another essay rubric

here is another sample essay rubric:

	3	2	1	0
INTRODUCTION Background/History Thesis Statement CONCLUSION

Well-developed introduction engages the reader and creates interest. Contains detailed background information. Thesis clearly states a significant and compelling position.
Conclusion effectively wraps up and goes beyond restating the thesis. Introduction creates interest. Thesis clearly states the position.
Conclusion effectively summarizes topics.  Introduction adequately explains the background, but may lack detail.  Thesis states the position.
Conclusion is recognizable and ties up almost all loose ends.Background details are a random collection of information, unclear, or not related to the topic. Thesis is vague or unclear.
Conclusion does not summarize main points. MAIN POINTSBody Paragraphs
 Well developed main points directly related to the thesis. Supporting examples are concrete and detailed.
The narrative is developed with a consistent and effective point-of-view, showing the story in detail.Three or more main points are related to the thesis, but one may lack details.  The narrative shows events from the author's point of view using some details.Three or more main points are present. The narrative shows the events, but may lack details.Less than three main points, and/or poor development of ideas.    The narrative is undeveloped, and tells rather than shows, the story. ORGANIZATION
Structure
TransitionsLogical progression of ideas with a clear structure that enhances the thesis.  Transitions are mature and graceful.Logical progression of ideas.  Transitions are present equally throughout essay.Organization is clear. Transitions are present. No discernable organization.  Transitions are not present.  STYLE 
Sentence flow, variety
Diction
 Writing is smooth, skillful, coherent.  Sentences are strong and expressive with varied structure. Diction is consistent and words well chosen.  Writing is clear and sentences  have varied structure.  Diction is consistent.  Writing is clear, but sentences may lack variety.  Diction is appropriate. Writing is confusing, hard to follow.  Contains fragments and/or run-on sentences. Inappropriate diction.  MECHANICSSpelling, punctuation, capitalizationPunctuation, spelling, capitalization are correct.  No errors.Punctuation, spelling, capitalization are generally correct, with few errors. (1-2)A few errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization. (3-4)Distracting errors in punctuation, spelling, capitalization
from: http://dairynutrient.wisc.edu/875/page.php?id=454

Best vs. Correct Answer

These are some of the articles I found about the Correct versus Best Answer in creating multiple choice tests:

1. Title: Sometimes the Correct Answer is the Best Answer

from:  http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2011/01/28/sometimes-the-correct-answer-is-the-best-answer.aspx

Within my organization (certification development), our focus this year is innovation in item types. Although we are exploring new item types (more on that in a future blog), we are also exploring how we can leverage our current item types in innovative ways. Take the old standby--the multiple choice (MC) item. This item type has been unfairly criticized--after all, it's used on the vast majority of exams for a reason, but I understand the perceptions that are driving this criticism. Complaints include: it's too easy to guess the correct answer; MC questions are not rigorous measures of skills; and they don't reflect real world experiences. So, the question is "how can we make MC questions more difficult to guess, increase their rigor, and make them a better reflection of real world experience?" One solution is to change the focus from selecting the "correct" answer to selecting the "best" answer. What's the difference? In a "correct" answer item, only one answer is correct; in a "best" answer item, more than one answer might solve the problem but there is one best solution.
Because we believe that truly qualified candidates, especially at the professional level, should know what the best solution is in situations where multiple good solutions exist or are possible, we have decided to incorporte "best answer" items into some of our exams. After all, how often do you encounter a situation where there is one and only one correct solution to the problem? Problems rarely have clear cut solutions. As a result, these items should be more real world than a correct answer question because they require the candidate to carefully consider the situation presented in the question, just as they would carefully consider their organizational environment and constraints when making decisions in their jobs, and determine the best solution given those circumstances. These questions require more critical thinking than correct answer items, which makes them more rigorous measures of skills and more difficult to guess.
So, let's cut to this chase. What does this mean to you?
We will be slowly adding best answer items to our exams over time, and I want to let you know what to expect:

