North Carolina End-of-Grade Test of Reading
Comprehension—Grade 4
What are
the purposes
of the NC
Testing
Program?
The North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests are required by General Statute 115C-174.10 as a component of
the North Carolina Annual Testing Program. As stated, the purposes of North Carolina state-mandated
tests are “(i) to assure that all high school graduates possess those minimum skills and that knowledge
thought necessary to function as a member of society; (ii) to provide a means of identifying strengths and
weaknesses in the education process in order to improve instructional delivery; and (iii) to establish
additional means for making the education system at the State, local, and school levels accountable to the
public for results.” This test is one component of the end-of-grade tests, which include reading
comprehension and mathematics tests in grades three through eight. Students in grade three began taking
a reading comprehension and mathematics pretest in the fall of 1996.
For school, school system, and state accountability, the scores from the end-of-grade tests at the prior
grade are used to estimate a student’s level of knowledge and skills at the beginning of the new grade to
determine the amount of growth during the school year (calculated from the difference between the two
sets of test scores).
What is
measured by
the test?
The end-of-grade reading test for grade four assesses the reading components of the grade four North
Carolina Standard Course of Study. The test consists of eight reading selections with three to nine
associated questions for each selection. Each student is asked to read five literary selections (two fiction,
one nonfiction, one drama, one poem) and three informational selections (two content and one
consumer). The variety of selections on each form allows for the assessment of reading for various
purposes: for literary experience, to gain information, and to perform a task.
The end-of-grade tests are organized by category, with each item falling into one of four categories:
cognition, interpretation, critical stance, or connections. A description of each category and the average
percentage of items per form for each category are shown in the table below. Each item is also aligned to
a curriculum objective from the North Carolina English Language Arts Standard Course of Study.
Descriptive Information for the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test of Reading Comprehension—Grade 4
Category
Description of Category
Average
Percentage
Cognition
Refers to the initial strategies a reader uses to understand the selection.
It is about purpose and organization of the selection. It considers the
text as a whole or in a broad perspective. Cognition includes strategies
like using context clues to determine meaning or summarizing to
include main points
38%
Interpretation
Requires the student to develop a more complete understanding. It
may ask students to clarify, to explain the significance of, to extend,
and/or to adapt ideas/concepts.
39%
Critical Stance
Refers to tasks that ask the student to stand apart from the selection
and consider it objectively. It involves processes like
comparing/contrasting and understanding the impact of literary
elements.
18%
Connections
Refers to connecting knowledge from the selection with other
information and experiences. It involves the student being able to
relate the selection to events beyond/outside the selection. In addition,
the student will make associations outside the selection and between
selections.
5%
NCDPI – Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
February 2004
How is the test
administered?
The North Carolina End-of-Grade Test of Reading Comprehension at grade four consists of 50
multiple-choice questions administered during a 115-minute block within the last three weeks of
school. Three equivalent forms are administered in each classroom to provide information for
curriculum evaluation and planning. The tests are scanned and scored by the local education agency
with software provided by the NCDPI. Reports of student performance are produced locally. In
addition, test scores are aggregated at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to fulfill the
state and federal reporting requirements for the accountability programs.
How was the
test
developed?
The reading selections were chosen by North Carolina educators to reflect the variety of reading done
by students at this level in and out of school and to ensure accessibility to a majority of students.
Those chosen are selections that would generally be read by students, would be interesting to the
students, and have appropriate content for a reading comprehension test at this grade level. The
questions for each selection were written and reviewed by trained North Carolina teachers and
educators during the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 school years and were field tested in the spring of
2002. Each field test question was administered to approximately 1,300 students from randomly
selected schools across the state. The grade four reading test was implemented statewide for the first
time in the spring of 2003.
What kinds of
scores do
students
receive on the
test?
The scores on the end-of-grade reading test are reported on a developmental scale, which allows the
measurement of growth in achievement across the grade levels. On the grade four reading test, the
scale scores range from 223-275. The use of scale scores provides for easier and more consistent
interpretations of the results from test to test. Achievement levels are also generated to provide an
interpretation of student performance relative to a predetermined standard. Student scores are
converted to one of the four achievement level categories shown below. In addition, student scores are
reported as percentile ranks, which are generated from a statewide distribution of students who took
the test during the first year the test was administered or the norming year.
Achievement Levels for the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test of Reading Comprehension—Grade 4
Level
Sample Items
Description
Scale Score
Range
1
Students performing at this level do not have sufficient mastery of
knowledge and skills in this subject area to be successful at the next grade
level.
223-235
2
Students performing at this level demonstrate inconsistent mastery of
knowledge and skills in this subject area and are minimally prepared to be
successful at the next grade level.
236-243
3
Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of grade
level subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level.
244-254
4
Students performing at this level consistently perform in a superior manner
clearly beyond that required to be proficient at grade level work
255-275
The following pages contain a sample selection and sample items that represent the type of material that
appears on the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test of Reading Comprehension – Grade 4. The category
and objective correspond to the category and curriculum objective that the item is designed to measure.
