what is a restricted response essay question

TOPICS A. Fill-in-the-Blank Items B. Essay Questions C. Scoring Options

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Extended Response

Extended responses can be much longer and complex then short responses, but students should be encouraged to remain focused and organized. On the FCAT, students have 14 lines for each answer to an extended response item, and they are advised to allow approximately 10-15 minutes to complete each item. The FCAT extended responses are scored using a 4-point scoring rubric. A complete and correct answer is worth 4 points. A partial answer is worth 1, 2, or 3 points.

Utilizing Extended Response Items to Enhance Student Learning

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"Extended response items" have traditionally been called "essay questions." An extended response item is an open-ended question that begins with some type of prompt. These questions allow students to write a response that arrives at a conclusion based on their specific knowledge of the topic. An extended response item takes considerable time and thought. It requires students not only to give an answer but also to explain the answer with as much in-depth detail as possible. In some cases, students not only have to give an answer and explain the answer, but they also have to show how they arrived at that answer.

Teachers love extended response items because they require students to construct an in-depth response that proves mastery or lack thereof. Teachers can then utilize this information to reteach gap concepts or build upon individual student strengths. Extended response items require students to demonstrate a higher depth of knowledge than they would need on a multiple choice item. Guessing is almost completely eliminated with an extended response item. A student either knows the information well enough to write about it or they do not. Extended response items also are a great way to assess and teach students grammar and writing. Students must be strong writers as an extended response item also tests a student's ability to write coherently and grammatically correct.

Extended response items require essential critical thinking skills. An essay, in a sense, is a riddle that students can solve using prior knowledge, making connections, and drawing conclusions. This is an invaluable skill for any student to have. Those who can master it have a better chance of being successful academically.  Any student who can successfully solve problems and craft well-written explanations of their solutions will be at the top of their class. 

Extended response items do have their shortcomings. They are not teacher friendly in that they are difficult to construct and score. Extended response items take a lot of valuable time to develop and grade. Additionally, they are difficult to score accurately. It can become difficult for teachers to remain objective when scoring an extended response item. Each student has a completely different response, and teachers must read the entire response looking for evidence that proves mastery. For this reason, teachers must develop an accurate rubric and follow it when scoring any extended response item.

An extended response assessment takes more time for students to complete than a multiple choice assessment . Students must first organize the information and construct a plan before they can actually begin responding to the item. This time-consuming process can take multiple class periods to complete depending on the specific nature of the item itself.

Extended response items can be constructed in more than one way. It can be passage-based, meaning that students are provided with one or more passages on a specific topic. This information can help them formulate a more thoughtful response. The student must utilize evidence from the passages to formulate and validate their response on the extended response item. The more traditional method is a straightforward, open-ended question on a topic or unit that has been covered in class. Students are not given a passage to assist them in constructing a response but instead must draw from memory their direct knowledge on the topic.

Teachers must remember that formulating a well written extended response is a skill in itself. Though they can be a great assessment tool, teachers must be prepared to spend the time to teach students how to write a formidable essay . This is not a skill that comes without hard work. Teachers must provide students with the multiple skills that are required to write successfully including sentence and paragraph structure, using proper grammar, pre-writing activities, editing, and revising. Teaching these skills must become part of the expected classroom routine for students to become proficient writers.

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Best Practices for Designing and Grading Exams

Adapted from crlt occasional paper #24: m.e. piontek (2008), center for research on learning and teaching.

The most obvious function of assessment methods (such as exams, quizzes, papers, and presentations) is to enable instructors to make judgments about the quality of student learning (i.e., assign grades). However, the method of assessment also can have a direct impact on the quality of student learning. Students assume that the focus of exams and assignments reflects the educational goals most valued by an instructor, and they direct their learning and studying accordingly  (McKeachie  & Svinicki, 2006). General grading systems can have an impact as well.  For example, a strict bell curve (i.e., norm-reference grading) has the potential to dampen motivation and cooperation in a classroom, while a system that strictly rewards proficiency (i.e., criterion-referenced grading ) could be perceived as contributing to grade inflation. Given the importance of assessment for both faculty and student interactions about learning, how can instructors develop exams that provide useful and relevant data about their students' learning and also direct students to spend their time on the important aspects of a course or course unit? How do grading practices further influence this process?

