Back to EMSC Home SED Home Disclaimers and Notices

 January 2006
revised 2/13/06

Scoring the Editing Paragraph
Questions about the tests and the testing program
Questions about scoring the test
Questions regarding tests results
Questions regarding specific grades

Scoring the Editing Paragraph:

Q1:      Should students be told how many errors there are in the editing paragraph?

A:        No, students should not be told how many errors to look for. Students might stop reviewing the rest of the paragraph because they believe they have found all the targeted errors when, in fact, they have misidentified one or more elements in the paragraph as being incorrect. It is best to encourage students always to review the entire paragraph.

Q2:      What is the definition of a “neutral” correction?

A:        A neutral correction is a revision made by the student (to any part of the paragraph) that is not grammatically or mechanically incorrect. Such a revision does not result in any penalty to the student.

Q3:      If a student changes a word in a paragraph, but the word is grammatically correct and fits the sentence, is that revision acceptable?

A:        Such a revision is acceptable, provided that the revision does not alter the meaning of the sentence to such a degree that it no longer fits the context of the paragraph. This is an example of a neutral correction.

Q4:      How do we score a response in which a student has crossed out a serial comma before the word “and”?

A:        Since the serial comma before “and” is considered optional, the change is treated as a neutral correction. The change does not make the sentence incorrect and so is permitted.

Q5:      Why have commas been included in the editing paragraphs?

A:        Knowledge of commas is part of the New York State Learning Standards. Please refer to the English Language Arts Core Curriculum, at www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai, for grade- specific information.

Q6:      If a student introduces a spelling error in the process of revising the paragraph, will the introduced spelling error count against the student’s score?

A:        No. Since spelling is not assessed via the editing paragraph, spelling errors introduced by the student will not be counted either.

Q7:      Is the misuse of homophones (e.g., “to/too/two”) considered to be a spelling error or a usage error? Would a student be penalized for introducing a homophone error?

A:        Homophones are considered to be usage errors. In Grades 5 and 7, students will be held accountable for introducing such errors. Since the Grade 3 editing paragraph assesses only capitalization and punctuation and does not assess usage, students at that grade will  not be held accountable for introducing homophone errors.

Q8:      If the error calls for a student to correct the tense of a verb, and the student misspells the   new word, can that correction be given credit? (Example: If “hear” should be corrected to “heard,” can “herd” be given credit?)

A:        The correction should be given credit, provided that the word clearly and accurately represents the correction in tense despite the misspelling.

Q9:      Is a student permitted to cross out an entire sentence or part of a sentence rather than making the necessary correction? How much deleted text can be allowed?

A:        A student is not permitted to cross out an entire sentence to avoid making a correction.

            If a student crosses out a small portion of a sentence, but the sentence is still grammatically intact and the meaning of the sentence remains unchanged, such a revision is acceptable.

Q10:    Will students be given credit for corrections made using proofreading marks?

A:        Proofreading marks will be allowed, provided that the errors are clearly indicated and corrected by the proofreading marks.

Q11:    Can a student be penalized if the scorer does not recognize proofreading marks?

A:        If a scorer is unfamiliar with proofreading marks, the scorer should consult the table facilitator or scoring leader.

Q12:    If a student corrects an error by using means other than proofreading marks or the revision method described in the directions, will the response still receive credit?

A:        If the correction is made clearly and accurately, full credit may be given. Some examples of acceptable corrections include:

·        circling the error rather than crossing it out

·       crossing out the part of the word that is incorrect rather than crossing out and rewriting the entire word

·       crossing out an unnecessary punctuation mark rather than crossing out the preceding word and punctuation mark and rewriting the word without the punctuation mark

·       directly inserting missing punctuation rather than crossing out the surrounding words and rewriting them above the crossed out section with the correct punctuation inserted.

      In each of these cases, as long as the correction made is accurate and clear to the scorer, the correction is acceptable.

Q13:    Is a correction acceptable if a student makes the correction but does not cross out the original error?