The thinking skill corresponds to the level of thinking the item requires as defined by a thinking skills
framework adapted form Dimension of Thinking by Robert J. Marzano and others. Additional samples can
be found on the NCDPI web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog .
This publication and the information contained within must not be used for personal or financial gain. North Carolina LEA school
officials and teachers, parents, and students may download and duplicate this publication for instructional and educational
purposes only. Others may not duplicate this publication without prior written permission from the North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction (NCDPI) Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program.
__________________________________________________________________
In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Department of Public
Instruction does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its
policies, programs, activities, admissions or employment.
NCDPI – Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
February 2004
Read this story about Becky Schroeder who invented something when she was 10 years old
and answer the questions that follow.
B e c k y S c h ro e d e r
by Cath erin e T h im m esh
A per son h a s t o be sixt een t o dr ive,
seven t een t o see cer t a in m ovies, a n d
eigh t een t o vot e. P eople ca n get t er r ific
discou n t s on a ll sor t s of st u ff—pr ovided
t h ey’r e over sixt y-five. E ver ywh er e we look
t h er e a r e a ge lim it s t h a t defin e wh a t people
ca n a n d ca n ’t do. Bu t cr ea t ivit y h a s n o
bou n da r ies, n o lim it a t ion s. An yon e ca n
in ven t . An d t h ey do. In ven t or s a r e poppin g
u p a t t h e you n gest of a ges.
Sit t in g in t h e ca r wa it in g for h er m om
t o r et u r n fr om sh oppin g, Becky decided sh e
m igh t a s well t r y t o fin ish h er m a t h
h om ewor k. Bu t it wa s gr owin g da r k a n d
get t in g h a r d t o see t h e pa per .
“I d id n ’t h ave a flash ligh t, an d I d id n ’t
3
w an t to open th e car d oor becau se th en th e
w h ole car w ou ld ligh t u p,” recalled B eck y.
“S o I th ou gh t it w ou ld be n eat to h ave m y
paper ligh t u p som eh ow , an d th at’s w h en th e
id ea cam e to m e.”
It isn ’t ever y da y t h a t a t en -yea r -old
in ven t s a pr odu ct ea ger ly sou gh t by sever a l
bu sin esses, bu t t h a t ’s exa ct ly wh a t
Becky Sch r oeder did wh en sh e cr ea t ed a t ool
t h a t en a bled people t o wr it e in t h e da r k. H er
in ven t ion ? Th e Glo-sh eet .
Th a t n igh t Becky went h om e t r yin g t o
5
im a gin e differ en t wa ys of m a kin g h er pa per
glow in t h e da r k. Sh e r em em ber ed a ll sor t s
of glow-in -t h e-da r k t oys—like ba lls a n d
F r isbees TM—a n d won der ed h ow t h ey wer e
m a de. Sh e wa s det erm in ed t o fin d a
solu t ion . So t h e ver y n ext da y, Becky’s da d
t ook h er on a n ou t in g t o t h e h a r dwa r e st or e.
Th ey r et u r n ed wit h a pa il of ph osph or escen t
pa in t . Sh e t ook t h e pa in t a n d st a cks of
pa per in t o t h e da r kest r oom in t h e h ou se—
t h e ba t h r oom . Th er e, sh e exper im en t ed.
“I’d tu rn on th e ligh t, tu rn it off, tu rn it
6
on ,” said B eck y. “M y paren ts rem em ber m e
ru n n in g ou t of th e room sayin g ‘It w ork s, it
w ork s! I’m w ritin g in th e d ark !’”
Sh e u sed a n a cr ylic boa r d a n d coa t ed
it wit h a specific a m ou n t of ph osph or escen t
pa in t . Sh e t ook a com plica t ed idea a n d m a de
it wor k r a t h er sim ply. Wh en t h e coa t ed
clipboa r d is exposed t o ligh t , it glows. Th e
glowin g boa r d t h en illu m in a t es, or ligh t s u p,
t h e pa per t h a t h a s been pla ced on t op. Two
yea r s a ft er h er in it ia l in spir a t ion , in 1974,
Becky beca m e t h e youn gest fem a le ever t o
r eceive a U.S. pa t en t .
Sh e didn ’t a ct ively m a r ket h er
8
Glo-sh eet . Sh e didn ’t n eed t o. Th e
N ew Y ork T im es wr ot e a n a r t icle a bou t a n
in cr edible in ven t ion —pa t en t ed by a
t welve-yea r -old—a n d t h e in qu ir ies a n d
or der s st r ea m ed in . P r ofession a ls wh o
n eeded t o wr it e in t h e da r k st a r t ed or der in g
h er Glo-sh eet : ph ot ogr a ph er s for t h eir
da r kr oom s, cr it ics wh o t ook n ot es in
da r ken ed t h ea t er s, em er gen cy m edica l
people for u se in a m bu la n ces.