Guidelines for Designing Valid and Reliable Exams

Ideally, effective exams have four characteristics. They are:

• Valid, (providing useful information about the concepts they were designed to test),
• Reliable (allowing consistent measurement and discriminating between different levels of performance),
• Recognizable   (instruction has prepared students for the assessment), and
• Realistic (concerning time and effort required to complete the assignment)  (Svinicki, 1999). 

Most importantly, exams and assignments should f ocus on the most important content and behaviors emphasized during the course (or particular section of the course). What are the primary ideas, issues, and skills you hope students learn during a particular course/unit/module? These are the learning outcomes you wish to measure. For example, if your learning outcome involves memorization, then you should assess for memorization or classification; if you hope students will develop problem-solving capacities, your exams should focus on assessing students’ application and analysis skills.  As a general rule, assessments that focus too heavily on details (e.g., isolated facts, figures, etc.) “will probably lead to better student retention of the footnotes at the cost of the main points" (Halpern & Hakel, 2003, p. 40). As noted in Table 1, each type of exam item may be better suited to measuring some learning outcomes than others, and each has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of ease of design, implementation, and scoring.

Table 1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Commonly Used Types of Achievement Test Items

Adapted from Table 10.1 of Worthen, et al., 1993, p. 261.

General Guidelines for Developing Multiple-Choice and Essay Questions

The following sections highlight general guidelines for developing multiple-choice and essay questions, which are often used in college-level assessment because they readily lend themselves to measuring higher order thinking skills  (e.g., application, justification, inference, analysis and evaluation).  Yet instructors often struggle to create, implement, and score these types of questions (McMillan, 2001; Worthen, et al., 1993).

Multiple-choice questions have a number of advantages. First, they can measure various kinds of knowledge, including students' understanding of terminology, facts, principles, methods, and procedures, as well as their ability to apply, interpret, and justify. When carefully designed, multiple-choice items also can assess higher-order thinking skills.

Multiple-choice questions are less ambiguous than short-answer items, thereby providing a more focused assessment of student knowledge. Multiple-choice items are superior to true-false items in several ways: on true-false items, students can receive credit for knowing that a statement is incorrect, without knowing what is correct. Multiple-choice items offer greater reliability than true-false items as the opportunity for guessing is reduced with the larger number of options. Finally, an instructor can diagnose misunderstanding by analyzing the incorrect options chosen by students.

A disadvantage of multiple-choice items is that they require developing incorrect, yet plausible, options that can be difficult to create. In addition, multiple- choice questions do not allow instructors to measure students’ ability to organize and present ideas.  Finally, because it is much easier to create multiple-choice items that test recall and recognition rather than higher order thinking, multiple-choice exams run the risk of not assessing the deep learning that many instructors consider important (Greenland & Linn, 1990; McMillan, 2001).

Guidelines for writing multiple-choice items include advice about stems, correct answers, and distractors (McMillan, 2001, p. 150; Piontek, 2008):

• S tems pose the problem or question.
• Is the stem stated as clearly, directly, and simply as possible?
• Is the problem described fully in the stem?
• Is the stem stated positively, to avoid the possibility that students will overlook terms like “no,” “not,” or “least”?
• Does the stem provide only information relevant to the problem?

Possible responses include the correct answer and distractors , or the incorrect choices. Multiple-choice questions usually have at least three distractors.

• Are the distractors plausible to students who do not know the correct answer?
• Is there only one correct answer?
• Are all the possible answers parallel with respect to grammatical structure, length, and complexity?
• Are the options short?
• Are complex options avoided? Are options placed in logical order?
• Are correct answers spread equally among all the choices? (For example, is answer “A” correct about the same number of times as options “B” or “C” or “D”)?

