Study Guide

Field 205: Early Childhood Education 
Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

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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

Competency 0017 
Analyze and interpret authentic assessment and relevant student data to identify areas of need and describe developmentally appropriate strategies to effectively address individual student needs.

 start bold Use the information in the exhibits to complete the assignment that follows. end bold 

Using your knowledge of developmentally appropriate evidence-based instructional practice and citing evidence from the exhibits provided, write a response of approximately 300–600 words in which you:

Exhibit 1: Lesson Plan Excerpt

A first-grade teacher plans a lesson in which students will recall and write facts about animals native to Oklahoma after listening to an informative text read aloud. The following is an excerpt of the teacher's lesson plan.

Learning Objective
  • Students will write three facts about an animal of their choice using a graphic organizer after listening to an informative text read aloud.
Essential Questions
  • What are three interesting facts about your animal?
  • What makes your animal unique from other animals?
Lesson Vocabulary
  • armadillo
  • jackrabbit
  • coyote
  • snapping turtle
  • mountain lion
  • habitat
  • diet
  • fact
Guided Practice Activity
  1. Following a read-aloud about a mountain lion, students will engage in a whole-group discussion to identify three interesting facts they learned from the text. The teacher will record the students' responses in a large graphic organizer on the whiteboard.
  2. Students will select an animal from a given list to research with a peer.
  3. Together the students will listen and follow along to a digital book/informative text on their tablet about their chosen animal.
  4. The teacher will circulate around the room to support students in the activity.
  5. After students have read their book with support from the teacher, they will use a graphic organizer, with the same format as the one used in the introductory activity, to write about the information they have learned. Students may refer back to the digital text to gain information.

Exhibit 2: Work Sample

After listening to the text read aloud, with a partner, students will use a graphic organizer to identify three interesting facts about their animal. One student's responses and illustrations are shown below.

a diagram of one student's work sample

An image of student work is shown. At the top there is a child's drawing of a house, flower, cat, snake, plant and coyote. The coyote is labeled k t e. Under the drawing there are questions with student responses. The first question reads What is the name of your animal? The handwritten student response reads My animal misspelled as a n l m is a coyote misspelled as k o t e. The second question reads what does your animal look like with the image of an eye under it. The handwritten student response reads Coyotes misspelled as K o t e are misspelled as o r pretty misspelled as p r i t e. The third question asks Where does your animal live with the image of a house under it. The handwritten student response reads Coyotes misspelled as k o t e live right misspelled as r I t here misspelled as h e r in missing word the woods misspelled as w o d z. The last question reads What does your animal eat with an image of food under it. The handwritten student response reads Coyotes misspelled as k o t e eat misspelled as e t a lot.

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 

The teacher utilized a graphic organizer as an instructional strategy for her lesson on animals native to Oklahoma. The identical format was used during the Guided Practice portion of her lesson (to model the procedure) and during Independent Practice, when students recorded facts about their selected animal.

A graphic organizer has a variety of functions. The teacher's selection was developmentally appropriate for first-grade students who are just beginning to learn the initial steps of the research process. The following points clarify why her strategy was appropriate. (1) It set a purpose for listening/reading to acquire specific information when modeled prior to independent work. (2) It served as a valuable visual aid as students learned the process of note taking as new information was presented. (3) It helped students to visually organize thoughts and ideas in order to answer questions, functioning as an appropriate pre-writing tool.

From the work sample provided, it is clear that additional instruction is needed. Two of the student's answers did not include specific facts (i.e., coyotes are pretty, coyotes eat a lot) and the third answer was partial (in addition to the woods, coyotes live on the plains, in mountains, and in deserts). The students had both auditory and visual input on their tablets as the lesson excerpt indicated. It is important for the teacher to continue providing instruction using both modalities.

A quick lesson prior to reteaching would be helpful. The teacher could explain the difference between a fact (e.g., coyotes are brown) and an opinion (e.g., coyotes are pretty). Several examples could be modeled, then students would practice with sentences given to them. This would set the stage for reteaching.

Reteaching could involve the following. The teacher would have the students listen to information about another animal as they follow the printed words on their tablets. The same format for the graphic organizer would be used, but in addition, the teacher would have a hard copy of the text. She would model how to highlight/color code key words and details after the information has been presented. For example, words that explain what the animal looks like could be highlighted in yellow, where the animal lives could be in green, and what it eats could be in blue.

