If You Teach Them to
Write, They Can Pass!
Dr. Pam Brown, Professor of Curriculum Studies
School of Teaching & Curriculum Leadership
Dr. Shanedra Nowell, Assistant Professor of
Secondary Social Studies Education
School of Teaching & Curriculum Leadership
OACTE Presentation October 2016
Norman, OK
For Preservice teacher
candidates preparing for
• Oklahoma General Education Test
(OGET)
• Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT)
• Oklahoma Professional Teaching
Examination (OPTE), both PK-8 & 612
Why we hold CR workshops
• 2012-13, accreditation site visit preparation drew
attention to low CR scores in general
• We worked with OSU Writing Center/Writing Project to
develop a workshop
• Initial results indicated a significant effect for
candidates who attended the CR workshop within 2
months of taking exam
• Current results are in process, because many exams
have changed
• But—candidates report a better sense of efficacy
after attending a CR workshop
“Constructed-response tests assess your
ability to explain materials, because as a
teacher, you’ll need to be able to explain
concepts and processes to students in a
clear, understandable way. You may know
a great deal about your subject, but these
tests will assess your ability to explain
what you know.”
From: What are Constructed-Response Tests?, Educational
Testing Service, 2005
Quickwrite: 2 minutes
• What have you noticed about your
own teacher candidates’ scores
and/or concerns about the
constructed response subareas of
OK certification exams?
Typical Student Concerns with
Constructed Response Writing
How polished does it need to be?
How will it be evaluated?
What if I don’t know the answer?
Does my opinion matter? What if my opinion
makes the evaluator mad?
– What if I run out of time?
– How should I decide on what to write?
– Who is the audience I’m writing for?
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Preparation
• Learn what the test covers
– Study Guides available for all Oklahoma
exams at
https://www.ceoe.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=HTML_
FRAG/GENRB_PrepStudyGuide.html
– Check out the Test Framework
– Assess what you already know
• Can you explain what you know?
• Can you identify your areas of strength and weakness?
• Understand how the test will be scored
Recommendation
Be sure to look at the specific scoring
rubric for the exam you will be taking.
• The OGET rubric evaluates your critical
thinking and communication skills.
• The OPTE rubric evaluates your
professional knowledge and its
application to specific situations.
Preparation for All Tests
• Read the prompt carefully
• What are they asking you to do?
OPTE Example
Evaluative/Task Words Students Should Be Familiar With
Analyze
Systematically and critically examine each of the facts.
Compare
Show how the facts or ideas are similar.
Contrast
Show how the facts or ideas are different.
Define
Set forth the meaning or make something clear.
Discuss
Present a detailed argument or consideration.
Evaluate
Determine the value, significance, or worth of.
Identify
Establish the essential characteristics of.
Illustrate
Make clear by citing examples.
Interpret
Present the subject at hand in understandable terms.
Infer
Draw a conclusion based on given facts; predict, generalize.
Justify
Show or prove to be right or reasonable.
Sequence
Arrange in meaningful order, beginning to end.
Summarize
Explain the main points.
Synthesize
Combine the parts into a coherent whole.
Trace
Review in detail, step by step.
Source: David Glunt, Glencoe-McGraw Hill. Available at
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/analyze_this.phtml
The Prompt
Use the information below to complete the exercise that follows.
A fourth-grade teacher is assessing Emily's reading comprehension by having her silently read a
narrative passage and then answer some questions about the text. Printed below is an excerpt from
the story.
Won't Mamma be surprised! Allie smiled to herself as she walked lazily along holding the bouquet of wildflowers
she had gathered down by the creek. She imagined the table as Mamma would see it this evening. Mamma
would be tired after traveling in the wagon all day. She would feel dusty and parched. Even so, she would be
thinking about preparing dinner for everyone. And then she'd open the door and smell the meal Allie had cooked.