An example of good multiple-choice questions that assess higher-order thinking skills is the following test question from pharmacy (Park, 2008):

Patient WC was admitted for third-degree burns over 75% of his body. The attending physician asks you to start this patient on antibiotic therapy.  Which one of the following is the best reason why WC would need antibiotic prophylaxis? a. His burn injuries have broken down the innate immunity that prevents microbial invasion. b. His injuries have inhibited his cellular immunity. c. His injuries have impaired antibody production. d. His injuries have induced the bone marrow, thus activated immune system

A second question builds on the first by describing the patient’s labs two days later, asking the students to develop an explanation for the subsequent lab results. (See Piontek, 2008 for the full question.)

Essay questions can tap complex thinking by requiring students to organize and integrate information, interpret information, construct arguments, give explanations, evaluate the merit of ideas, and carry out other types of reasoning  (Cashin, 1987; Gronlund & Linn, 1990; McMillan, 2001; Thorndike, 1997; Worthen, et al., 1993). Restricted response essay questions are good for assessing basic knowledge and understanding and generally require a brief written response (e.g., “State two hypotheses about why birds migrate.  Summarize the evidence supporting each hypothesis” [Worthen, et al., 1993, p. 277].) Extended response essay items allow students to construct a variety of strategies, processes, interpretations and explanations for a question, such as the following:

The framers of the Constitution strove to create an effective national government that balanced the tension between majority rule and the rights of minorities. What aspects of American politics favor majority rule? What aspects protect the rights of those not in the majority? Drawing upon material from your readings and the lectures, did the framers successfully balance this tension? Why or why not? (Shipan, 2008).

In addition to measuring complex thinking and reasoning, advantages of essays include the potential for motivating better study habits and providing the students flexibility in their responses.  Instructors can evaluate how well students are able to communicate their reasoning with essay items, and they are usually less time consuming to construct than multiple-choice items that measure reasoning.

The major disadvantages of essays include the amount of time instructors must devote to reading and scoring student responses, and  the importance of developing and using carefully constructed criteria/rubrics to insure reliability of scoring. Essays can assess only a limited amount of content in one testing period/exam due to the length of time required for students to respond to each essay item. As a result, essays do not provide a good sampling of content knowledge across a curriculum (Gronlund & Linn, 1990; McMillan, 2001).

Guidelines for writing essay questions include the following (Gronlund & Linn, 1990; McMillan, 2001; Worthen, et al., 1993):

• Restrict the use of essay questions to educational outcomes that are difficult to measure using other formats. For example, to test recall knowledge, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, or multiple-choice questions are better measures.
• Generalizations : State a set of principles that can explain the following events.
• Synthesis : Write a well-organized report that shows…
• Evaluation : Describe the strengths and weaknesses of…
• Write the question clearly so that students do not feel that they are guessing at “what the instructor wants me to do.”
• Indicate the amount of time and effort students should spend on each essay item.
• Avoid giving students options for which essay questions they should answer. This choice decreases the validity and reliability of the test because each student is essentially taking a different exam.
• Consider using several narrowly focused questions (rather than one broad question) that elicit different aspects of students’ skills and knowledge.
• Make sure there is enough time to answer the questions.

Guidelines for scoring essay questions include the following (Gronlund & Linn, 1990; McMillan, 2001; Wiggins, 1998; Worthen, et al., 1993; Writing and grading essay questions , 1990):

• Outline what constitutes an expected answer.
• Select an appropriate scoring method based on the criteria. A rubric is a scoring key that indicates the criteria for scoring and the amount of points to be assigned for each criterion.  A sample rubric for a take-home history exam question might look like the following:

For other examples of rubrics, see CRLT Occasional Paper #24  (Piontek, 2008).

