 2 0.48 20% 48% ✓ 15% 16%

39 RI.7.1 2 0.70 70% ✓ 9% 9% 11%

40 RI.7.4 2 0.24 22% 33% 24% ✓ 21%

41 RI.7.6 2 0.27 21% 35% 17% 27% ✓

42 RI.7.3 2 0.49 16% 23% 49% ✓ 11%

43 RI.7.1 2 0.36 11% 36% ✓ 41% 12%

44 RI.7.5 2 0.56 12% 56% ✓ 19% 12%

Correct Answers for Multiple-Choice Items (continued)




a Given Response



45 RI.7.5 2 0.43 20% 23% 13% 43% ✓

46 L.7.4b 1 0.51 51% ✓ 13% 21% 15%

47 RI.7.8 3 N/A --- --- --- ---

48 RL.7.1 2 0.71 71% ✓ 18% 4% 8%

49 RL.7.6 2 0.73 7% 9% 10% 73% ✓

50 RL.7.4 2 0.53 4% 53% ✓ 7% 36%

51 RL.7.1 2 0.70 6% 11% 70% ✓ 12%

52 RL.7.4 2 0.79 4% 79% ✓ 11% 5%

53 RL.7.1 2 0.64 9% 8% 18% 64% ✓

54 RL.7.3 2 0.70 70% ✓ 7% 15% 7%

55 RL.7.5 2 0.65 20% 8% 65% ✓ 6%

56 RL.7.2 2 0.35 31% 16% 35% ✓ 18%

57 RL.7.6 2 0.56 25% 13% 56% ✓ 6%

58 RL.7.2 2 0.73 73% ✓ 7% 9% 10%

59 L.7.4a 2 0.64 10% 9% 16% 64% ✓

60 RI.7.1 2 0.46 17% 19% 46% ✓ 17%

61 RI.7.2 3 0.31 27% 22% 31% ✓ 19%

62 RI.7.5 2 0.38 24% 15% 22% 38% ✓

63 L.7.4a 1 0.53 22% 53% ✓ 10% 15%

64 RI.7.2 2 0.38 38% ✓ 15% 24% 22%

65 RI.7.4 2 0.28 21% 28% ✓ 28% 22%

66 RI.7.1 2 0.47 47% ✓ 15% 15% 23%





a Given Response


Detailed objectives for Content Standards and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) descriptions can be found on the Nevada Department of Education web site.


67 RI.7.1 3 0.29 29% ✓ 22% 28% 20%

68 L.7.4a 2 0.31 18% 31% ✓ 28% 23%

69 RI.7.9 3 N/A --- --- --- ---



P-value is the proportion of students who got ✓ = Correct Answerthe item correct


a Given Response


Scoring Guides

and

Student Response

Examples by

Score Point

READINGGRADE 7


Nevada 2013 Grade 7 Reading “Make a Wish”

F1 Q58

Scoring Guide:

Score Description 3

Response is a complete analysis of how the narrative structure helps readers to understand human nature. Response is supported with details from the passage.

2

Response is a limited analysis of how the narrative structure helps readers to understand human nature. Response is supported with limited details (number or quality) from the passage.

1

Response is a minimal analysis of how the narrative structure helps readers to understand human nature. Response is supported with few or no details from the passage.

0 Response is totally incorrect or irrelevant. Blank No response.

Scoring Notes:

• The narrative structure of the passage helps the reader to understand that truth is in the eye of the beholder/memories are imperfect.

• It does this by giving four different versions of the same events. In each version, details sometimes are the same and sometimes are different. When the details are the same, it helps the reader to know that the events are true, which shows that shared experiences can be remembered the same way. When the details differ, it makes the reader question what really happened, which shows that the truth can be distorted by memory, and may never be definitively known.

• The narrative structure of the passage also helps the reader to understand that human experiences are filtered through each person differently, depending on personality and character traits. There is no single true way to witness and interpret events.