A:        Such a correction is acceptable, provided that the correction is completely clear, with no further interpretation necessary on the part of the scorer.

Q14:    If a student makes more than one error of a particular type (e.g., failing to capitalize a proper noun), is each instance considered an error, or are these errors grouped together and considered to be a single error?

A:        In order to be considered a single error, the repeated error needs to be identical. For example, if a student repeatedly fails to capitalize a particular name, that is considered a single error, even though it occurs more than once. However, if the error   occurs in two different names, then that is considered to be two separate errors.

Q15:    Is there a list of the types of errors that will be included in the editing paragraphs?

A:        While there is no comprehensive list of assessable errors, the English Language Arts  Learning Standards and the Core Curriculum (accessible at www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai) provide guidelines regarding grade-specific content coverage, and the Sample Test provides examples of grade-level-appropriate concepts.

General questions about the tests and the testing program:

Q16:    When writing answers, are students permitted to copy text? 

A:        For short-response questions, students may cite text from the passage in order to answer the questions if the text cited is appropriate and applicable. Students may also include cited text from the passage when supporting ideas presented in extended responses.  However, if the student’s answer to an extended-response question consists primarily of a retelling of the story or article by means of copying whole sections of the passage, then only the original work provided by the student may be scored. This applies to both the Reading/Writing and the Writing Mechanics clusters.

Questions about scoring the test:

Q17:    In the scoring materials, does the annotation “text detail” refer only to information directly stated in the passage?

A:        The annotation “text detail” refers to information taken directly from the passage. That  information may be quoted from the passage or rephrased.

Q18:    How are the clusters scored?

A:        In Grades 4, 6, and 8, all the responses in the Listening section of the test are scored together as a cluster and receive a single score, as are the responses in the Reading section. For Writing Mechanics, the extended response from the Listening cluster is combined with the extended response from the Reading cluster, which are scored together to receive a single score. The Reading and Listening clusters are each scored using a 0–4 point rubric at Grade 4 and a 0–5 point rubric at Grades 6 and 8. Writing Mechanics at all three grades is scored using a 0–3 point rubric.

Q19:    Is voice still an important consideration in scoring student responses, or are the number of text details included in the response a more important factor?

A:        Both the content of the essay and the writing style are important considerations in scoring a student’s response. Both factors are included in the holistic rubrics.

Q20:    Does the word “essay” mean that a student’s response must include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion?

A:        While points should not be automatically deducted if one of these elements is weak or absent, the presence of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion is evidence of good organization in an essay, which is one of the considerations of the English Language Arts holistic rubric.

Q21:    Is any correct piece of information in a Reading or Listening cluster (e.g., a single correct response in a web) enough to merit a score point 1 instead of a score point 0?

A:        In order to receive a score point 0, the entire cluster must be incorrect, irrelevant, or incoherent. However, the scorer must be sure that the piece of information provided is accurate and pertinent to the question being asked.

Q22:    Should a scorer score a response based only on what is actually stated in that response, or should the scorer try to infer what the student means?

A:        While a scorer may (and in fact, should) overlook errors in writing mechanics when scoring a student’s response for listening or reading comprehension, the meaning of the student’s response must be clear to the scorer. Scorers should not put themselves in the position of assuming or guessing the student’s intent, since those assumptions may be incorrect.

Q23:    Can a holistic score for a cluster be determined by giving each question in a cluster an individual score, adding up the scores, and then finding the average score?

A:        No, that is not permitted. That type of scoring process is analytic in nature rather than holistic. The entire cluster of responses should be reviewed together and considered as a holistic body of evidence of how well the student has understood the text and task presented.

Q24:    How is the response scored if a student at Grade 4, 6 or 8 has written the response in all capital letters?

A:        If no evidence regarding the student’s control of capitalization is present, then the scorer cannot assume that the student understands the rules regarding capitalization. Please note,  however, that if a student’s writing style consists of   large and small capital letters (as opposed to capital letters and lowercase letters) to indicate capitalization, this is acceptable.