• Clarify the role of writing mechanics and other factors independent of the educational outcomes being measured. For example, how does grammar or use of scientific notation figure into your scoring criteria?
• Create anonymity for students’ responses while scoring and create a random order in which tests are graded (e.g., shuffle the pile) to increase accuracy of the scoring.
• Use a systematic process for scoring each essay item.  Assessment guidelines suggest scoring all answers for an individual essay question in one continuous process, rather than scoring all answers to all questions for an individual student. This system makes it easier to remember the criteria for scoring each answer.

You can also use these guidelines for scoring essay items to create grading processes and rubrics for students’ papers, oral presentations, course projects, and websites.  For other grading strategies, see Responding to Student Writing – Principles & Practices and Commenting Effectively on Student Writing .

Cashin, W. E. (1987). Improving essay tests . Idea Paper, No. 17. Manhattan, KS: Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Kansas State University.

Gronlund, N. E., & Linn, R. L. (1990). Measurement and evaluation in teaching   (6th  ed.). New  York:  Macmillan Publishing Company.

Halpern, D. H., & Hakel, M. D. (2003). Applying the science of learning to the university and beyond. Change, 35 (4), 37-41.

McKeachie, W. J., & Svinicki, M. D. (2006). Assessing, testing, and evaluating: Grading is not the most important function.   In   McKeachie's   Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (12th ed., pp. 74-86). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

McMillan, J. H. (2001).  Classroom assessment: Principles and practice for effective instruction.  Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Park, J. (2008, February 4). Personal communication. University of Michigan College of Pharmacy.

Piontek, M. (2008). Best practices for designing and grading exams. CRLT Occasional Paper No. 24 . Ann Arbor, MI. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.>

Shipan, C. (2008, February 4). Personal communication. University of Michigan Department of Political Science.

Svinicki, M.   D.   (1999a). Evaluating and grading students.  In Teachers and students: A sourcebook for UT- Austin faculty (pp. 1-14). Austin, TX: Center for Teaching Effectiveness, University of Texas at Austin.

Thorndike, R. M. (1997). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education.   Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Wiggins, G. P. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Worthen, B.  R., Borg, W.  R.,  & White, K.  R.  (1993). Measurement and evaluation in the schools .  New York: Longman.

Writing and grading essay questions. (1990, September). For Your Consideration , No. 7. Chapel Hill, NC: Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Restricted Response Questions: A Closer Look

• by Sandra Vargas
• October 28, 2023

Welcome to the world of academic assessments where questions play a vital role in gauging knowledge and understanding. One such type of question is the “restricted response question .” If you’re a student or an educator looking to brush up on your assessment strategies, or simply a curious mind, you’ve come to the right place.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what exactly a restricted response question is and how it differs from other question types. We’ll also delve into why they are used and offer some tips on how to answer them effectively. So, whether you’re preparing for an exam or just aiming to expand your knowledge, let’s dive in and uncover the essence of restricted response questions together.

What is a Restricted Response Question

Have you ever taken a test where you felt like you were unraveling the mysteries of the universe, only to be stumped by a question that seemed to come from another dimension? We’ve all been there. One of the most confounding types of questions that can leave us scratching our heads is the restricted response question.

Understanding the Restricted Response Question

So, what exactly is a restricted response question? Well, let me break it down for you in good ol’ plain English. A restricted response question is a type of question that puts some serious boundaries on how you can answer. It’s like being trapped in a cage with only a few options to escape. But fear not, my friend, because there’s a method to this madness.

The Purpose Behind Restricted Response Questions

Restricted response questions have a purpose, and it’s not just to make your brain ache. These questions are designed to measure specific knowledge or skills, kind of like a sniper zeroing in on its target. They focus on assessing your comprehension, analysis, and application of information, rather than just regurgitating facts like a parrot.

The Structure of a Restricted Response Question

Now that you know the why, let’s dive into the how. A restricted response question typically consists of a stem, which sets the stage for what you need to accomplish, and specific guidelines or criteria for your response. It’s like a mini adventure with a clear map and instructions on where to go next. It leaves little room for ambiguity or improvisation, which can be a blessing (or a curse, depending on your perspective).

