2. What are Essay Questions? Supply or constructed response type questions Best way to measure the students' higher order thinking skills Provides a measure of writing skills Aligned with objectives and instruction Should be used only when other types of questions cannot measure accomplishment of the objective(s)
3. The Good Essay questions can be constructed by the teacher fairly quickly Fewer essay question are needed to cover content Appropriate when there is some concern about test security Eliminate guessing by students
4. The Bad Scoring can be time-consuming Grading can be subjective and unreliable Be aware of: Becoming more lenient/critical Focusing on handwriting, spelling, grammar, neatness, etc. Grading based on the opinion that the student takes rather than their support of that opinion
5. How do I write them? Define the task as specifically as possible Students should be able to tell how the item will be score Provide more than one essay item and let the student select which one to answer The items may not be of similar difficulty Suggest a (reasonable) time or page limit for each essay question Decide in advance what you are seeking in the answer Write a model response and/or develop a scoring system that includes the information you will reward in the answer
6. Why don’t you try… Show understanding, explain Explain in your own words the meaning of . . . Explain in your own words what is meant by . . . Describe an example of . . . Explain what . . . meant when he said ". . . . “ Why did the . . . Compare and/or contrast Describe the similarities and differences between . . . Compare the following/attached two methods for . . .
7. …or try… Classify, organize, or arrange items in sequence Group the following items according to . . . What do the following items have in common? Predict, recognize cause and effect What are the major causes of . . .? What would be the most likely effects of . . .? Synthesize, integrate data from multiple sources Describe a plan for proving that . . . Write a well-organized report that shows . . .
8. As for higher level thinking skills? ✓DONE That’s what essay questions are all about!
9. Many thanks to… Alabama Professional Development Modules http://web.utk.edu/~mccay/apdm/essay/essay_a.htm
