1. Scoring the Written Comprehension Response:  Seeking Fidelity

2. “Children develop meaning as they write
“Children develop meaning as they write. It’s what we all do, especially when we’re writing about something we don’t fully understand or haven’t figured out yet. It’s what I do when I write a book. Writing makes us think harder.”
- Regie Routman

3. “When we write about what we’ve read, we reflect on and solidify our learning. We are challenged to review and synthesize our understandings and consider how our new learning relates to prior knowledge.”
- Revisit, Reflect, Retell, Hoyt (2009)

4. Every written comprehension question has a CCSS attached to it
Every written comprehension question has a CCSS attached to it. This should guide your scoring of the written comprehension.

5. The Rubric 3 Complex Understanding 2 General Understanding 1
Minimal Understanding
No Understanding
Each question should be scored with a 3, 2, 1, or 0 and the final written comprehension score is the lower of the two scores. For example, if a student scores a 2 and a 1, then the written comprehension score is a 1.

6. The Exemplars
You can access the most current written comprehension questions and exemplars on line. This guide has the current standards attached to the questions along with some exemplars for each question. Grade level discussion around the exemplars will increase the fidelity of the scoring. There have been some corrections to the standards alignment and they can be found in the front of this document.

7. The Statue of Liberty – Level L
The Statue of Liberty is a Level L which is the benchmark for 2nd grade for the MOY. This nonfiction text tells the story of the Statue of Liberty. The decision of the French to give a gift to their friends in the United States. The design and creation of the statue, the selection of the location, it’s shipment to the US, and it’s history in the US.

8. RI2. 5 – Know and use various text features (e. g
RI2.5 – Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in text efficiently.
This question asks the student to identify three text features used in the book. Explain the information you learned from the text feature. (Click to show the standard and click again to note that the standard has been changed because of the level of the book.
What score do you think the student should receive? Think about the student response and the standard.

9. Does the response use general information to clarify or extend understanding?
Let’s take a look at the exemplar. Notice that the standard has been updated on the exemplar taken from the Amplify NC website. We will always start with the Level 2 because that is the proficient. Compare the student’s response to the exemplar – Click – Does the response use general information to clarify or extend understanding? Yes, it does use general information and it does not use detailed information. Therefore this question receive a 2.

10. RI2.6 – Identify the main purpose of the text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
You will also note that the standard connected with this question has also been revised. The new standard is RI2.6. (Click to reveal.) Read the question and the student response. What score would you give the student?

11. Remembering to start with Level 2, how do you think the student’s response compares? I would give the response a 2 because it does demonstrate general understanding of the text but it does not show complete understanding. The student chose to rename the statue the Gift statue because it was a gift from France. While that is an idea presented in the book, it is not the main idea that the Statue of Liberty was presented to the US as a token of Friendship. Since the student scored a 2 on both questions, the final score for the written comprehension is a 2 and the student would move to a Level M.

12. Clever Little Dinosaur – Level F
Let’s try Clever Little Dinosaur. This book is a Level F which is where the written comprehension begins. In this story Clever Little Dinosaur comes out of his hole and decides to take a walk because he does not see Big Dinosaur today. While chasing a dragonfly Little Dinosaur steps on Big Dinosaur’s tail waking him up. Big Dinosaur starts chasing Little Dinosaur. Little Dinosaur is able to escape and run home when the trees in the forest get in Big Dinosaur’s way.

13. Work with a partner. Read the student’s response and decide on the score. You can use the information found on the exemplar noting that this is about standard RL1.2 – Retell stories, including key details and demonstrate understanding of their central message. What do you think the score should be? Allow time to work and solicit some responses asking to support their thinking with evidence.
The score is a 0. The student does not show understanding of the story. These responses are very vague. Was Little Dinosaur brave? How does going out show that Little Dinosaur was brave?

14. Work with your partner again and score the response
Work with your partner again and score the response. Note that the standard for this question is RL1.3 – Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story using key details. What score did you give?
The student should receive a score of 1 because the answer is partially correct – the answer for Big Dinosaur is correct but there is no part of the story to support the answers. The answer for Little Dinosaur is incorrect. The student would receive a 0 for this written comprehension because he/she had a score of 0 and 1 and we take the lower of the two scores.

15. Harry the Tow Truck – Level J
Let’s try Harry and the Tow Truck which is a Level J and the end of 1st grade benchmark. In this story, Harry the Tow Truck is called to King’s Road where a moving has turned over because it was going to fast in the rain. Harry knows that he needs to move fast because lots of people are on their way home from work and the road will be busy. When Harry arrive at the accident site, the moving van was on it’s side and there was a tree close by. The rain stopped and the line of cars was getting longer. The people in the cars were tooting their horns and shouting, “Hurry up! I have to get home.” Harry made his way through the traffic and finally got the moving van on its wheels. Harry was able to clear the road an the people in the cars were very happy.

16. Work with a partner to score this response. This question addresses RL2.1 because this text is the EOY for grade 1 and BOY for grade 2. What score would you give for this response?
This response should receive a score of 3 which shows complete understanding. The student has identified the problem and solution using information from the story and the illustrations. The student did not copy directly from the text but synthesized the information.

17. What score would you give this response?
This response would also receive a 3 because it tells how the people in their cars felt and why. Note that this is not scored for spelling or conventions but only for the content of the response.
The student’s written response score would be a 3.

18. Jack and the Beanstalk – Level P
Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the texts for Level P which is the end of 3rd grade. In this familiar story, Jack retrieves his father’s golden harp and runs from the giant. Sliding down the giant beanstalk, Jack grabs a hatchet and chops down the bean stalk to cause the giant to fall down with a terrible crash.

19. How would you score this response. The standard is RL3
How would you score this response? The standard is RL3.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
This response should receive a 2. The student demonstrates general understanding of the meaning of the word tore as it is used in that sentence.

20. What score would you give this response. The standard is RL3
What score would you give this response? The standard is RL3.3 – Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
This response would also receive a 2. The student identified Jack as smart and provides some actions that support that thinking. The student would receive a 2 in written comprehension and move on to the next level.

21. Things to consider when scoring …
Review the standard that is attached to the question.
Read the student response and compare it to the standard. You can also review the exemplar.
How does it compare?
Do not score lower because of conventions or grammar as long as the response addresses the question.

22. Planning for Inter-rater Reliability
Practice scoring a written comprehension response at the beginning of a grade level or faculty meeting.
Discuss the reason for the score that was given citing evidence from the response and the standard.

23. How can I share this with my staff?
Plan with your mCLASS Leader
Grade level meetings
Vertical team meetings
Faculty meetings

24. “If we ask young children to write (and draw) in response to their reading from the beginning, they will be able to use this tool in response to reading and to expand their own thinking about texts.”
- Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Fountas & Pinnell, (2006)

25. Update from DPI
There have been some questions posed about third grade TRC at Level P and if an alternate assessor should be used.  We realize that some children achieved Level P at BOY with the teacher of record.  Since this was BOY and the teacher of record was not familiar with the child at that point, then this would be acceptable.  As we approach MOY assessments, we are asking that third grade teachers not assess the students in their class IF they think the child will reach a Level P and be exempt under the RtA legislation.   If a child is performing below grade level in reading and would not assess at a Level P, then the teacher of record can continue to complete the assessments.  This same guideline would apply for EOY administration as well. 

26. Big Universe