Examples of Restricted Response Questions

To paint a better picture of what a restricted response question looks like, here are a couple of examples:

• “Describe three key factors that contribute to climate change and explain their impacts on the environment.”
• “Create a timeline highlighting the major events leading up to the American Revolutionary War, including dates and brief explanations for each event.”

See how these questions provide clear directives on what you need to do? They don’t leave much room for random musings or philosophical ponderings. It’s all about focusing on the task at hand and demonstrating your knowledge effectively.

The Takeaway

So, the next time you encounter a restricted response question, don’t panic. Remember that it’s designed to assess your critical thinking skills and application of knowledge within a specific framework. Embrace the challenge, follow the guidelines, and show off your expertise like a boss.

Now that we’ve deciphered the code of restricted response questions, let’s move on to our next adventure: exploring the world of extended response questions. Stay tuned, fellow knowledge warriors!

FAQ: Restricted Response Questions

What is a restricted response question.

A restricted response question is just like that one friend who asks you specific questions, reigning in your response options and not giving you a chance to ramble on about your entire life story. In simpler terms, it is a question that requires a concise and focused answer within a limited range.

How do you agree with a statement in an essay

Ah, the art of agreement! It’s like finding the perfect wingman or wingwoman to back up your every move. In an essay, when you come across a statement you want to agree with, you’ll want to follow a few simple steps:

Start with a clear statement: Clearly state your agreement with the argument or statement that the essay presents. Be firm, but avoid coming across as an overenthusiastic cheerleader.

Provide evidence and examples: Support your agreement with concrete evidence or examples. Show that you’ve done your research and you’re not just nodding along mindlessly. Remember, facts are your friends!

Explain your reasoning: This is where you get to shine! Explain the logic behind your agreement. Share your insights, thoughts, and reasoning in a clear and coherent manner . Let the reader understand why you’re on the same page.

Address potential counterarguments : Ah, the skeptics! Anticipate and address potential counterarguments against your agreement. Show that you’ve thought it through and considered different perspectives. It’s like playing chess and staying two steps ahead of your opponents.

Wrap it up with a bow: Conclude your agreement like a boss. Summarize your main points, leaving no room for doubt or confusion. You’ve successfully convinced the reader that you’re both head-nodding buddies.

Remember, agreeing in an essay is not about mindlessly accepting everything that comes your way. It’s about critically analyzing and providing support for your stance. So, agree with grace, confidence, and a touch of persuasive flair.

And there you have it! A mini FAQ to help you navigate the world of restricted response questions and agreeing like a boss in your essays. Happy writing, my fellow wordsmiths!

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The ultimate essay test guide: achieve top grades with ease.

An essay test, a fundamental tool in academic assessment, measures a student's ability to express, argue, and structure their thoughts on a given subject through written words. This test format delves deeper into a student's critical thinking and writing skills unlike other conventional exam types.

What is an Essay Test?

An essay test is a type of assessment in which a student is prompted to respond to a question or a series of questions by writing an essay.

This form of test isn’t merely about checking a student’s recall or memorisation skills , but more about gauging their ability to comprehend a subject, synthesise information, and articulate their understanding effectively.

Types of Essay Tests

Essay tests can be broadly classified into two categories: Restricted Response and Extended Response .

• Restricted Response tests focus on limited aspects, requiring students to provide short, concise answers.
• Extended Response tests demand more comprehensive answers, allowing students to showcase their creativity and analytical skills.

Advantages and Limitations of an Essay Test

Essay tests offer numerous benefits but also have certain limitations. The advantages of an essay test are :

• They allow teachers to evaluate students’ abilities to organise, synthesise, and interpret information.
• They help in developing critical thinking and writing skills among students.
• They provide an opportunity for students to exhibit their knowledge and understanding of a subject in a broader context.

