Tips for Creating and Scoring Essay Tests

Essay tests are useful for teachers when they want students to select, organize, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information. In other words, they rely on the upper levels of Blooms Taxonomy. There are two types of essay questions: restricted and extended response. Restricted Response - These essay questions limit what the student will discuss in the essay based on the wording of the question. For example, State the main differences between John Adams and Thomas Jeffersons beliefs about federalism, is a restricted response. What the student is to write about has been expressed to them within the question.Extended Response - These allow students to select what they wish to include in order to answer the question. For example, In Of Mice and Men, was Georges killing of Lennie justified? Explain your answer. The student is given the overall topic, but they are free to use their own judgment and integrate outside information to help support their opinion. Student Skills Required for Essay Tests Before expecting students to perform well on either type of essay question, we must make sure that they have the required skills to excel. Following are four skills that students should have learned and practiced before taking essay exams: The ability to select appropriate material from the information learned in order to best answer the question.The ability to organize that material in an effective manner.The ability to show how ideas relate and interact in a specific context.The ability to write effectively in both sentences and paragraphs. Constructing an Effective Essay Question Following are a few tips to help in the construction of effective essay questions: Begin with the lesson objectives in mind. Make sure to know what you wish the student to show by answering the essay question.Decide if your goal requires a restricted or extended response. In general, if you wish to see if the student can synthesize and organize the information that they learned, then restricted response is the way to go. However, if you wish them to judge or evaluate something using the information taught during class, then you will want to use the extended response.If you are including more than one essay, be cognizant of time constraints. You do not want to punish students because they ran out of time on the test.Write the question in a novel or interesting manner to help motivate the student.State the number of points that the essay is worth. You can also provide them with a time guideline to help them as they work through the exam.If your essay item is part of a larger objective test, make sure that it is the last item on the exam. Scoring the Essay Item One of the downfalls of essay tests is that they lack in reliability. Even when teachers grade essays with a well-constructed rubric, subjective decisions are made. Therefore, it is important to try and be as reliable as possible when scoring your essay items. Here are a few tips to help improve reliability in grading: Determine whether you will use a holistic or analytic scoring system before you write your rubric. With the holistic grading system, you evaluate the answer as a whole, rating papers against each other. With the analytic system, you list specific pieces of information and award points for their inclusion.Prepare the essay rubric in advance. Determine what you are looking for and how many points you will be assigning for each aspect of the question.Avoid looking at names. Some teachers have students put numbers on their essays to try and help with this.Score one item at a time. This helps ensure that you use the same thinking and standards for all students.Avoid interruptions when scoring a specific question. Again, consistency will be increased if you grade the same item on all the papers in one sitting.If an important decision like an award or scholarship is based on the score for the essay, obtain two or more independent readers.Beware of negative influences that can affect essay s coring. These include handwriting and writing style bias, the length of the response, and the inclusion of irrelevant material.Review papers that are on the borderline a second time before assigning a final grade.

Biblical Allusion in Joyce Carol Oates Story Where are...

