Study Guide

Field 030: Deaf/Hard of Hearing 
Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."

The following materials contain:

Test Directions for the Constructed-Response Assignment

This section of the test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You are to prepare a written response of approximately 300–600 words on the assigned topic. You should use your time to plan, write, review, and edit your response to the assignment.

Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response.

As a whole, your response must demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge and skills of the field. In your response to the assignment, you are expected to demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the content area through your ability to apply your knowledge and skills rather than merely to recite factual information.

Your response to the assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

 start bold PURPOSE: end bold  the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
 start bold SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE: end bold  accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
 start bold SUPPORT: end bold  quality and relevance of supporting details
 start bold RATIONALE: end bold  soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

The constructed-response assignment is intended to assess subject matter knowledge and skills, not writing ability. However, your response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of the scoring criteria. Your response should be written for an audience of educators in this field. The final version of your response should conform to the conventions of edited American English. Your written response must be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work.

Be sure to write about the assigned topic. You may not use any reference materials during the test. Remember to review what you have written and make any changes you think will improve your response.

Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

subarea roman numeral 3 
Promoting Student Development and Learning

 start bold Use the information below about a student with a hearing loss to respond to the assignment that follows. end bold 

 start bold General Background end bold  
Trevor is a ten-year-old fourth-grade student who has a profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss that was diagnosed when he was an infant. He currently receives instruction in a class for deaf or hard of hearing students.

 start bold Communication end bold  
Trevor receives instruction through total communication. He prefers to use American Sign Language (ASL) in his class, but does use speech and speechreading with individuals who do not know ASL.

 start bold Academic Skills end bold  
Trevor is currently having difficulty in mathematics, particularly when he is asked to complete assignments involving word problems. When Trevor is given math assignments containing word problems, he often uses the wrong operation (e.g., addition instead of subtraction) or overlooks key information.

 start bold Social Skills end bold  
Trevor will soon transition to a general education class for science. He has expressed a variety of concerns about the transition: whether he will be able to effectively communicate with the teacher and with peers, whether he will understand the teacher during lectures, and whether peers will be accepting of him. Trevor will have an ASL interpreter assigned to his science class.

Using your knowledge of ways to promote the development and learning of deaf or hard of hearing students, prepare a response in which you:

Sample Strong Response to the Constructed-Response Assignment

 start bold Please note: The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. Use of the exact words and phrases presented in this sample response will result in a score of "U" (Unscorable) due to lack of original work. end bold 

One instructional method that would likely promote Trevor's comprehension of mathematical word problems would be to work directly with Trevor to help him identify the more common words and phrases that often appear in mathematical word problems (e.g., "how many are left," "take away"). I would instruct Trevor to highlight the words and phrases as he comes across them in various math problems. We would then discuss the meanings of these words and phrases within a mathematical context, and I would reinforce the new mathematical words using fingerspelling or ASL. I would also have Trevor keep a math journal in which he can write mathematical terms and their meanings. He could refer to the math journal as needed at school and bring it home to assist him with homework. Teaching Trevor common math words and phrases and having him highlight and write these words and phrases in a journal will increase his awareness and understanding of what he should do when he comes across them in mathematical word problems.

I would also work to promote Trevor's comprehension of mathematical word problems by encouraging him to think aloud and explain what he is doing when solving word problems. For example, if Trevor were working on word problems involving multiple steps, I would have Trevor talk through how he would solve the word problem step-by-step. If he forgot a step or used the wrong operation, I would ask Trevor to reread the word problem aloud to first encourage him to self-evaluate his computations. If he did not understand why his computation was incorrect, I would have him refer to his math journal or directly point out the error(s). Using this method would encourage Trevor to take his time and think more deeply about how he goes about solving problems because he would be asked to explain his thinking. This method would also indicate any misconceptions Trevor may be having about specific word problems.

In an effort to promote Trevor's successful transition to a general education science class, I would begin by scheduling a meeting with Trevor, the science teacher, the ASL interpreter, and me to talk about Trevor's concerns and to obtain information about typical assignments, classroom procedures, etc. Before this meeting, Trevor and I would create a list of questions about the science class, such as "What types of science topics will we work on?" and "Are there any big science projects during the year?" During the meeting, Trevor and I could discuss his specific questions and needs and suggest changes in the classroom environment that would be helpful to him. Having this meeting would likely minimize any anxiety Trevor has about the transition and would promote his ability to advocate for himself.

Before the transition, I would talk with Trevor and determine how we could best present information to his science class about the way in which he communicates. We would determine who would present the information and make a list of helpful tips to provide to his classmates about what they can do to best communicate and interact with him. Depending on Trevor's comfort level, either I would talk with Trevor's classmates, or Trevor and I would talk with his science class together about his hearing loss and how he communicates and provide communication tips to his classmates to promote their ability to communicate and interact with him. Working with Trevor to plan a discussion with his science class would further promote his ability to self-advocate. Sharing this information with Trevor's new classmates would help remove barriers to communication and help ensure that Trevor is included by his classmates.

Performance Characteristics

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the constructed-response assignment.

Characteristics that guide the scoring of responses
Purpose The extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
Subject Matter Knowledge The accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
Support The quality and relevance of supporting details
Rationale The soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

Scoring Scale

Scores will be assigned to each response to the constructed-response assignment according to the following scoring scale.

Score Scale with description for each score point.
Score Point Score Point Description
4  start bold The "4" response reflects a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.
  • There is a substantial, accurate, and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects an ably reasoned, comprehensive understanding of the topic.
3  start bold The "3" response reflects a general knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.
  • There is a generally accurate and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence generally supports the discussion; there are some relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a general understanding of the topic.
2  start bold The "2" response reflects a partial knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.
  • There is a limited, possibly inaccurate or inappropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a limited, poorly reasoned understanding of the topic.
1  start bold The "1" response reflects little or no knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.
  • There is little or no appropriate or accurate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence, if present, is weak; there are few or no relevant examples.
  • The response reflects little or no reasoning about or understanding of the topic.
U The response is unscorable because it is illegible, not written to the assigned topic, written in a language other than English, or lacking a sufficient amount of original work to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.