PART 7

•  Essays, classified as non-objective tests, allow for the assessment of higher  order thinking skills. Such tests require students to organize their thoughts on a  subject matter in coherent sentences in order to inform an audience. In essay  tests, students are required to write one or more paragraphs on a specific topic.
• 1. Comparing  -Describe the similarities and differences between…  -Compare the following methods for…  

   

  2. Relating cause-and-effect  -What are the major causes of…  -What would be the most likely effects of….  
• 3.Justifying  -Which of the following alternatives would you favour and why?  -Explain why you agree or disagree with the ff. statement?

   

  4.Summarizing  -State the points included in…  -Briefly summarize the contents of…
• 5.Generalizing  -Formulate several valid generalizations from the following data.  -State a set of principles that can explain the following events.  

   

  6.Inferring  -In the light of the facts presented, what is most likely to happen when…  -How would Senator X be most likely to react to the bomb explosion  after the bar examination last September?
• 7. Classifying  -Group the following items according to…  -What do the following items have in common?

  8.Applying  -Use the principles of _____ as guide, describe how you would solve the following  problem situation.  -Describe a situation that illustrates the principle of _____.  

   
• 9. Analyzing  -Describe the reasoning errors in the following paragraphs.  -List and describe the main characteristics of…  

   

  10. Evaluating  -Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the following…  -Using the criteria developed in class, write an evaluation of…  

   

  11. Creating  -Make up a story describing what would happen if…  -Design a plan to prove that…  -Write a well-organized report that shows…
• Types of Essays  

  Restricted Essay  • It is also referred to as short focused response. Examples are  asking students to “write an example”, “list three reasons”, or  “compare and contrast two techniques”.
• Nonrestricted/Extended Essay  

   

  • Extended responses can be much longer and complex than short  responses, but students are encouraged to remain focused and  organized.  

   
• • The following are rules of thumb which facilitate the scoring of  essays.  

   

  Rule 1: Phrase the direction in such a way that students are guided  on the key concepts to be included. Specify how the students  should respond.

  Example  Using details and information from the article (Hundred Islands),  summarize the main points of the article. For a complete and  correct response, consider these points:  

   

  • its history (10 points)  

  • its interesting features (10 points)  

  • why it is a landmark (5 points)
• Rule 2: Inform the students on the criteria to be used for the  grading of their essays. This rule allows the students to focus on  the relevant and substantive materials rather than on peripheral  and unnecessary facts and bits of information.  

   

  Example: Write an essay on the topic: “Plant Photosynthesis” using  the keywords indicated. You will be graded according to the  following criteria: (a) coherence, (b) accuracy of statements, (c) use  of keywords, (d) clarity and (e) extra points for innovative  presentation of ideas.  
• Rule 3: Put a time limit on the essay test.  

   

  Rule 4: Decide on your essay grading system prior to getting the  essays of your students.

   

  Rule 5: Evaluate all of the students’ answers to one question  before proceeding to the next question.  

   
• Rule 6: Evaluate answers to essay questions without knowing the  identity of the writer. This is another attempt to control personal  bias during scoring. Answers to essay questions should be  evaluated in terms of what is written, not in terms of what is  known about the writers from other contacts with them. The best  way to prevent our prior knowledge from influencing our  judgment is to evaluate each answer without knowing the identity  of the writer. This can be done by having the students write their  names on the back of the paper or by using code numbers in place  of names.
• Rule 7: Whenever possible, have two or more persons grade each  answer. The best way to check on the reliability of the scoring of essay  answers is to obtain two or more independent judgments. Although  this may not be a feasible practice for routine classroom testing, it  might be done periodically with a fellow teacher (one who is equally  competent in the area). Obtaining two or more independent ratings  becomes especially vital where the results are to be used for important  or irreversible decisions, such as in the selection of students for further  training or for special awards.  

   
• • Some teachers use the cumulative criteria for grading while others  use the reverse. In the latter method, each student begins with a  score of 100. Points are then deducted every time a teacher  encounters a mistake or when a criterion is missed by the student in  his essay.

   
• Rule 8: Do not provide optional questions. It is difficult to construct  questions of equal difficulty and so teachers cannot have valid comparison  of students’ achievement.  

   

  Rule 9: Provide information about the value/weight of the question and  how it will be scored.  
• Rule 10: Emphasize higher level thinking skills.  

   

  Example:  Scientists have found that oceans can influence the temperature of nearby  landmasses. Coastal landmasses tend to have more moderate temperatures  in summer and winter than inland landmasses of the same latitude.