Appendix C -- Sample Items, continued

"Amanda Clement: The Umpire in a Skirt"
Scoring Criteria -- Grade 4

  1. Write a paragraph explaining how Mandy got her first chance to be an umpire at a public game.

    Acceptable answers indicate that the umpire for a preliminary game between two local teams did not show up for the game and/or Mandy's brother suggested that she do the job.

  1. If she were alive today, what question would you like to ask Mandy about her career? Explain why the answer to your question would be important to know.

    Unsatisfactory -- These responses demonstrate little or no understanding by providing isolated bits of information or by posing a question that is unrelated to Mandy's experience as a woman in a career traditionally dominated by males. In some cases, students refer to a line from the text and recast it in the form of a question.

    Partial -- These responses demonstrate some understanding of the information in the article by posing at least one question that is either not explained or is explained using circular reasoning.

    Essential -- These responses demonstrate some understanding of the information in the article. They contain at least one question that is specifically related to Mandy's career with an explanation that is relevant to furthering the student's own understanding of how it might feel to be an athlete who is highly successful or the first person to do something.

    Extensive -- These responses contain one question that is explained in relation to the student's personal view of the passage and that indicates that the student considered the more abstract aspects of the passage. These responses contain quest-ions that are about issues or reactions and that grow out of careful consideration of the potential problems Mandy faced and the historical context in which she lived.

  2. Tell two ways in which Mandy's experience would be similar or different if she were a young girl wanting to take part in sports today.

    Acceptable responses mention areas of similarity or difference in relating Mandy's experience as an umpire to today's sports environment (such as less stigma attached to girls participating in sports now; there is more than one umpire at a baseball game today).

  1. Give three examples showing that Mandy was not a quitter.

    Acceptable answers mention three events from the passage that reflect positively on Mandy and that demonstrate some determination in her character.

  1. What was Hank's role in Mandy's early career?

    Acceptable responses discuss the fact that Hank let Mandy play ball and umpire or that he recommended her for the umpire position.

Note: These scoring criteria are a summary of the more extensive guides used in the NAEP scoring. The full guides include examples of student responses for each score point.

Previous Contents Appendix C Continued

Reading Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress: 1992-2000