And the limitations of an essay test are :

• They are time-consuming to both take and grade.
• They are subject to scoring inconsistencies due to potential subjective bias.
• They may cause the students who struggle with written expression may face difficulties, and these tests may not accurately reflect the full spectrum of a student’s knowledge or understanding.

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Understanding the Structure of an Essay Test

Essay tests involve a defined structure to ensure organised, coherent, and comprehensive expression of thoughts. Adhering to a specific structure can enhance your ability to answer essay questions effectively .

The 7 Steps of an Essay

Writing an essay test typically involves seven steps :

• Understanding the question
• Brainstorming ideas
• Creating an outline
• Crafting a thesis statement
• Writing the essay body
• Formulating the conclusion
• Revising and editing for clarity and conciseness

The First Sentence in an Essay

The initial sentence of an essay, often termed a hook , plays a crucial role.

It aims to grab the reader’s attention and provoke interest in the essay topic. It should be engaging, and relevant, and set the tone for the rest of the essay .

The 5-Paragraph Essay Format

The 5-paragraph essay format is commonly used in essay tests, providing a clear and organised approach for students to articulate their ideas. In this format, the introduction and the conclusion include 1 paragraph, while the body of the essay includes 3 .

• Introduction : The introduction sets the stage, providing a brief overview of the topic and presenting the thesis statement – the central argument or point.
• Body : The body of the essay contains three paragraphs, each presenting a separate point that supports the thesis statement. Detailed explanations, evidence, and examples are included here to substantiate the points.
• Conclusion : The conclusion reiterates the thesis statement and summarises the main points. It provides a final perspective on the topic, drawing the essay to a close.

How to Prepare for an Essay Test?

Preparing for an essay test demands a structured approach to ensure thorough understanding and effective response. Here are some strategies to make this task more manageable:

#1 Familiarise Yourself with the Terminology Used

Knowledge of key terminologies is essential. Understand the meaning of directives such as “describe”, “compare”, “contrast”, or “analyse”. Each term guides you on what is expected in your essay and helps you to answer the question accurately.

To make it easier, you can take advantage of AI technologies. While preparing for your exam, use similar essay questions as prompts and see how AI understands and evaluates the questions. If you are unfamiliar with AI, you can check out The Best Chat GPT Prompts For Essay Writing .

#2 Review and Revise Past Essays

Take advantage of past essays or essay prompts to review and revise your writing . Analyse your strengths and areas for improvement, paying attention to grammar , structure , and clarity . This process helps you refine your writing skills and identify potential pitfalls to avoid in future tests.

#3 Practice Timed Writing

Simulate test conditions by practising timed writing . Set a specific time limit for each essay question and strive to complete it within that timeframe. This exercise builds your ability to think and write quickly , improving your efficiency during the actual test.

#4 Utilise Mnemonic Techniques

To aid in memorisation and recall of key concepts or arguments, employ mnemonic techniques . These memory aids, such as acronyms, visualisation, or association techniques, can help you retain important information and retrieve it during the test. Practice using mnemonics to reinforce your understanding of critical points.

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Strategies to Pass an Essay Test

Passing an essay test goes beyond understanding the topic; it also requires strategic planning and execution . Below are key strategies that can enhance your performance in an essay test.

• Read the exam paper thoroughly before diving into writing : read the entire exam paper thoroughly. Understand each question’s requirement and make a mental note of the points to be included in each response. This step will help in ensuring that no aspect of the question is overlooked.
• Answer in the First Sentence and Use the Language of the Question : Begin your essay by clearly stating your answer in the first sentence. Use the language of the question to show you are directly addressing the task. This approach ensures that your main argument is understood right from the start.
• Structure Your Essay : Adopt a logical essay structure , typically comprising an introduction, body, and conclusion. This helps in organising your thoughts, making your argument clearer, and enhancing the readability of your essay.
• Answer in Point Form When Running Out of Time : If time is running short, present your answer in point form. This approach allows you to cover more points quickly, ensuring you don’t leave any questions unanswered.
• Write as Legibly as Possible : Your writing should be clear and easy to read. Illegible handwriting could lead to misunderstandings and may negatively impact your grades.
• Number Your Answers : Ensure your answers are correctly numbered. This helps in aligning your responses with the respective questions, making it easier for the examiner to assess your work, and reducing chances of confusion or error
• Time Yourself on Each Question : Time management is crucial in an essay test. Allocate a specific amount of time to each question, taking into account the marks they carry. Ensure you leave ample time for revising and editing your responses. Practising this strategy can prevent last-minute rushes and result in a more polished essay.