Joyce Carol Oates short story Where are you going? Where have you been? runneth over with Biblical allusion and symbolism. The symbols of Arnold Friend, his disguise, and the music that runs through the story contribute to an overall feeling of devilishness, deception, and unease. The depiction of Arnold Friend runs parallel to the common conception of the Devil. Many aspects of his outward appearance, as well as his behavior, contribute to this by portraying him in a sinister manner. His nose is long and hawklike and he has a slippery smile. His greasy boots dont fit him right, as if his feet [dont] go all the way down. The stereotypical Beelzebub is often seen with hooves. When he draws his sign – the sinister letter X†¦show more content†¦The color gold has connotations of vanity and greed – two deadly sins. Writing, a secret code, appears on Arnolds car: the numbers 33, 19, and 17. They refer to a verse of the Bible, verse 19:17 of the 33rd book, Judges. Oates reinforces the Biblical comparison of Arnold as the Devil by referring to this verse: When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, Where are you going? Where did you come from? The phrase on his car, Done by a crazy woman driver, is something that would make a child laugh. The other phrase painted on Arnolds car, Man the flying saucers, is referred to as being used by kids the year before (Also, the phrase can be decoded to spell out HESATANLUCIFER meaning another devil reference). Arnolds car is an important part of his disguise: he tries to appeal to the younger generation, as if he makes a habit of preying on them. But, he falls short, and his disguise appears awkward before it finally breaks down. The reader feels more tension as he progresses through the story and comes upon these pieces of Arnolds Devilish – albeit oftentimes poorly constructed – disguise. Arnold Friends faà §ade gives the reader the feeling that something is wrong, as if Oates were trying to persuade Connie away from her impending doom. When Arnold first pulls into Connies driveway, the reader is alarmed. Connie notices that he is actually much older than he appears and the reader knows thatShow MoreRelated Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Oates1222 Words   |  5 Pagescomical biblical suggestions for abstinence until marriage even while the majority of those targeted teens are viewing the world as a more and more sexual place. So many views are weaving in and out of teenagers newly formed adolescent minds that any effective argument for responsible attitudes or analysis of sexual behavior in teens should be expressed with a certain minimal degree of clarity. Unfortunately, this essential lucidity of advice is missing in the short story â€Å"Where are You Going, Where

Charles Darwin s Theory Of Evolution - 1420 Words

Evolution: Inceptions and Implications with Charles Darwin and Joseph Schumpeter Okema Johnson Coppin State University IDST 499-401 Dr. Ray September 25, 2015 Charles Darwin is best known for his work on the theory of Evolution by means of Natural Selection. His theory paved the way for humanity to understand where different species came about and how they are able to survive in their environments. When initially developed, his theory did erupt a few controversial debates because he suggested that humans and animals shared a common ancestor. It also created a problem in the Christian community because his theory went against the belief of a greater being. Joseph Schumpeter is well known in the area of economics. He†¦show more content†¦Darwin had always been fascinated with nature and the animals and insects in it. His love for nature resulted in him joining the HMS Beagle for its voyage around the world. It was on this voyage that Charles Darwin got the opportunity to observe a variety of different animals and plants. It was during this time that he was able to collect samples and conduct experiments that later led him to his the ory of natural selection (Vesterman, 2008). While on this journey around the world, Darwin noticed that species had different variations to them that, based on the specific location, allowed them to survive in that area. It was this observation that initiated his interest in the particular matter. He believed that the species that he observed, though they were all similar, were able to survive in certain areas due to what he called natural selection. This term basically means that species went through evolutionary changes over time which produced variations within them. These variations added to their ability to aid in their survival. A parent with this variation passed it on to their offspring and so on. This variation added to their abilities and those who did not have this ability would die off while those who did possess it would continue to survive. Darwin concluded that the scarcity of resources in certain areas contributed to these variations. In other words, when an area is overly populated and