“S om e of th e Glo-sh eets I w as
9
h an d -m ak in g an d som e I h ad a com pan y
m an u factu re for m e,” B eck y explain ed . “T h ere
w ere m ore expen sive version s an d less
expen sive on es— electric-operated an d
ligh t-activated m od els.”
Sever a l la r ge com pa n ies offer ed t o bu y
h er pa t en t r igh t s, bu t Becky a n d h er fa t h er
decided t o sell t h e Glo-Sh eet on t h eir own .
Wh a t bega n a s a per son a l pr oject , ju st for
fu n , blossom ed in t o a bu sin ess, wit h Becky
a s t h e pr esiden t of t h e com pa n y. P r oof t h a t
su ccess ca n com e a t a n y a ge wit h a good idea
a n d a lit t le im a gin a t ion .
“Becky Sch r oeder ” fr om Girls T h in k of E veryth in g: S tories of In gen iou s In ven tion s by Wom en by Ca t h er in e
Th im m esh ; illu st r a t ed by Melissa Sweet . Text copyr igh t © 2000 by Ca t h er in e Th im m esh . Repr in t ed by per m ission
of H ou gh t on Mifflin Com pa n y. All r igh t s r eser ved.
NCDPI – Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
February 2004
1.
Wh a t ca u sed Becky t o in ven t
Glo-sh eet ?
A
B
2.
3.
4.
Sh e wa s h a vin g t r ou ble wit h
m a t h pr oblem s.
Sh e wa s t r yin g t o do h om ewor k
wh en it got da r k.
C
Sh e wa s t r yin g t o ea rn m on ey.
D
Sh e wa s wor kin g on a sch ool
pr oject .
In pa r a gr a ph 8, wha t does it m ea n
t h a t Becky “didn ’t a ct ively m a r ket h er
Glo-sh eet ”?
A
Sh e kept t h e or igin a l on e for h er
own u se.
B
Ot h er people ca m e t o h er t o get
t h e Glo-sh eet .
C
Becky’s fa t h er t r ied t o sell t h e
Glo-sh eet .
D
Sh e ga ve a wa y sa m ples t o h er
fr ien ds.
Wh y a r e pa r a gr a ph s 3, 6, a n d 9
wr it t en in it a lics?
A
so t h e r ea der will kn ow t h er e is
n ew voca bu la r y
B
so t h e r ea der will r ea d wit h m or e
expr ession
C
t o sh ow t h a t Becky is spea kin g
D
t o set off difficu lt pa r a gr a ph s
5.
In pa r a gr a ph 5, Becky a n d h er da d
r et u r n ed fr om t h e h a r dwa r e st or e wit h
a bu cket of ph osph or escen t pa in t .
Wh a t is ph osph orescen t pain t?
A
pa in t t h a t glows in t h e da r k
B
pa in t t h a t a ct s a s glu e
C
pa in t t h a t cover s m a r ks
D
pa in t t h a t becom es h a r d
NCDPI – Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
Wit h wh ich st a t em en t wou ld Becky
Sch r oeder m ost l i k el y a gr ee ?
A
E xper ien ce is n eeded t o be a good
in ven t or .
B
On ly in ven t t h in gs you kn ow
ot h er people wa n t .
C
You n ever kn ow wh a t you ca n do
u n less you t r y.
D
Alwa ys t r y t o sell pa t en t r igh t s t o
la r ge com pa n ies.
February 2004
6.
Wh o wou ld m ost l i k el y n eed Becky’s
in ven t ion ?
A
a doct or givin g in st r u ct ion s in a
h ospit a l
B
st u den t s doin g wor k in t h eir
cla ssr oom s du r in g sch ool h ou r s
C
a libr a r ia n wh o ch ecks ou t books
a t t h e fr on t desk
D
a scien t ist t a kin g n ot es a bou t
a n im a ls bein g obser ved a t n igh t
En d of S e t
In com plian ce w ith fed eral law, in clu d in g th e provision s of
T itle IX of the E du cation Am en dm ents of 1972, the Departm ent
of Pu blic Instru ction does n ot d iscrim in ate on th e basis of race,
sex, religion , color, n ation al or eth n ic origin, age, d isability, or
m ilitary service in its policies, program s, activities, adm ission s
or em ploym en t.
Answers to
Grade 4 Reading Comprehension Sample Items
Passage Title
Question
Number
Correct
Answer
Category
Thinking Skill
Objective
Number
Becky Schroeder
1
B
Cognition
Analyzing
2.02
Becky Schroeder
2
C
Critical Stance
Analyzing
3.03
Becky Schroeder
3
A
Cognition
Analyzing
1.03
Becky Schroeder
4
B
Interpretation
Analyzing
2.04
Becky Schroeder
5
C
Critical Stance
Generating
3.01
Becky Schroeder
6
D
Connections
Applying
2.02
NCDPI – Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
February 2004