ACT Aspire January 2015

ACT Aspire

ACT Aspire - ReadingEach ACT Aspire™ Reading assessment contains several passages, including literary narratives (prose fiction, memoirs, personal essays) and informational texts (social science, natural science). Within and across grade levels, the passages span a range of complexity levels in order to provide students, teachers, and parents with information about how well students understand texts of increasing difficulty. Students answer a series of selected response, technology-enhanced, and constructed-response questions that assess their abilities to recognize meaning in, reason logically about, and make connections between and among texts. ACT Aspire Reading questions operate at various depth-of-knowledge (DOK) levels, or cognitive complexities, and reflect a range of difficulty appropriate for the grade level. All levels of ACT Aspire Reading assessments include constructed-response tasks that measure the higher-order cognitive processes necessary for reading and understanding increasingly complex texts. Constructed-response tasks are scored according to rubrics that allow students to receive varying amounts of credit for responses that are correct or partially correct, enabling differentiation between multiple skill levels.

Reading continuedThe types of constructed-response tasks in ACT Aspire Reading assessments include the following examples:• Formulate a conclusion by making connections within a passage, and provide supportusing specific details from the text.• Formulate a conclusion by making connections between a pair of passages, and provide support using specific details from both texts.• Identify cause-and-effect relationships within a passage, and provide support usingspecific details from the text.• Identify similarities and differences between the key ideas of paired passages, and provide support using specific details from both texts.

ACT Aspire – Reading Test (p. 37 Grade 4)Constructed Response Rubric and Example p. 45-47

ACT Aspire - EnglishIntroductionACT Aspire™ English tests assess students’ developed ability to revise and edit texts. A typical English test contains several stimuli, or texts, and a series of selected-response and technology-enhanced questions. Texts used in the assessments represent various content areas (including English language arts, the humanities, and the social and natural sciences),and, considered collectively, reflect a range of text complexity levels from simple to complex,as appropriate for students’ age and educational attainment. The questions fall under the following reporting categories.

English CategoriesConventions of Standard EnglishThe questions in this category require students to apply an understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics to revise and edit text.Punctuation ConventionsThese questions require students to edit text to conform to standard English punctuation.Usage ConventionsThese questions require students to edit text to conform to standard English usage.Sentence Structure and FormationThese questions test understanding of relationships between and among clauses, placement of modifiers, and shifts in construction.

English Categories continuedProduction of WritingThe questions in this category require students to apply an understanding of the rhetorical purpose and the focus of a piece of writing to develop a topic effectively; to use various strategies to achieve logical organization, topical unity, and general cohesion; and to employ knowledge of language to ensure that writing is precise, concise, and stylistically consistent.Topic DevelopmentThese questions require students to demonstrate an understanding of and control over the rhetorical aspects of texts by identifying the purpose of parts of texts, determining whether a text has met its intended goal, and evaluating the relevance of material in terms of a text’s focus.Organization, Unity, and CohesionThese questions require students to use various strategies to ensure that text is logically organized, flows smoothly, and has an effective introduction and conclusion.Knowledge of LanguageThese questions require students to demonstrate effective language use through ensuring precision and concision in word choice, maintaining consistency in style and tone, and using references.ACT Aspire – English Test (p. 20 Grade 4)

ACT Aspire - WritingWriting FrameworkThe ACT Aspire™ writing assessments consist of 30-minute summative writing tasks for grades 3 through 8 and early high school. They ask students at each grade level to respond in essay form to a single writing stimulus. The assessments are designed to provide a strong indication of whether students have the writing skills they will need to succeed as they begin work at their next grade level. Student responses are evaluated according to analytic rubricsthat assess the generation, development, organization, and communication of ideas in standard written English.

3 Modes of writing The Reflective Narrative mode appears at grades 3 and 6. The assessments at grades 4,7, and early high school are in the Analytical Expository mode. The grade 5 and grade 8 assessments are in the Persuasive/Argumentative mode. The ACT Aspire assessments are designed to give students at every grade level an opportunity to display the higher-order thinking skills needed for meaningful reflection, analytical explanation, and persuasive argument. The means for evaluating students’ abilities to display these skills are built intothe ACT Aspire rubrics.

