Welcome

Open Response Training

9/14/07

Structure of Student Response

• Multiple Choice

• Short Answer

• Open Response

• Lengthy Composition

Today’s focus is on …………………

Open ResponseEnglish Language Arts Mathematics

Year Grade Test % Prof. % MC% OR Year Grade Test % Prof.% MC% OR % SA

2007 3 ELA 77 67 45 2007 3 Math 75 58 43 59

2007 4 ELA 72 75 45 2007 4 Math 76 68 58 71

2007 5 ELA 69 66 45 2007 5 Math 70 60 45 56

2007 6 ELA 67 70 54 2007 6 Math 70 66 62 35

2007 7 ELA 68 72 51 2007 7 Math 70 56 49 57

2007 8 ELA 63 74 58 2007 8 Math 69 65 48 50

Why That Be?

• Turn to a buddy or mumble to yourself opinions and ideas about this deficit.

Possible Explanations

• Questions are harder

• They have to write

• You need evidence

• The scoring is subjective

• You need to show and explain your problem solving

• Multiple steps

Ways to Improve

• Process/Template/Design Format– Formats (AWE Essay, Singapore Math

Problem Solving Model)

Practice

- Weekly

But today is not about process or practice

Bloom’s @#%^* Taxonomy

• Open Response questions are of a higher order and place significant demands on the cognitive, intuitive, abstract thinking processes of our students!

Massachusetts Department of Education

• Performance Level Definitions

Needs Improvement

• demonstrates an understanding of concrete ideas, but only partial understanding of abstract or implied ideas, in grade-appropriate texts

• connects some ideas within texts

Proficient

• demonstrates an understanding of many concrete ideas, and most abstract or implied ideas, in grade-appropriate texts

• connects ideas within texts and provides supporting evidence

Advanced

• demonstrates an in-depth understanding of concrete and abstract ideas and complex meanings in grade-appropriate texts

• connects complex ideas within texts and provides well-reasoned and well-supported arguments

Key Points

• If our students our going to demonstrate comprehension mastery at the Proficient and Advanced levels as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Education they must be solid in the conveyance of abstract and implied ideas and be able to support their position with appropriate evidence from the text

Examples of Open Response

• Based on the story, describe how Moe’s life on the street is different than Moe’s life in the apartment. Support your answer with important details from the story. (3-#33) 1.68

• Describe the different feelings that the speaker has throughout the poem. Support your answer with important details from the poem. (4-#17) 1.59

More

• Explain how Virgil’s feelings toward the garden change from the beginning to the end of the story. Support your answer with important details from the story. (5-#27) (1.57)

• Based on the poem, explain how the cat is different at night from how she is during the day. Support your answer with important details from the poem. (6- #18) (1.84)

And still more…

• In the excerpt, Burn Sanderson’s arrival affects Mama, Travis, and Little Arliss differently. Describe how each character reacts to Burn Sanderson’s visit. Support your answer with important and specific information from the excerpt. (7- #27) (1.85)

• Describe how the author characterizes Julius and Stanley in the excerpt. Support your answer with important and specific information from the excerpt. (8-#9) (2.3)

What Are the Key Words?

• Describe

• Explain

• Character/characterizes

• Different

• Change

• Feelings

• Affects

Cognitive Skills Related to Reading

• Level I- Identify/Recall

• Level II – Infer/ Analyze

• Level III – Evaluate/Apply

LEVEL I- Identify/Recall

• Identify

• List

• Match

• Recognize

• Distinguish

LEVEL II- Infer/Analyze

• Describe• Interpret• Determine• Conclude• Explain• Summarize• Classify• Compare

LEVEL III- Evaluate/Apply

• Critique

• Predict

• Argue

• Synthesize

• Judge

Question making/Question Finding

Use the key words in finding or creating questions

Are your students being asked to “explain”, to “argue”, to “analyze”, to “discuss”, to “summarize”?

* Make sure that the questions are not what we call “text to self”– Discuss what you would do…– Explain how this would make you feel…

Scoring Open Response Questions

• Before you can score an open-response question you must know what the answer is!

• Duh!

• But open response aren’t evaluated as right or wrong

• They are evaluated along a spectrum

The Spectrum

If you ask the children to “describe” something or “explain” something did they:

• Thoroughly explain it

• Adequately explain it

• Partially explain it

• Minimally explain it

The Spectrum (cont.)

In explaining it did they use:• Relevant and specific information/text

• General information from the text

• Limited or incorrect information/text

• Vague or no information/text

Things To Be Aware Of

• Don’t need an introduction or conclusion

• Don’t need complete, or grammatically correct sentences

• Can use direct quotes or paraphrases

• Vague details receive no credit

• Incorrect or personal details do not receive credit, but also don’t detract from score

Scoring Rubric Example

• Sam compares his activities to the activities of a squirrel and a weasel that live near his mountain home. Explain how these animals’ activities are similar to Sam’s activities.

Thorough – Score Point 4

• A thorough comparison provides one or more specific details attributed to the squirrel and one or more specific details attributed to the weasel and (bold in DOE explanation) connects them both to Sam’s activities

Adequate – Score Point 3

• An adequate comparison provides two or more specific details attributed to only one of the animals and connects them to Sam’s activity

ORProvides two or more specific details

connected to Sam’s activities but uses the pronouns “they” or “both” without naming the animals individually

Partial- Score Point 2

• A partial comparison provides one specific detail attributed to only one of the animals and connects it to Sam’s activities.

Minimal – Score Point 1

• A minimal comparison provides one specific detail which is only about one of the animals or only about Sam

Acceptable details between Sam and the squirrel

• Sam stores his supplies and the squirrels store supplies and food

• Sam and the squirrels eat nuts

• The squirrel is holed up and so is Sam

Acceptable details for the comparison between Sam and the weasel

• The Baron (weasel) is denned up and so is Sam

• Sam and the weasel both have to tunnel out of the snow

• Sam has to put the snow somewhere and so does the weasel

Next Friday 9/21

Using your question as a base come up with a specific criteria for your Thorough, Adequate, Partial, and Minimal responses

Using your question as a base come up with a list of acceptable details

Week of 9/24 – 9/27

• Deliver the Open Response to your students and bring them on the 27th.

• With your criteria in hand, teachers from other grades will correct your papers

Composition

• Please choose a Composition Prompt (Elementary or Junior)

• Or spread different prompts around your room (i.e. five do this one, six do that one)

• I’ve provided a script and directions for delivery (be as formal or informal as you want!)

Coming to PD Time

• During a September PD time we will meet as grade levels and examine qualities of the writing process

• How do we teach children to “focus” on a topic and what does it mean to “demonstrate a significant level of development within that focus”?