Referring back to the digital text is encouraged. Color coding the facts would help students focus on pertinent facts/details they need to successfully complete the graphic organizer. The teacher could then have the students practice highlighting/color coding facts after listening to a text about a different animal native to Oklahoma. This might require several practice sessions with the teacher supporting their efforts.

An effective informal assessment to evaluate each student's new level of understanding would be to simply have them reread the information about the coyote. Next, provide each student with a hard copy of the same text and have them highlight/color code words that provide answers to the three questions on the graphic organizer. The student would then make corrections/additions to their original papers, adding facts acquired through this reteaching process. This will allow the teacher to quickly determine if the reteaching strategy was successful, therefore helping to plan future lessons accordingly.

Rationale for the Sample Strong Response

Please note that the response is evaluated based upon the four performance characteristics of Purpose, Subject Matter Knowledge, Support, and Rationale. Please also note how the score point descriptions are based upon how the examinee attends to the performance characteristics. You should be very familiar with the CEOE performance characteristics and score scale and refer to them when reviewing this rationale.

Purpose:
The purpose of the assignment was fully achieved. The response addresses all five bullet points contained in the prompt. For each bullet point, clear, detailed information is included. There are no questions as to what is presented in the response.

Subject Matter Knowledge:
The response reflects an understanding of the appropriate use of a graphic organizer as an instructional strategy for this grade level. Furthermore, the response clearly states three reasons why this strategy is effective. The reteaching strategy is developmentally appropriate for first graders and could be implemented successfully with practice.

Support:
The response provides high-quality, relevant examples. The supporting details explain the strategies clearly. Additionally, the response provides evidence of a strong understanding of the use of a graphic organizer as an instructional tool.

Rationale:
The response provides a detailed explanation as to why these instructional strategies (i.e., the original instruction and the reteaching) are effective and developmentally appropriate for first-grade students.

Sample Weak Response to the Constructed-Response Assignment

The first-grade teacher used a type of graphic organizer to teach her students how to do research and take notes on animals native to Oklahoma. She used the same graphic organizer in her modeling and in her guided practice.

Why is the graphic organizer the teacher selected developmentally appropriate for both the content and the grade level? First-grade students are just starting to learn how to read factual books and how to look for specific details. This organizer is set up, so they know what information to look for as they read. It is a visual means of organizing their thoughts and ideas.

Based upon the work sample provided, it is obvious that additional instruction is needed. The student did not answer two of the questions correctly, and one answer was incomplete. The teacher needs to meet with the student to make sure they can read the questions for which answers must be found. Research shows that many texts must be read several times to achieve understanding. The first read might involve learning new vocabulary. The second read will improve comprehension. If reading the material aloud, the third read should increase oral fluency. The teacher should sit with the student during the reread of the material on the coyote. It will help if the teacher insists on the student using their finger to track the words. Then the student could fill out the same graphic organizer, but this time the answers should be correct.

The following is an example of an informal assessment the teacher could utilize to check to see if reteaching was successful. An exit ticket is a tool that would give the teacher a means of checking to see if the student understood the material after rereading. It would also show the teacher if finger tracking led to increased focus. If the student is unable to correctly record facts about the coyote after reteaching, the teacher should research an alternative strategy.

Rationale for the Sample Weak Response

Please note that the response is evaluated based upon the four performance characteristics of Purpose, Subject Matter Knowledge, Support, and Rationale. Please also note how the score point descriptions are based upon how the writer attends to each of the performance characteristics. You should be very familiar with the CEOE performance characteristics and score scale and refer to them when reviewing this rationale.

Purpose:
The candidate answered all five bullet points from the prompt, but there was minimal elaboration in all sections.

Subject Matter Knowledge:
The response reflects a limited and often flawed understanding of subject matter knowledge. For example, the reteaching strategy is ineffective. Simply rereading the same information with no change in instruction will fail. If that approach didn't work initially, why would repeating the same steps without utilizing an alternative approach be successful? Furthermore, the exit ticket is inappropriate for this task.

Support:
The supporting evidence is limited, with few relevant examples. The explanation of the purpose for rereading the same text several times contains irrelevant information (i.e., to increase oral fluency, which isn't the purpose of the assignment).

Rationale:
The response only touches upon why the use of a graphic organizer would be an effective instructional strategy.

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.