ACT Aspire – Writing Test

Handouts of rubrics/competency model

ModeCompetency Persuasive/Argumentative Analytical Expository Reflective NarrativeGenerate ideas Judgment Analysis Narration and Reflection

• Evaluate an issue– Recognize complexity– Multiple perspectives– Implications and complicating factors– Counterarguments• Take a position– Present a thesis

• Comprehend a subject/situation– Recognize complexity– Multiple perspectives– Implications and complicating factors– Underlying assumptions, ideas, or values• Provide an explanation– Articulate insight/depth of understanding

• Select a relevant event, experience, or situation to recount– Recognize complexity– Situated perspectives– Implications and complicating factors– Multiple meanings• Reflect on the meaning/significance

Develop Ideas Develop a Position Support an Explanation Give an Account• Support thesis using persuasive– Evidence– facts, experience, authority– Reasoning/logic– Appeals to emotion/feeling• Move between general statements and specific reasons, examples and details

• Identify and explain elements essential for understanding• Identify and explore relevant underlying assumptions, ideas, or values• Arrive at insight/deeper understanding through well‐reasoned discussion

• Describe event, experience, or situation– Identify and convey elements essential for understanding– Select and convey relevant supporting details• Identify and convey connected abstract ideas• Arrive at insight/deeper understanding through thoughtful consideration

Sustain ideas Focus Focus Focus• Maintain focus on– Elements of issue relevant to thesis– Persuasive purpose and context

• Maintain focus on– Elements of subject/situation essential to understanding and analysis– Expository purpose and context

• Maintain focus on– Relevant event, experience, or situation– Abstract ideas relevant to reflection– Narrative purpose and context

Organize ideas Organization Organization Organization• Group ideas logically• Sequence ideas in progression• Use transitions to clarify relationships among ideas• Provide an effective introduction and conclusion

• Group ideas logically• Sequence ideas in progression• Use transitions to clarify relationships among ideas• Provide an effective introduction and conclusion

• Group ideas logically• Sequence narrative elements effectively• Use transitions to clarify relationships among ideas and narrative elements• Provide an effective introduction and conclusion

Communicate Ideas

Language use Language use Language Use

• Use a variety of sentence structures• Employ conventions of standard written English• Use varied and precise vocabulary• Use appropriate voice and tone

Use a variety of sentence structures• Employ conventions of standard written English• Use varied and precise vocabulary• Use appropriate voice and tone

Use narrative techniques• Employ conventions of standard written English• Use descriptive vocabulary• Use appropriate voice and tone

ACT Writing Competencies Model

Rubric – Grade 3Reflective Narrative Development Organization Language Use

Score: 5 Responses at this score point demonstrate capable skill in writing a reflective narrative.

Response engages with taskPresents a capable reflective narrativeConveys the importance of the eventThoughtful reflection on the event and meaning of the experiencePurposeful movement between specific and generalized ideas

Ideas strongly developedWell thought explanation of action, sensory details and/or characterExperience and meaning supported with detailed description/explanationDetails enhance the story and help explain the importance of the event

Planned, well thought organizational structureLogical progression in narrativeTransitions clearly bring together all the elements of the narrative

Successfully and clearly explain meaningWord choice is preciseSentence structures are clear and variedVoice and tone are represented and maintained in entire narrativeAny errors in grammar, usage and mechanics do NOT impede understanding

Score: 4 Responses at this score point demonstrate adequate skill in writing a reflective narrative.

Response shows clear understanding of taskPresents an adequate reflective narrativeDemonstrates the importance of the eventSome reflection on the event and meaning of the experienceConnections between specific and generalized ideas are mostly clear

Ideas developed using sensory details and/or characterExperience and meaning mostly supported with description/explanationDetails may enhance the story and help explain the importance of the event

Exhibits structure with logicTransitions help bring together all the elements of the narrative

Clearly explains meaningWord choice is sometimes preciseSentence structures are occasionally varied and usually clearVoice and tone are represented in narrative but not consistently maintainedWhile errors in grammar, usage and mechanics are present they rarely impede understanding

Score: 3 Responses at this score point demonstrate some developing skill in writing a reflective narrative

Response has limited understanding of taskPresents a reflective narrative somewhat on grade levelSome reflection on the event and meaning of the experience-but is limitedConnections between specific and generalized ideas are somewhat connected

Narrative somewhat developedSome explanation using action, sensory details and/or characterExperience and meaning somewhat supported with description/explanation

Some structure present but simplistic or digress at timesTransitions sometimes explain connections between all the elements of the narrative

Some ability to share meaning Word choice is general and at times impreciseSentence structures show little variety and inconsistently clearVoice and tone are present but are inconsistently maintainedDistracting errors in grammar, usage and mechanics are present they sometimes impede understanding

Score: 2 Responses at this score point demonstrate weak or inconsistent skill in writing a reflective narrative.