• Best answer items will only appear on PRO level exams where being able to identify the best solution given a set of specific environmental characteristics or constraints is critical to planning, designing, and managing Microsoft technologies in organizations.
• The best answer will be the solution that takes the least effort, requires the fewest steps, and/or is least costly AND solves the problem. Remember with a best answer choice item, more than one answer will likely solve the problem (others might not), but one answer will be the best solution from a resource (budget, time, people) perspective in that particular situation.
• The best answer will be the best answer GIVEN THE SITUATION DESCRIBED IN THE QUESTION. It may not be how you would do it in your organization, but it's how it should be solved given the situation.
• At this time, only a small proportion of items on any exam will be best answer choice items; although this proportion is likely to increase over time, we are not to the point where every question on a particular exam will be a "best answer" question. Not all PRO exams have best answer questions yet, but we're working on it.
• You will know these items when you see them. The question statement will include words such as "best" or "most" (depending what is being asked) that make it clear that the question requires a deeper evaluation to determine the best answer. In addition, the following statement appears following the question: "(More than one answer choice may achieve the goal. Select the BEST answer.)"
• Most important, the best answer has been vetted by many SMEs who agreed on what the best answer is. The best answer isn't what Microsoft thinks is the best answer; the best answer is what many SMEs have agreed is the best answer.

I have to admit best answer questions are not innovative in and of themselves; you can find them on most certification and licensure exams, but they are new to Microsoft Learning. I know some of you won't like this change, but I believe that best answer questions have a place in our certification program and will ultimately increase the value of your certifications because of the higher level thinking required to answer these items correctly.

2. Subtitle: Misconceptions about Multiple-Choice Questions
from: http://www.maryvillecityschools.k12.tn.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=15540

• Multiple choice questions require you to choose the best answer, not the correct one.  All answers may be correct, or all may be incorrect; you are required to choose the best of these options.  Therefore, you should always read every answer before giving a response.

  Many students have heard that you should choose a constant response when guessing on multiple-choice questions and that the best response to guess is C.  This advice is misleading.  When you are forced to guess, always make a knowledge based guess.  If you know anything at all about the subject, use that knowledge to narrow down the possibilities or at least to arrive at a direct hunch.  Hunches are somewhat knowledge based, and they will beat the odds of giving a direct response.  However, if you have used all you know to narrow down the possibilities, and you still cannot decide between two or more choices, you should use your knowledge of probability.  On teacher made tests, choices toward the end of the list are generally more likely to be correct than the ones toward the beginning.  Therefore, if you absolutely cannot decide between A and C on your teacher's test, it's better to go with C.

Essay Rubrics

Here are examples of a variety of Essay Rubrics that can be used in the classroom.

Submitted by: Camille Ann Bolos

Submitted to: Professor Culala

Best vs Correct Answer

f you teach an introductory class in a major university, especially in the sciences, you likely have over 100 students in the class. With such a large class, having open questions on exams with students writing answers in free format will use up a great deal of time grading the exams. This leaves several options for efficient grading, but the simplest is using multiple choice exams. One caveat though - for this type of exam to correctly assess the students' abilities requires careful crafting.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #10: Most details belong in the question, not the answers.

One simple way to provide clues to the clueless student is to have a great many details in the answers. If only the correct answer is detailed, the student can easily guess that the short answers are the wrong ones, also known as distracters. If you put in the time to make the distracters similarly detailed, there is a greater chance that a student will see a hint of inaccuracy in the distracters.

One way to avoid giving too many hints is to make the distracters identical to the correct answer, except in one or two crucial details. However, it would save you effort, and the students time if you would include all the identical details in the question, and make the answers as short and clear as possible.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #9: Penalize wrong answers to reduce the incentive to guess.