Score Point: 3The response is tightly focused on what the structure reveals about human nature: that “we all want the credit when something extraordinary occurs” and that people tend to be self-absorbed. It is well supported by details from the passage. It is a complete response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750009769 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD01058Annotation: complete analysis supported with solid details-possible A

“Make a Wish”


Score Point: 3 The response is a complete analysis of the narrative structure. It reflects an understanding that the structure lends insight into each character’s thoughts and perceptions. It mentions that all of the characters claim to have found the magic bottle. While this idea could have been further developed, the response is sufficient to be considered complete.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750002471 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3 RespCode: RD01058Annotation: complete analysis supported with several relevant details from pssg

“Make a Wish”


Score Point: 2 The response reflects an understanding that the narrative structure allows the reader to see the events from different characters’ perspectives. It refers to the four characters and the fact that they are granted one wish each. Any reference to what the narrative structure reveals about human nature must be inferred by the reader. It is a limited response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000063 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD01058Annotation: ltd analysis supported with some detail from pssg

“Make a Wish”


Score Point: 2The response reflects an understanding that the narrative structure reflects multiple points of view of the same events. The idea that “they all have their own way of telling the story” is only loosely connected to an understanding of human nature. There is limited detail as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750008090 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD01058Annotation: ltd analysis- repetitive ltd general details

“Make a Wish”


Score Point: 1This is a minimal response. It shows an understanding that the reader learns about each character’s personality and gives minimal detail from the passage as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000465 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD01058Annotation: minimal response with minor detail

“Make a Wish”


Score Point: 1This is an example of a response in the higher range of the 1 score point. The response reflects an understanding that “none of the charcter tell the whole truth” and that the narrative structure shows different points of view. The response would be strengthened by the inclusion of specific details as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750002526 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1 RespCode: RD01058Annotation: minimal response with detail of all claiming to find bottle-

“Make a Wish”


Nevada 2013 Grade 7 Reading

“An Excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids” F2 Q58

Scoring Guide: Score Description

3

Response is a complete explanation of how people in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma and of why the solution has become lost to modern people. Response is supported with details from the passage.

2

Response is a limited explanation of how people in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma and/or of why the solution has become lost to modern people. Response is supported with limited details (number or quality) from the passage.

1

Response is a minimal explanation of how people in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma and/or of why the solution has become lost to modern people. Response is supported with few or no details from the passage.


Scoring Notes: Part A People in the past were able to solve the omnivore’s dilemma by following some simple rules and habits:

• “find and cook local foods” • “They ate what their parents and grandparents had eaten.” • They ate foods that were in season. • They ate “small portions of meat, though not at every meal.”

Part B The solution to the omnivore’s dilemma has become lost to modern people because we stopped following the simple rules and habits outlined in Part A.

• The “industrial food chain” has made it possible for us to eat foods that are out of season, which is not necessarily good for us.

• We have an overwhelming number of choices and have evolved away from the instincts that guided our ancestors.

• We also don’t know what is in our processed foods, and “most of them are made from corn.”

Students are not specifically asked to describe what the omnivore’s dilemma is, though a general understanding of it should be reflected in responses receiving the highest score point.


Score Point: 3The response accurately and completely responds to both parts of the task. It includes specific details and quotations from the passage as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750006447 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD02058Annotation: Response appears to accurately, and completely respond to all parts of the question.

“An Excerpt from The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids”


Score Point: 3This is a complete response to the task. Both parts are addressed, though Part B is somewhat more complete than Part A. It includes many specific and accurate details as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750040398 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD02058Annotation: Part b is stronger than part a, though overall the response is complete.



Score Point: 2While this response touches on many important elements of the passage, it is not entirely clear that the student understands what the omnivore’s dilemma is. It is primarily focused on the cultural aspect of food and omits other potential supporting information.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000131 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD02058Annotation: Some understanding demonstrated in this response, parts A and B are supported with details from thepassage, though both are a bit vague.



Score Point: 2This is an example of a solid 2. It reflects a general understanding of the omnivore’s dilemma and includes some specific details as support, but omits mention of several significant points in both parts.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000884 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD02058Annotation: Limited understanding demonstrated in parts a and b.



Score Point: 1The response reflects an accurate understanding of the passage and task, but includes only minimal support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000069 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD02058Annotation: Not incorrect, though the explanation in both parts is minimal.



Score Point: 1Part A of this response is very vague and somewhat inaccurate. Part B does include some relevant and accurate detail. Overall, this is a minimal response.