Q25:    How do we score a response that is written partially in a foreign language?

A:        Only the part of the response written in English may be scored.

Q26:    Is starting a sentence with “And” or “But” acceptable?

A:        This is acceptable in both the extended response and editing paragraph. Since current style guides now accept this practice, students will not be penalized.

Q27:    Are students penalized for using abbreviations (e.g., “w/o” for “without”) and/or symbols (e.g., “&” for “and”) in their responses?

A:        Since students do not have the same amount of time to review and edit their work in a  testing situation as they do in the classroom, students taking the Grades 3–8 tests are not penalized for this practice.

Q28:    Must students include a comma following an introductory prepositional phrase?

A:        According to current style guides, this kind of comma may be omitted from very short  prepositional phrases (five words or less), provided that the meaning of the sentence is not compromised by the lack of the comma.

Q29:    When scoring the extended responses for Writing Mechanics, if both extended responses are left blank, does the scorer apply Condition Code A even if the student has responded to the short-response questions in the clusters?

A:        Yes. If both extended responses are left blank, then there is insufficient evidence upon which to make any determination as to the student’s control of the conventions of written English.

Q30:    Does the extended response have more weight?

A:        The extended response should be judged as part of the overall cluster rather than being considered as a separate entity. A strong extended response can help to raise the student’s overall cluster score, while a weak response can contribute to lowering that score.

Q31:    If the responses being scored for Writing Mechanics are completely copied from the text, how are they scored? 

A:        Responses containing nothing but copying from the text are to be scored zero.

Q32:    For Grades 6 and 8, can a score of  5 be given to a paper that does not include details from both passages in the extended response?

A:        No.  Both passages must be referenced to receive a score point

Q33:    Are responses that are erased but still readable scored? (2/09/06)

A:        Erasures are to be considered blanks and scored an “A.”  If erasures occur in a cluster, the Scoring Consideration rules should be applied.

Questions regarding test results:

Q34:    Will SED publish the results of the tests at Grades 3, 5, and 7?

A:        Yes, the test results for all grades in the Grades 3–8 Testing Program will be published.

Q35:    When will conversion tables be released for the 2006 tests?

A:        The conversion tables will not be released until the beginning of the next school year. New levels of performance need to be established for Grades 3 through 8 before the conversion tables can be released.

Questions regarding specific grades:

Grade 3:

Q3-1:   For Item 18, what if “door” is in one bubble and “doorknob” is in the other?

A:       The response receives 1 point, as “door” and “doorknob” are considered the same answer.

Q3-2:   For Items 18, 25, and 26, what if there are two answers in one bubble (or on one line) and an incorrect answer or no answer in the other bubble (or on the other line)?

A:       Each correct answer would receive a point regardless of its location. A point is not deducted for the incorrect answer.

Q3-3:  Can students be penalized for referring to Emma by the name of Emily in their short responses?

A:      Students should not be penalized for referring to Emma by the name of Emily in their short responses despite the fact that the questions are regarding Emma.  Scorers were advised during the Grades 4 & 8 tests that students should not be penalized for “listening/confusion errors” in their responses.  Examples of listening errors are:  referring to characters by the use of an incorrect pronoun, reference to the incorrect year in which an event occurred, and attributing an action to the wrong character in an otherwise well-developed constructed response.  A student’s written response should be scored as a whole.  Since students are unable to reference written material to create their responses in the listening section, they are given allowance for “listening/confusion errors”.

Q3-4:   If quotation marks are introduced in the editing task, is this considered an error?

A:        No.  If quotation marks are introduced, there is no penalty to the student.

Q3-5:   Listening item 25. Is this response acceptable? The student response states that Emma likes to garden because Emma “likes to pick peas.” (02/09/06)

A:        The response includes some correct information but is too general.  The entire response would receive a score of 1 point.  The response needs to state that Emma knows when to pick peas to be considered accurate and complete.  