If you provide five answers for each question, take away 1/4 the point value of a question for each wrong answer. That way if a student is guessing at random he or she is likely to get one out of each five questions right, but the other four wrong, ending up with the same score of zero on average. Students who know enough to recognize that one or more of the distracters are wrong will increase the fraction of correct guesses, and have a higher score on average.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #8: If you pair up a distracter with the right answer, make the remaining distracters a matched set.

The simplest way to come up with good distracters is to find one or two critical numbers or characteristics, and then change only those between the correct answer and the distracters. Be careful, however, to make the wrong numbers at least plausible. Having an obviously ridiculous answer serves no useful purpose except to provide free points to students who do not know the material.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #7: Check for consistency in language and in units.

Keep in mind that having good distracters is critical to the task of separating students who know the material well from those who don't know it at all. Students who know the material partially should be able to get partial credit.

Having distracters that obviously cannot be correct because of some trivial error such as using the wrong tense, plural instead of singular, or simply the wrong unit will give away the game. The simplest way to verify the distracters will work is to read the question and a distracter to make sure they match. Then repeat for each of the other distracters.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #6: Don't use "none of the above," especially not as the correct answer.

It is human nature to try and "beat the opponent." In writing exams, you may find yourself thinking of the students as being on the opposing team and setting traps for them in the exam. This will backfire, as you find even your best students being snared due to an instant of inattention or time pressure.

One of the worst offenses is to write a question and then not provide any answer that correctly replies to it. If you opt for the negative - requiring your students to identify all four distracters as wrong even lacking the correct answer to contrast them with you will end up teaching them what is wrong, not what is right. Needless to say that as a distracter, "none of the above" will be ineffective in most cases.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #5: Use "all of the above" sparingly.

For similar reasons, "all of the above" should not be used too often. There is an increased chance that a good student who knows the material well will fall for a distracter that is correct but not complete. This is especially true since in this scenario the correct answer is last, and the trap is sprung at the first distracter.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #4: Position the correct answer randomly.

Many instructors are tempted to "hide" the correct answer among the distracters. If you do this, you will find yourself positioning the correct answer in the middle and rarely if ever in the first or last position ("A" or "E"). A savvy student is likely to use such a non-random distribution to increase his or her score when guessing.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #3: Include questions that require understanding and ones that require problem solving, not just pure memorization.

It is very easy to write multiple choice question that test memory. For example, "what year did World War II start?" Writing distracters, even good ones, for this question is as simple as can be.

However, although these questions do have their place, it is important to test your students on higher cognitive levels as well. This will allow you to ensure that students who do well on your exam deserve a good grade in your course.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #2: Defeat cheaters without penalizing honesty.

Many surveys among college students show a disturbing trend of increasing academic dishonesty. This includes the age-old favorite - glancing over the shoulder of the student in the seat ahead of them. Proving dishonesty in such cases is difficult. Instead, you can beat cheaters by using their behavior against them.

Without notice, pass out two versions of the exam with version A handed out to odd rows, and version B to even rows. Each version should have the same questions in the same order. Each question should have the same correct answer and the same distracters, only in different order between versions. This way the difficulty level is identical for all students, yet those who attempt to cheat are liable to get all the questions wrong.

Top 10 tips on how to write good multiple choice exams #1: Help your students prepare well by providing practice exams.

Although at times it may seem instructors and students are on opposing sides, the truth is that we're all partners in their education. If your exam is written well (see tip #3 above) it is in everyone's interest that your students do well on your exam, if they can do so without cheating.

Keep a file with your old exams and possibly exercise sheets from previous years. Before the exam hand out copies of these to your students and encourage them to practice solving the problems. If you give them enough practice exams they will learn what is important for you that they know, which is what it is all about.