“A Race Between Capricious and Prudence” F3 Q58

Scoring Guide: Score Description

3

Response is a complete analysis of whether the themes the author develops in the passage can be applied to modern times. Response is supported with details from the passage.

2

Response is a limited analysis of whether the themes the author develops in the passage can be applied to modern times. Response is supported with limited details (number or quality) from the passage.

1

Response is a minimal analysis of whether the themes the author develops in the passage can be applied to modern times. Response is supported with few or no details from the passage.


Scoring Notes: The themes the author develops in the passage could happen in modern times because they are universal themes. Possible approaches include:

• Conspicuous consumption is both a universal and modern theme. • The prince’s desire for new things is a universal and modern theme. • The king’s frustration with his son’s fickleness and appetite for new things is a universal

and modern theme. • The theme of prudence versus carelessness (as illustrated by the title and the race itself)

is a universal and modern theme. Students may take either position as long as it is well connected to actual themes in the passage. It is most likely that students will reply in the affirmative, as it would be difficult to argue that these are not universal themes.


Score Point: 3The response is a succinct analysis of two relevant themes from the passage and how they could relate to modern times. It includes relevant details for each. It reflects a complete understanding of the passage.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000371 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD03058Annotation: succinct analysis of how themes can be applied to modern times-relevant details for support

“A Race Between Capricious and Prudence”


Score Point: 3The response is a complete analysis of the themes with many relevant details as support. It is both accurate and insightful.



Score Point: 2This is an example of a solid 2. It reflects understanding of a single theme in the passage and supports that theme with some specific details. It is a limited response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000506 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD03058Annotation: ltd analysis-theme of greed- ltd details from passage-mid 2



Score Point: 2The response connects the prince’s earning of the shovel to the idea of people working hard for something. It is an accurate but limited response to the task.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750002038 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2 RespCode: RD03058Annotation: ltd analysis of one theme with some details for support



Score Point: 1The response reflects an understanding of some of the significant elements of the plot that relate to the theme (the greedy prince and his shovel and Frisbee) but doesn’t explicitly link them to a theme. It is a minimal response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000532 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD03058Annotation: minimal with vague details



Score Point: 1The response reflects an understanding that “kids that are spoiled” is related to a main theme of the passage. It is a minimal response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750014895 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD03058Annotation: minimal-vague ref to theme




ÒMarian Anderson: A Voice for FreedomÓ F6 Q58

Scoring Guide:

Score Description 3

Response is a complete analysis of whether there is sufficient support for this claim in the passage. Response is supported with details from the passage.

2

Response is a limited analysis of whether there is sufficient support for this claim in the passage. Response is supported with limited details (number or quality) from the passage.

1

Response is a minimal analysis of whether there is sufficient support for this claim in the passage. Response is supported with few or no details from the passage.


Scoring Notes: Evidence in the passage that supports this claim:

¥ The DARÕs refusal to let Anderson use their building set off a firestorm of protest that included the First Lady.

¥ The Easter concert took place in the same place where Martin Luther King Jr. would give his ÒI Have a DreamÓ speech.

¥ The African-American community took pride in this concert. ¥ Many of the people who attended AndersonÕs concert took part in the civil rights

demonstrations of the 1960s. ¥ The author says that ÒAnderson struck her blow for freedom simply by singing.Ó

Evidence that indicates there is not sufficient support for this claim:

¥ It was not until 24 years later that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

¥ There is no explicit mention of Marian Anderson supporting the civil rights movement. ¥ No civil rights leaders are mentioned in the article talking about AndersonÕs contribution.


Score Point: 3The response is a complete analysis, taking the position that the author has not provided sufficient evidence to support the claim. It includes relevant and accurate details from the text as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000499 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD06058Annotation: explan and details for not sufficient to support claim

“Marian Anderson: A Voice for Freedom”


Score Point: 3The response includes many specific details to support a complete analysis of the author’s claim. It is tightly focused on the idea of sufficiency of support. It is a complete response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750002256 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD06058Annotation: not sufficient support for claim position- use of lack of evidence with explan



Score Point: 2The response focuses on two quotations that support the idea that Anderson’s performance helped to advance the rights of African-Americans. More explicit analysis of the author’s quality of support would strengthen the response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000901 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2 RespCode: RD06058Annotation: limited sense of explan and use of text details



