ESEB3024 TESTING AND EVALUATION

ESSAY ASSESSMENT TASKS

TWO types
RESTRICTED-RESPONSE ITEMS

EXTENDED-RESPONSE ITEMS

RRI

ERI

RESTRICTED-RESPONSE ITEMS (RRI)

Restrict or limit both of the content of students answers and the form of their written responses
EXAMPLE:
Write a brief essay comparing and contrasting the terms measurement and assessment as they relate to (a) the degree of
quantification of the quality of students responses, (b) the process of obtaining information, and (c) the way in which
students responses are recorded.
Accessing more than recall and comprehension
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Require students to apply their skills to solve new problems or to analyze novel situations
To do so include interpretive material

EXAMPLE
INTERPRETIVE MATERIAL
ON FIRST LOOKING INTO CHAPMAN'S HOMER: TEXT OF THE POEM
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise-Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
-John Keats
RRI
1. What is the poets attitude toward literature as is apparent in lines 1 to 8? What words in these lines make that
attitude apparent?
2. Summarize the mood described in lines 9 to 14.

ESEB3024 TESTING AND EVALUATION

ESSAY ASSESSMENT TASKS
EXTENDED-RESPONSE ITEMS (ERI)
Require students to write essays in which they are free to express and organize their own ideas and their
interrelationships among the ideas.
Student is free to choose the way to respond, and degrees of correctness or merit of a students response can be judged
only by a teacher of that subject matter.
Purpose:
To evaluate students on the following (a) general writing ability (b) subject-matter knowledge
(a) general writing ability
Pretend you are one of the characteristics in a fairy tale and have just been granted three wishes. What would your first
wish be? Write the wish, then write a story about what happens to you when the wish is granted.

(b) subject-matter knowledge

EXAMPLE
INTERPRETIVE MATERIAL
ON FIRST LOOKING INTO CHAPMAN'S HOMER: TEXT OF THE POEM
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise-Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
-John Keats
Describe the way in which the structure of the poem reinforces the speakers mood as it presented in lines 9 to 14. In your
essay, show how the attitude in the first part of the poem is related to the mood at the end of the poem.

ESEB3024 TESTING AND EVALUATION

ESSAY ASSESSMENT TASKS
PHRASING ESSAY QUESTIONS TO ASSESS LEARNING TARGETS
Concept understanding: identifying examples, producing examples
Read the newspaper articles attached: Which events illustrate the concept of political compromise?
Explain in your own words the meaning of prejudice. Give an example of prejudice from your own experience.
Concept understanding: Classifying examples
Read the five mathematics word problems attached. Sort these problems into two groups. Explain why the problems
in each group are similar and belong together. Explain how the two groups differ.
Study the pictures of the 10 paintings that are attached. Organize these paintings into two or more groups according
to their style. Explain the reasons behind your grouping.
Analysis
Look at the family photo attached. Describe the mood or feeling in the photo as well as the body language of the
people. Use metaphors or similes to make these descriptions.
Which statements are opinions? Explain why you think so.
Comparison
Compare Artist As use of color in her paintings with Artist Bs use of color in his mask. How are they similar and
different? What moods do the colors convey in each piece?
Read the attached statements of Senator A and Senator B. In what ways are their points of view similar? Explain the
reasons for your conclusions.
Inferences: Prediction, Deduction
Based on what we did study about cultural groups, what would you predict would happen to the Basarwa in the next
20 years? Explain the principles you used to make your predictions.
Study the data in the table above. What would you expect to happen to our exports of wheat over the next 5 years?
Explain the assumptions you made for your predictions to be valid.
Evaluation
Above are the criteria we use to judge how well an author has used voice in writing. Attached is a short piece of
writing by a student. Use the criteria to evaluate the writers use of voice. Explain why good voice is or is not used by
this writer. Use examples from the piece to illustrate your evaluation.
Use your daily log and records of your plants growth to explain the present state of your plan. Explain why your plant
is better or worse than your classmates plants. What would you have done differently? What effect would that have
had on your plants present state?