Published by Opher Ganel

Researcher, teacher, photographer, storyteller. Creativity is my escape from the day-to-day.

http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-write-good-multiple-choice-exams-687380.html

Sample Grading Rubric for Term Papers/Essays

Courtesy of Dr. Stella Porto 

Qualities & Criteria	Poor (0-80)	Good (80-90)	Excellent (90-100)
Format/Layout Presentation of the text Structuring of text Follows require-ments of length, font and style (Weight 15%)	Follows poorly the requirements related to format and layout.	Follows, for the most part, all the requirements related to format and layout. Some requirements are not followed.	Closely follows all the requirements related to format and layout.
Content/Information All elements of the topics are addressed The information is technically sound Information based on careful research Coherence of information (Weight 50%)	The essay is not objective and addresses poorly the issues referred in the proposed topic. The provided information is not necessary or not sufficient to discuss these issues.	The essay is objective and for the most part addresses with an in depth analysis most of the issues referred in the proposed topic. The provided information is, for the most part, necessary and sufficient to discuss these issues.	The essay is objective and addresses with an in depth analysis all the issues referred in the proposed topic. The provided information is necessary and sufficient to discuss these issues.
Quality of Writing Clarity of sentences and paragraphs No errors and spelling, grammar and use of English Organization and coherence of ideas (Weight 20%)	The essay is not well written, and contains many spelling errors, and/or grammar errors and/or use of English errors. The essay is badly organized, lacks clarity and/or does not present ideas in a coherent way.	The essay is well written for the most part, without spelling, grammar or use of English errors. The essay is for the most part well organized, clear and presents ideas in a coherent way.	The essay is well written from start to finish, without spelling, grammar or use of English errors. The essay is well organized, clear and presents ideas in a coherent way.
References and use of references Scholarly level of references How effective the references are used in the essay Soundness of references APA style in reference list and for citations (Weight 15%)	Most of the references used are not important, and/or are not of good/scholarly quality. There is not a minimum of 4 scholarly resources, and/or they are not used effectively in the essay. References are not effectively used, and/or correctly cited and/or correctly listed in the reference list according to APA style.	Most of the references used are important, and are of good/scholarly quality. There is a minimum of 4 scholarly resources that are for the most part used effectively in the essay. Most of the references are effectively used, correctly cited and correctly listed in the reference list according to APA style.	All the references used are important, and are of good/scholarly quality. There is a minimum of 4 scholarly resources that are used effectively in the essay. All the references are effectively used, correctly cited and correctly listed in the reference list according to APA style.
Overriding criterion: 0riginality and authenticity. If the essay is identified as not being original, and/or not done by the student, the instructor has the right to grade the paper as an F. http://deoracle.org/learning-objects/sample-grading-rubric-for-term-papers-essays.html

How to Make a Rubric for Essay Writing

By Shelley Gray, eHow Contributor

A rubric is a tool used for assessment of learning. It consists of specific criteria, divided into levels and shows detailed expectations of each. A rubric serves primarily as a guide for teachers when assessing student work; however, it is especially effective when created along with students, as it then serves as a student guide when completing the assignment. When creating a rubric to be used for assessing an essay, there are some general guidelines that should be followed.

Instructions

1. Instructions

   • 1
     Decide on specific criteria that you would like your students to exhibit in the essay. Examples are: use of language and voice, conventions, bibliography or knowledge and understanding of concept. Allowing your students to be involved in this process will often result in a higher standard of essay writing.
     
   • 2
     Create a table that is five-columns wide. The amount of rows will depend on the number of criteria that you have. This should generally be between four and eight
     
   • 3
     Label the table. The headings for the columns will be: "Criteria," "Level 1," "Level 2," "Level 3" and "Level 4." The headings of the rows should be written in the "Criteria" column and will differ depending on the criteria that you have chosen.
     
   • 4
     Think about what a perfect essay would consist of. Fill this information in under the "Level 4" column header. Examples of words that should be used are: "thorough," "high," "highly" or "all". For example, a Level 4 entry for a bibliography could be, "All sources are listed and written with a high degree of accuracy."
     
   • 5
     Think about what an essay that is far below your expectations would consist of. Fill this information in under the "Level 1" column header. Examples of words that should be used are: "limited," "minimal," "sometimes" or "few." For example, a Level 1 entry for a bibliography could be, "Few sources are listed and written with a minimal level of accuracy."
     
