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Lesson 3.3 Scoring Essay Test Items

This lesson addresses the challenges teachers face in scoring essay tests and suggests practical methods to improve scoring consistency. It emphasizes the importance of using rubrics, avoiding biases, and potentially involving multiple scorers for significant decisions. Two types of rubrics are provided, holistic and analytic, to guide teachers in evaluating student essays effectively.

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Angie Sabido
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18 views3 pages

Lesson 3.3 Scoring Essay Test Items

This lesson addresses the challenges teachers face in scoring essay tests and suggests practical methods to improve scoring consistency. It emphasizes the importance of using rubrics, avoiding biases, and potentially involving multiple scorers for significant decisions. Two types of rubrics are provided, holistic and analytic, to guide teachers in evaluating student essays effectively.

Uploaded by

Angie Sabido
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 3.

2: Scoring Essay Test Items

Lesson Summary
One of the challenges for teachers with essay questions test is the scoring of student answers.
There are several instances that students make unnecessary speculations on the scores given
by teachers to their answer in essay questions.

Learning Outcome
1. Elaborate a practical way of scoring essay tests.

Motivation Question
Do you have any idea on how your teachers scored your essay tests? Was there a time when
you felt injustice with the score your teacher gave you in essay test? Why?

Discussion
Scoring essay test is vulnerable to the biases and prejudices of the teacher and other
individuals commissioned do the scoring. However, below is a very practical way of scoring essay
test. First, is for the teacher to avoid looking at the name of the student on the paper or not to
require students to write their names on their paper, instead use a unique identification number
per student. Then proceed with the following steps (Kelly, 2020):
1. Prepare the essay rubric ahead of time. Determine what you are looking for in the
answer and how many points you will assign for each aspect of the question.
2. Make an outline of the answer.
3. Score one item at a time. This will help you make sure that you use the same
thinking and standards for all students.
4. Avoid unnecessary interventions when scoring a certain question. Consistency will
be increased if you grade the same item on all the papers in one time.
5. If an important decision is to be made like an award or scholarship which is based
on the score for the essay, you need to have two or more independent scorers.
6. Be conscious of negative influences that can affect scoring essay test items. These
include handwriting and writing style bias, the length of the answer, and inclusion of
irrelevant material.
7. Answers that are on the borderline should be re-read before giving a final score.

The teacher may decide to use either a holistic or analytic rubric in scoring essay test
items. The finalization of the rubric should be participated by the students so that they will be
guided on how they should answer essay questions and have the chance to get the highest
possible rating. Below is an example of two kinds of rubric that can be used in scoring essay
test questions:
A. Holistic rubric using five criteria on content, understanding and/or application, original
thinking, structure, and grammar and mechanics. It also uses a 5-point scale:

Scale Value Description


5 Excellent
4 Very good
3 Good
2 Needs
improvement
1 No acceptable

1. Content. Addresses the question and all its parts thoroughly; incorporates relevant topic
content; uses specific information from a situation.

2. Understanding/Application. Demonstrates deep understanding of lesson concepts and


ideas applied to analysis of situations.

3. Original Thinking. Demonstrates original thinking that adds insight to analysis of a


situation; meaningful elaboration beyond text, notes, class discussion.

4. Structure. Answer to each part of the question is well organized and clearly written; there
is evidence of planning before writing.

5. Grammar and mechanics. Response is virally free of mechanical, grammatical writing


errors.

B. Analytic rubric using three criteria on content and development, organization and structure,
and grammar, punctuation and spelling. It uses a 4-point scale:

Scale Value Description


4 Outstanding
3 Satisfactory
2 Needs improvement
1 No acceptable
Criteria Not acceptable Needs improvement Satisfactory Outstanding
(1 pt) (2 pts) (3 pts) (4)
Content and • Content is • Content is not • Content is • Content is
development incomplete comprehensive accurate and comprehensive
• Major points are • Major points are persuasive and persuasive
not clear addressed but • Major points are • Major points are
• Specific not well- stated stated clearly and
examples are supported • Responses are are well
not used • Response is adequate and supported
inadequate or do address topic • Responses are
not address topic • Content is clear excellent, timely
• Specific • Specific and address topic
examples do not examples are • Content is clear
support topic used • Specific
examples are
used
Organization • Organization • Structure of the • Structure is • Structure of the
and structure and structure paper is not easy mostly clear and paper is easy to
detract from the to follow easy to follow follow
message • Transitions need • Transitions are • Transitions are
• Writing is improvement present logical and
disjointed and • Conclusion is • Conclusion is maintain the flow
lacks transition missing or if logical of thought
of thoughts provided, not flow throughout the
from the body of paper
the paper • Conclusion is
logical and flows
from the body of
the paper
Grammar, • Paper contains • Paper contains • Rules of • Rules of
punctuation numerous few grammatical, grammar, usage, grammar, usage,
and spelling grammatical, punctuation and and punctuation and punctuation
punctuation, spelling errors are followed with are followed
and spelling minor errors • Spelling is correct
errors • Spelling is correct

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