Q3-6:   Listening item 25. Is “Emma likes to help her grandma,” an acceptable response? (02/09/06)

A:        The response includes some correct information but is too general.  The entire response would receive a score of 1 point.  The student needs to state where or what Emma is helping grandma with to be considered an accurate and complete response.

Q3-7:  Listening item 26.  Is this response acceptable? The student response states that Emma is curious because Emma “likes to solve mysteries.” (02/09/06)

A:        The response includes some correct information but is too general.  The entire response would receive a score of 1 point.  The response needs to state what mystery Emma is trying to solve to be considered accurate and complete.

Q3-8:   Reading item 18.  If the student draws his/her answer and you can tell what they have drawn, is this acceptable? (02/09/06)

A:        The student must provide a written response to receive credit.

Q3-9:   Reading item 18.  Can the student use a “stool” or “rocking chair” instead of “chair” for his/her answer? (02/09/06)

A:        Yes, the scoring provides leeway for the student who articulates the answer based on the pictures. 

Grade 4:

Q4-1:  Under the Reading & Writing 2-point specific rubric, why does the scoring information for Question 35 mention “Fox and Raven” instead of “Fox and Bear”?

A:       This is a typo. The sentence should say “why Fox and Bear want the moon.” The specific rubric chart contains the same typo and should say “Fox and Bear” rather than “Fox and Raven.”

Grade 5:

Q5-1:   In the editing task a comma is introduced between “Remember” and “that,” is this an error? 

A:        Yes this is an incorrect use of a comma.

Q5-2:   Listening item 27.  Is it acceptable to change “most safest” to “most safe?” (02/09/06)

A:        Yes this is an acceptable correction. 

Q5-3:  Listening item 27.  Is it acceptable to change “parks bike paths,” to “park’s bike paths” or “park bike paths?” (02/09/06) 

A:        Yes it is as long as the comma after paths is removed. 

Q5-4:   Listening item 27.  Listed below are common acceptable changes made to the “Avoid biking” sentence: (02/09/06)

A:        “Avoid biking at night or on rainy days, and be alert to what is around you.”

            “Avoid biking at night or on rainy days and be alert to what is around you.”

            “Avoid biking at night, or on rainy days be alert to what is around you.”

            “Avoid biking at night or on rainy days; be alert to what is around you.”

Grade 6:

Grade 7: 

Q7-1:   Listening item 33.  If a student writes about Kate’s years in college in the “School” box, then is it correct if the student writes about her elementary school activities in the “Home” box? (Rev. 02/09/06)

A:        It is considered correct when a student writes about Kate’s college experience in the “School” box, but it is incorrect for the student to write about elementary school activities in the “Home” box. 

Q7-2:  Is the annotation for Item #35 on page 16 of the Scoring Leader Training Materials for Listening correct? 

A:        No.  There is an error in the annotation. It should reflect only 2 introduced errors with 7 total errors.  The deletion of the comma after the word “author” is considered a neutral revision.

Q7-3: In the editing paragraph if the student incorrectly capitalizes words like astronomy, biology, planetary science, environmental preservation, is each incorrectly capitalized word counted as an error? (02/03/06)

A:     Yes, each incorrect capitalization would count as an introduced error.  It is clear in the context of the text that these are fields of study and not specific course names.  Using the above examples, if all the fields of study were capitalized, there would be six introduced errors. 

Q7-4:  In the editing paragraph, some students are correcting nasa as N.A.S.A., instead of NASA. Is this acceptable? (02/03/06)

A:        Yes, the use of periods in this abbreviation is considered as an acceptable correction.

Grade 8:

Q8-1:  Reading item 33.  If a response indicates that the snake is a real, live snake, would this be considered correct? (02/09/06)

A:        If a response indicates that the snake in the poem is a real snake, this would be considered a misinterpretation of the text and should be considered in the cluster score.

posted January 26, 2006
revised February 13, 2006