   • 6
     Looking at the Level 1 and Level 4 expectations, fill in Level 2 and Level 3. For Level 2, you should use words such as: "some," "moderate" or "generally." For Level 3, consider using words like "considerable" and "most."
     
   • 7
     Review the rubric and ensure that the descriptions of criteria flow smoothly from Level 1 to Level 4.
      How to Make a Rubric for Essay Writing | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7197602_make-rubric-essay-writing.html#ixzz22IXuPIZL
     

  Writing Multiple-Choice Test Items 

by Jerard Kehoe

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University A notable concern of many teachers is that they frequently have the task of constructing tests but have relatively little training or information to rely on in this task. The objective of this article is to set out some conventional wisdom for the construction of multiple-choice tests, which are one of the most common forms of teacher-constructed tests. The comments which follow are applicable mainly to multiple-choice tests covering fairly broad topic areas.
Before proceeding, it will be useful to establish our terms for discussing multiple-choice items. The stem is the introductory question or incomplete statement at the beginning of each item and this is followed by the options. The options consist of the answer -- the correct option -- and distractors--the incorrect but (we hope) tempting options.
General Objectives
As a rule, one is concerned with writing stems that are clear and parsimonious, answers that are unequivocal and chosen by the students who do best on the test, and distractors that are plausible competitors of the answer as evidenced by the frequency with which they are chosen. Lastly, and probably most important, we should adopt the attitude that items need to be developed over time in the light of evidence that can be obtained from the statistical output typically provided by a measurement services office (where tests are machine-scored) and from "expert" editorial review.
Planning
The primary objective in planning a test is to outline the actual course content that the test will cover. A convenient way of accomplishing this is to take 10 minutes following each class to list on an index card the important concepts covered in class and in assigned reading for that day. These cards can then be used later as a source of test items. An even more conscientious approach, of course, would be to construct the test items themselves after each class. The advantage of either of these approaches is that the resulting test is likely to be a better representation of course activity than if the test were constructed before the course or after the course, when we usually have only a fond memory or optimistic syllabus to draw from. When we are satisfied that we have an accurate description of the content areas, then all that remains is to construct items that represent specific content areas. In developing good multiple-choice items, three tasks need to be considered: writing stems, writing options, and ongoing item development. The first two are discussed in this article.
Writing Stems
We will first describe some basic rules for the construction of multiple-choice stems, because they are typically, though not necessarily, written before the options.
1. Before writing the stem, identify the one point to be tested by that item. In general, the stem should not pose more than one problem, although the solution to that problem may require more than one step.
2. Construct the stem to be either an incomplete statement or a direct question, avoiding stereotyped phraseology, as rote responses are usually based on verbal stereotypes. For example, the following stems (with answers in parentheses) illustrate undesirable phraseology:

What is the biological theory of recapitulation? (Ontogeny repeats phylogeny)
Who was the chief spokesman for the "American System?" (Henry Clay)

Correctly answering these questions likely depends less on understanding than on recognizing familiar phraseology. 3. Avoid including nonfunctional words that do not contribute to the basis for choosing among the options. Often an introductory statement is included to enhance the appropriateness or significance of an item but does not affect the meaning of the problem in the item. Generally, such superfluous phrases should be excluded. For example, consider:

The American flag has three colors. One of them is (1) red (2) green (3) black

versus

One of the colors of the American flag is (1) red (2) green (3) black

In particular, irrelevant material should not be used to make the answer less obvious. This tends to place too much importance on reading comprehension as a determiner of the correct option.
4. Include as much information in the stem and as little in the options as possible. For example, if the point of an item is to associate a term with its definition, the preferred format would be to present the definition in the stem and several terms as options rather than to present the term in the stem and several definitions as options.
5. Restrict the use of negatives in the stem. Negatives in the stem usually require that the answer be a false statement. Because students are likely in the habit of searching for true statements, this may introduce an unwanted bias.
6. Avoid irrelevant clues to the correct option. Grammatical construction, for example, may lead students to reject options which are grammatically incorrect as the stem is stated. Perhaps more common and subtle, though, is the problem of common elements in the stem and in the answer. Consider the following item:

What led to the formation of the States' Rights Party?

a. The level of federal taxation

b. The demand of states for the right to make their own laws

c. The industrialization of the South

d. The corruption of federal legislators on the issue of state taxation

One does not need to know U.S. history in order to be attracted to the answer, b. Other rules that we might list are generally commonsensical, including recommendations for independent and important items and prohibitions against complex, imprecise wording.
Writing Options
Following the construction of the item stem, the likely more difficult task of generating options presents itself. The rules we list below are not likely to simplify this task as much as they are intended to guide our creative efforts.
1. Be satisfied with three or four well constructed options. Generally, the minimal improvement to the item due to that hard-to-come-by fifth option is not worth the effort to construct it. Indeed, all else the same, a test of 10 items each with four options is likely a better test than a test with nine items of five options each.
2. Construct distractors that are comparable in length, complexity and grammatical form to the answer, avoiding the use of such words as "always," "never," and "all." Adherence to this rule avoids some of the more common sources of biased cueing. For example, we sometimes find ourselves increasing the length and specificity of the answer (relative to distractors) in order to insure its truthfulness. This, however, becomes an easy-to-spot clue for the testwise student. Related to this issue is the question of whether or not test writers should take advantage of these types of cues to construct more tempting distractors. Surely not! The number of students choosing a distractor should depend only on deficits in the content area which the item targets and should not depend on cue biases or reading comprehension differences in "favor" of the distractor.
3. Options which read "none of the above," "both a. and e. above," "all of the above," _etc_., should be avoided when the students have been instructed to choose "the best answer," which implies that the options vary in degree of correctness. On the other hand, "none of the above" is acceptable if the question is factual and is probably desirable if computation yields the answer. "All of the above" is never desirable, as one recognized distractor eliminates it and two recognized answers identify it.
4. After the options are written, vary the location of the answer on as random a basis as possible. A convenient method is to flip two (or three) coins at a time where each possible Head-Tail combination is associated with a particular location for the answer. Furthermore, if the test writer is conscientious enough to randomize the answer locations, students should be informed that the locations are randomized. (Testwise students know that for some instructors the first option is rarely the answer.)
5. If possible, have a colleague with expertise in the content area of the exam review the items for possible ambiguities, redundancies or other structural difficulties. Having completed the items we are typically so relieved that we may be tempted to regard the task as completed and each item in its final and permanent form. Yet, another source of item and test improvement is available to us, namely, statistical analyses of student responses.

This article was adapted with from Testing Memo 4: Constructing Multiple-Choice Tests -- Part I, Office of Measurement and Research Services, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060
Further Reading
Airasian, P. (1994) Classroom Assessment, Second Edition, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Cangelosi, J. (1990) Designing Tests for Evaluating Student Achievement. NY: Addison Wellesley.
Grunlund, N (1993) How to make achievement tests and assessments, 5th edition, NY: Allen and Bacon.
Haladyna, T.M. & Downing, S.M. (1989) Validity of a Taxonomy of Multiple-Choice Item-Writing Rules. Applied Measurement in Education, 2 (1), 51-78.

Descriptors: *Culture Fair Tests; *Distractors (Tests); Educational Assessment; Item Bias; Measurement Techniques; *Multiple Choice Tests; Scoring; *Statistical Analysis; Stereotypes; *Test Construction; Test Items; Test Theory

http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=4&n=9

            For me,  sometimes the Correct Answer is the Best Answer..

 But which one of these weighs more when it comes to questions/ tests..

  Correct answer is for Facts-- Best Answer are for opinions/suggestions/ comments..