About the Author Oğulcan Tezcan is a writer, translator, editor, and an accomplished engineer. Oğulcan is also a keen researcher and digital market analyst, with a particular interest in self-development, productivity, and human behaviour.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Essay Tests

How do you answer an essay question, when taking an essay test what is the first step, what type of test is an essay test, what is the first sentence in an essay, what are the six elements of an essay.

Good procedure is emphasized when: There is no product The procedure is orderly and directly observable Correct procedure is crucial to later success Analysis of procedural steps can aid in improving product Learning is at an early stage Good product is emphasized when: Different procedures result in an equally good product Procedure is not available for observation Procedural steps have been mastered Product has qualities that can be identified and judged Degrees of authenticity-- Note: More here than in your textbook

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• Coaching and Mentoring Processes
• HR Training & Development Methods

A restricted-response assessment performance task is a teaching tool. Corporations and some smaller companies use this specifically for training new employees or updating skills. Assessment tools for corporate training are varied depending on the position being trained and the focus of the office. Some offices and departments are more specialized than others. A “restricted-response” approach is the simplest teaching tool, and is usually a short answer or fill-in-the-blank style question.

Basics of These Tasks

An assessment task is restricted in its response if it is highly specific, and, generally, contains only one correct answer, explains the University of Delaware . Typical examples might be a multiple choice or true-false type of question. More active styles of task would be an emergency response in a factory.

In that case, factory workers would be drilled to see if they know the proper response for different emergencies. A drill would then be arranged and the response to an emergency assessed. This is a restricted response in that there is a single proper procedure and a specific set of actions requested.

Sarbanes-Oxley Test

One type of restricted-performance task is a written test on new laws. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 forced corporate accountants to grasp new skills, according to Soxlaw.com . In this context, the head of accounting might put his workers through a restricted task of filling out new reports. He may give make-believe data that the accountants must then synthesize in the new forms to satisfy the new act. In this case, the detail of the reports must be much greater than had been accepted before. This would be the focus of the assessment.

Computer Software Test

Retraining workers on the new software is another restricted task example. Since the passage of Oxley in 2002, corporations needed to update their accounting software to increase the reliability, detail and comprehensiveness of corporate reports and bookkeeping. This means that all accountants, comptrollers and finance officers must be trained in the newer, updated software. In some cases, company lawyers specializing in financial disclosures would also be tested in this knowledge.

A simple run-through assessment is normally required here. This becomes a highly restricted task because the workers must show they are capable of using the equipment well. This is restricted because there is one program and one proper way to use it. One of the advantages of restricted response questions is that they are not “open-ended,” like an interpretive essay would be.

Security Issue Tasks

Security officials in sensitive industries also are often required to engage in restricted response assessments. In fields such as nuclear energy and environmental science, weapons laboratories or high-technological military firms such as TRW or Oracle, security personnel are essential. Here, there are several examples of restricted assessments.

One might be a typical paper exam dealing with their responsibilities, especially under a heightened threat of terrorism. Another might be a set of drills dealing with security responses to specific situations such as a power failure, explosion, fuel leak or criminal trespass. In this case, security personnel would be drilled in the necessary and proper response under controlled conditions.

• University of Delaware: Overheads for Unit 8--Chapter 11 (Performance-Based Assessment)
• Soxlaw.com: A Guide To The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

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