She would see the table laid with her fine linen tablecloth, freshly washed by Allie and bleached in the sun. The
tablecloth would surely be dry by now, Allie thought. After she put the flowers in Mamma's favorite blue pitcher,
she would bring it in from the line, being careful to keep it from touching the dusty red ground. Then she would
set the table.
Allie felt a gust of wind at her back. The cool air raised goosebumps on her arms. She looked up at the sky still
wrapped in her thoughts, and glanced absently over her shoulder. That was when she finally noticed. The
weather was turning. A bank of heavy clouds was sidling in from the west, and already a great dark shadow was
swallowing up the meadow she'd just left behind. A wet drop blew against her forehead, then another. And she
was still nearly a half mile from home!
Allie hiked up her skirts and began to run, red dust billowing around her ankles and a vision of a white cloth
splattered with red flashing before her eyes.
After Emily's silent reading, the teacher asks some questions. Printed below is a partial transcript of
their conversation.
The Prompt
Teacher:
What happens in this story?
Emily:
Well. Mamma comes home. And everyone ate dinner already. But Allie isn't home yet. She went to get flowers as a
surprise and she didn't know it was so late.
Teacher:
Emily:
Teacher:
Why does Allie think Mamma will be surprised?
Because Allie picked her flowers and she is going to put them in a vase for her.
Allie is walking lazily at the beginning. Why does she decide to run home?
Emily:
I think she's worried about being late. She didn't realize it was already night.
Teacher:
(pointing to the second paragraph above) Remember when we talked about personification in class? Where does
the author use personification in this paragraph?
Emily:
Teacher:
Well. She's all wrapped up in her thoughts. That's one. And she glances absently.
What is Allie thinking about when she is running?
Emily:
(reviewing the text) She's running and there's dust all around and her skirt is flashing back and forth in front of her.
The Prompt
• Using your knowledge of reading
comprehension, write a response in which you:
– identify one reading comprehension need
demonstrated by this student;
– provide evidence of this need by citing two specific
examples of the need from the student's
responses to the text;
– describe two different instructional strategies or
activities to help address the need you identified;
and
– explain why each of the strategies or activities you
describe would be effective for this purpose
Drafting:
Tips/Strategies for Writing the
Constructed-Response Assignment
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Planning/Brainstorming
Complete answers (all questions addressed)
Use academic language
Consider your audience
Topic sentences
Supporting details
Simplicity
Don’t assume there is ONE RIGHT ANSWER
Audience Awareness
Quick One-Liner Advice
You spill spaghetti sauce all over your brand
new linen pants. You have absolutely no idea
what to do, so you ask:
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Your mother
Your brother
An 16 year old girl
A hermit neighbor
A grouchy old man
Your finicky best friend
Your fashion forward nephew
Editing
• Read your writing “aloud” (silently)
– Did you answer all parts of the question?
– Is your answer clear? Easy to follow?
• Read it backwards to check for errors in
spelling, grammar or mechanics
– Start from the last sentence and work
your way to the top
– Time permitting, do it again—word by
word
In review, remember these
parts of the process
• Preparation
– Underline
– Outline
• Drafting
– Audience
– Language
– Answer all parts
• Editing
– Revise
– Check for errors
Before Your Exam, Review the
Basics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read the prompt carefully
Outline
Be straightforward and easy to follow
Don’t lose your readers with overly complex sentences
Use clear topic sentences at the beginning of each
paragraph
6. Write complete answers
7. Support your ideas with concrete details and examples
8. Remember your audience and don’t assume they‘re
familiar with jargon (avoid acronyms)
9. Use formal, academic language and avoid slang
10. Read your response “aloud” (in your head)
11. Check your grammar and mechanics
Current plan: Series of
online videos for
anynchronous preparation
Dr. Shanedra Nowell, 238 Willard Hall, Stillwater campus
[email protected]
Dr. Pam Brown, 237 Willard Hall, Stillwater campus
[email protected]