Employee Selection and Training free essay sample

Industrial and Organizational psychologist are able to walk into most any corporation and identify problem areas. The specialty skills that the industrial and organizational psychologist possesses are able to better equip the corporations to reduce employee turnover and improve the workplace. Having the ability to survey the employees and find weak spots allows the industrial and organizational psychologist to determine the best measures to improve the company from the inside out. Using surveys on current and potential employees as well as assessments can cause the company to find weak employees and strong leaders that might have been previously overlooked. Industrial and organizational psychologist can improve the potential employee selection process, train employees properly all while abiding by the law. Selecting and training employees The role of industrial and organizational psychology is one of the most important areas in the field of psychology and it entails research and analysis in the areas of hiring employees. I/O’s duties can range from conducting evaluations, analysis, and training, hiring, and consulting. Three examples of how industrial and organizational psychologists are an asset to a company are seen in positions like consultants, human resources specialist, and employee assessors and evaluators (Cascio, 1995). All these examples have one thing in common: they all work closely on selecting and training employees, and ensuring the best match for the position needed. Consulting IO’s, are hired by management to offer the best plan for success. These consultants are hired to design the best strategies for the business to work as a whole. Consultants offer strategic planning to achieve companies’ goals as well as employee’s goals. Through performance, selection, and intervention, they consult to the employer of what changes need to be done (Cascio, 1995). Their job is designed to offer the best possible advice to both parties with the goal of having a full functioning and effective business. They provide the best guidance and direction on how to work in an efficient and positive atmosphere. The next example would be human resources specialist, which would be running all aspects of the hiring process. This would include advertising, application process, interviewing, and training. They would assist management in taking care of all the angles needed to find personnel. They would normally advise management on which candidates they should consider interviewing. Human resources specialists would take care of checking references, background, education, and all aspects of the application process. They would take care of the training sessions through meetings, orientations, and any other process of that nature (Cascio, 1995). The next example: assessors and evaluators would be what would follow the human resources process. These evaluators would review all the information collected by human resources specialist, and all the candidates that have been selected, would be scheduled for a more in depth interview. These evaluators would conduct surveys, skills tests, personality tests, questionnaires, and many more evaluation methods. Their job is to screen the applicants that have been selected to see if they are indeed a perfect match for the job. Evaluators and assessor use scientific selection methods when conducting job analysis. Through statistical and correlation data, they evaluate all intellectual, psychological, physical and emotional aspects of the candidate before the hiring process is done (Cascio, 1995). Legal Issues An organization must have a training program to establish a standard operation uideline that must be followed. During this training the organization must ensure the material and presentation is not legally or ethically controversial in any manner. The training provided must be unbiased and sensitive to race, age, national origin, sex and religion. If an individual feel any sort of discrimination during training, the organization can be subject to legal action. The tr aining provided must not display negative attention or single out any specific group, this may provide circumstantial evidence for that group of people to pursue legal action for discrimination in the workplace. Another issue in training could consist of ethical issues; the trainer must conduct themselves with respect, tact, honesty, trust and leadership. The organizational values, ethical guidelines, policies, procedures and accountability should be addressed. By planning ahead, industrial and organizational psychologist can work with trainers to address the ethical issues within the training period. The health and welfare of the employees are important; injury to an employee during training can lead to lawsuit and worker’s disability compensation. The ailure of an organization to abide by laws that protect employees can lead to court and be liable to pay the employee up to $300,000. Evaluation of study â€Å"There is little difference between conducting an evaluation of study for a training program and conducting a research study to determine the effects of any intervention that is tried in an organization† (Specter, 2008). The training program is not considered completed unt il it has been evaluated. There are five stages in performing a training evaluation. The first step is to define the criteria for evaluation. There are several criteria to determine. One of the criteria is the training- level criteria and the other is the performance- level criteria. The training level is directed to what was learned and the performance level is directed with the levels of effectiveness. It is also possible to brake down criteria into four groups. The four smaller levels include reactions, behaviors, learning, and results and are sub levels to performance and training levels. Second a design of the study must be selected. The structure of the study is determined by how the data is collected. Third the measures used to assess need to be determines. Fourth the data needs to be collected. The third and fourth steps are two steps preformed at the same time. Collecting data can be without bias can be a difficult task and following the measuring criteria is vital for accurate results. The final step is analyzing the collected data to determine a conclusion. The conclusion will tell the effectiveness of the training program. An evaluation carried out properly will generate valuable information on the training program’s effectiveness. Conclusion When selecting and training employees there are various forms that can improve performance such as; training assessments, employee evaluations, and consulting. Once a foundation was completed more in depth surveys, personality interviews, questionnaires, skills tests would ensure that the job is filled with the most suitable person to perform the job. Industrial and organizational psychologist can assist the corporation to stay within the law while completing training which keeps both the employee and employer safe from bias, sexism, discrimination, and racism. Evaluating a training program can provide tremendous benefits when the data is properly analyzed. Industrial and organizational psychology will provide multiple benefits to a corporation on many levels from potential employees, training, internal employee promotion selection, and determining employee terminations. Reference: Cascio, W. F. (1995). Whither Industrial and Organizational Psychology in a Changing World Of Work? American Psychologist, 50(11), 928 Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice (5th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.. (2011). Student Resources. Retrieved from http://www. siop. org/studentdefault. aspx