Score Point: 2This is a limited response to the task. The student includes a quotation but does not effectively use it as support. The discussions of Eleanor Roosevelt and later concerts do offer some specific support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750001901 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2 RespCode: RD06058Annotation: limited explan and support; repetition



Score Point: 1This is a minimal response to the task. It states, essentially, that because the author says Anderson’s concert started it all, this is sufficient evidence for his claim.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000359 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD06058Annotation: one detail in support of claim



Score Point: 1Unlike many responses, this response focuses directly on the effect of Anderson’s concert and how it helped to advance the rights of African-Americans. It does not, however, include sufficient support to be considered more than a minimal response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000611 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1 RespCode: RD06058Annotation: no details from text, very general statement




“The History of Counting” and “An Excerpt from Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea”

F4 Q58

Scoring Guide:

Score Description 3

Response is a complete analysis of the differences in focus between the two passages. Response is supported with details from the passages.

2

Response is a limited analysis of the differences in focus between the two passages. Response is supported with limited details (number or quality) from the passage(s).

1

Response is a minimal analysis of the differences in focus between the two passages. Response is supported with few or no details from the passage(s).


Scoring Notes: Responses may include but are not limited to:

“The History of Counting”: • The author focuses on how counting developed according to need. • The author explains counting without numbers, concrete counting, and abstract counting.

The author gives examples of how different people (prehistoric hunters and gatherers, farmers) gradually developed new ways of counting.

• The author gives specific examples of tools other than bones, like tokens and disks, that people used.

• The author talks about counting systems in cities and the need for larger numbers when things like taxes were invented.

• The author of this passage seems to admire the way in which people developed counting systems.

“Zero: The Biography”: • The author focuses mainly on the Stone Age and on primitive tribes. • Unlike in the first passage, the author of this passage doesn’t discuss how counting evolved

because of cities or trade. • The author focuses on how early cavemen couldn’t really count at all and then learned to

count in small groups. • The author of this passage acknowledges the primitive counting abilities of early people in a

humorous way.

The shared topic is the development of counting systems. Students are not specifically asked to identify the shared topic, though a general understanding of it should be reflected in responses receiving the highest score point.


Score Point: 3The response effectively contrasts the two passages and includes specific, accurate details as support. It is a complete response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750005418 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: Response demonstrates a complete understanding, good use of details from the passage.



Score Point: 3This is a complete response. It includes well-chosen and extensive details from both passages as support.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750006968 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A3. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: Complete response with excellent use of details from both passages in support.



Score Point: 2The response includes details from each passage to draw an implicit contrast. The details, especially the quotations, are not always effectively connected to the task. This is a limited response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000839 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: Some understanding demonstrated, in addition to the use of details from both passages, though overall theresponse remains limited. It reads more like a listing of facts and details than a conscious and deliberate demonstration ofunderstanding.



Score Point: 2The response addresses both passages but focuses primarily on the second. Some details are used as support, but overall this is a limited response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750041222 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A2. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: Some understanding demonstrated, though still limited overall.



Score Point: 1The response is a mix of accurate and inaccurate information from the passage. The details are not well connected to the task. It is a minimal response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750000953 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: Minimal response, discussion of "History..." is ok, no real strong statements made about "Zero..." though.



Score Point: 1The response consists of accurate but vague details from the passages. It is a minimal response.

Contract: 1379 1 Booklet: 1750011709 Page: 1 of 1 Score: A1. RespCode: RD04058Annotation: A fairly basic, minimal response to the task.



READINGGRADE 7

Appendix II

AdministrativeSupportMaterials


Answer Document

Name:

Reading

A DCBA DCBA DCB

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Written Response

16.17.18.19.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Written Response

31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.44.45.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Written Response

46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54.55.56.57.58.59.60.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Written Response

61.62.63.64.65.66.67.68.69.

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Written Response

A DCB A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCBA DCBA DCB

A DCBA DCBA DCBA DCB

A DCB

A DCB

A DCB

Page 82Copyright © 2013 by the Nevada Department of Education For Nevada use only6

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Dale A.R. ErquiagaSuperintendent of Public Instruction

Office of Assessment, Program Accountability, and Curriculum 775-687-9188

CRT · Instructional MaterialsGrade 7

Cover photos: Copyright © WestEd. Used with permission.