Response shows some basic understanding of taskWeak or inconsistent skill in reflectingReflection on the event and meaning of the experience is unclear or incomplete or may be irrelevantConnections between specific and generalized ideas are weak and inconsistent

Development is weak-reported rather than describedReflection on experience is weakDescription is weak, inconsistent or not clearly relevant

Organization is below grade levelLogic is unclearTransitions misleading or poorly formed

Weak ability to express meaningWord choice is below grade level and vagueSentence structures are often unclearVoice and tone not used correctlyDistracting errors in grammar, usage and mechanics are present and they impede understanding

Score: 1 Responses at this score point demonstrate little or no skill in writing a reflective narrative.

Little to no understanding of taskNo narrative Lacks reflection of meaning connected to experience

Little to no developmentNo action, sensory detail or characterLittle to no reflection

No evidence of organizationTransitions may be present but fail to relate elements

Little to no ability to express meaningWord choice is imprecise-ideas difficult to understandSentence structures are mostly unclearVoice and tone not used correctlyErrors in grammar, usage and mechanics are consistently and significantly present and impede understanding

Score: 0 Unscorable

Rubric for Grade 3 Reflective Narrative Writing

The response is blank, voided, off-topic, illegible, or not written in English.

Rubric – Grade 4Analysis Development Organization Language Use

Score: 5 Responses at this score pointdemonstrate capable skill in writing an analytical essay

Response engages with taskThoughtful analysisAddresses implications and complicationsPurposeful movement between specific details and generalized ideas

Ideas well explainedWell thought out supporting reasons and detailed examplesClaims and supports are integrated

Purposeful organizational strategyLogical sequence helps the writer’s analysis be effectiveTransitions between and within paragraphs consistently explain relationships among ideas

Successfully and clearly explains the meaningWord choice is usually preciseSentence structures are clear and often variedVoice and tone are appropriate for analytical purpose and maintained in entire responseErrors in grammar, usage and mechanics may be present, they do NOT impede understanding

Score: 4 Responses at this score point demonstate adequate skill in writing an analytical essay

Response shows clear understanding of taskPresents an analysisRecognizes implications and complicationsClear movement between specific details and generalized ideas

Ideas explainedSupporting reasons and detailed examples

Clear but simple organizational structureIdeas logically groupedTransitions between and within paragraphs show relationships among ideas

Clearly explains the meaningWord choice is sometimes preciseSentence structures are usually clear and occasionally variedVoice and tone are appropriate for analytical purpose but inconsistently maintained Errors in grammar, usage and mechanics may be present, they rarely impede understanding

Score 3: Responses at this score point demonstrate skill in writing and essay.

Response shows basic understanding of taskAnalysis over simplified or impreciseImplications and complications are somewhat clear and relevantSpecific details and generalized ideas are somewhat connected

Limited explanation of ideasSome supporting reasons and detailed examples

Evidence of some organizational structureSome ideas logically groupedTransitions between and within paragraphs sometimes show relationships among ideas

Some ability to explain the meaningWord choice is general and occasionally impreciseSentence structures show little variety and sometimes unclearVoice and tone are somewhat appropriate for analytical purpose but inconsistently maintained Distracting errors in grammar, usage and mechanics may be present, they sometimes impede understanding

Score 2 Responses at this score point demonstrate weak or inconsistent skill in writing an analytical essay.

Response shows below grade level understanding of taskAnalysis weak or inconsistentImplications and complications are not clear and relevantSpecific details and generalized ideas are unclear and incomplete

Unclear explanation of ideasLittle use of supporting reasons and examples

Little evidence of organizational structureLogical grouping of ideas is inconsistent and unclearTransitions between and within paragraphs missing, misleading or poorly formatted

Weak ability to explain the meaningWord choice is basic and frequently impreciseSentence structures are often unclearVoice and tone are not grade level for analytical purpose Distracting errors in grammar, usage and mechanics may be present, impede understanding

Score 1 Responses at this score pointdemonstrate little or no skill in writing an analytical essay.

Response shows little to no understanding of taskLacks connection between specific details and generalized ideas

Lacks explanationNo use of supporting reasons or relevant examples

No evidence of organizational structureIdeas not logically groupedTransitions may be present but do not relate ideas

Little to no ability to explain the meaningWord choice imprecise and difficult to understandSentence structures are mostly unclearVoice and tone are not grade level for analytical purpose Errors in grammar, usage and mechanics may be present, significantly impede understanding

Score 0 Unscoreable

The response is blank, voided, off-topic, or not in English.

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