1. TEMPLATES
I USUALLY MAKE A PACKET OF THESE TEMPLATES FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL OR DEPARTMENT TEAM. I WILL ALSO BURN THESE FOR THE SCHOOL TO USE.

2. Answer the question…1 pt Cite evidence from the text…1 pt
Introducing the ACE Strategy
for Reading…
Answer the question…1 pt
Cite evidence from the text…1 pt
Expand your answer…1pt
READING
Facilitator Notes:
A JSA trainer came across this approach when working with a group of teachers in Ohio. The Ohio Achievement Test is like many state assessments in that in puts a lot of weight on short answer extended response items. The Ohio teachers were excited about using the ACE approach from Pre-K to 12th grade. They were very enthusiastic about the results they were getting with their kids.
It is the simplicity that teachers like so much. The Ohio teachers said their students learned it very quickly. Teachers and students focused “ACE-ing” the answers.

3. ACE Strategy A…Anotar la respuesta C…Contar evidencia del texto
E…Extender tu
respuesta
Some teachers appreciate getting this in Spanish also.

4. 4 3 2 1 RUBRIC USED TO SCORE THE NMSBA
*Effectively addresses the prompt
*Has superior organization
*Contains specific information including facts, details, and examples from the passage 3
*Adequately answers the prompt
*Some information may not be well integrated into the writing
*Response is more general than specific or concrete 2
*Attempts to answer the prompt
*Information may be random, generalized and without detail.
*May be limited to lists without elaboration
*Less information is presented and fewer points are developed. 1
*Does not address prompt
*Less developed than a 2 response.

5. 4 3 2 1 Advanced Proficient Nearly Proficient Emerging
Answer
the question correctly
Cite evidence from the text
Expand your answer
Advanced 4
Answer
the question
correctly
Cite evidence from the text
Proficient 3
Answer
the question
correctly
Nearly Proficient 2
Emerging 1
Wrong answer
Tried or not
Tried or not

6. 3 2 1 Advanced Proficient Nearly Proficient Emerging
Answer
the question correctly
Cite evidence from the text
Expand your answer
Advanced 3
Answer
the question
correctly
Cite evidence from the text
Proficient 2
Answer
the question
correctly
Nearly Proficient 1
Emerging
Wrong answer
Tried or not
Tried or not

7. Short Answer Responses
When answering short answer responses, use the ACE strategy:
*A – answer the question
*C – cite evidence from the text
*E – extend your answer
**You may receive a total of three points for each response. You need to keep track of your progress by recording your score on the grid. Put an x on your score for each assignment.
Story
Date A C E
Points
*Check means the student could perform
the expectation.

8. Passage to read…. Question to answer…
ACE ASSIGNMENT …for reading
Passage to read….
Question to answer…
A______________________________________________________________________________
C______________________________________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THIS WAS DEVELOPED BY A SPECIAL ED TEAM BECAUSE THEY WANTED THEIR STUDENTS TO HAVE JUST A QUICK PARAGRAPH TO READ AND ONE QUESTION TO ANSWER. THEY ALSO SAID THEIR STUDENTS NEEDED THE STRUCTURE THAT THIS TEMPLATE GAVE THEM. I’VE HAD HS TEACHERS WHO LIKE IT ALSO AND SAID THEIR STUDENTS NEEDED IT AT FIRST ALSO.

9. ________________________________________ C
ACE ASSIGNMENT…for reading A
________________________________________ C E
THIS WAS DEVELOPED BY A SPECIAL ED TEAM BECAUSE THEY WANTED THEIR STUDENTS TO HAVE JUST A QUICK PARAGRAPH TO READ AND ONE QUESTION TO ANSWER. THEY ALSO SAID THEIR STUDENTS NEEDED THE STRUCTURE THAT THIS TEMPLATE GAVE THEM. I’VE HAD HS TEACHERS WHO LIKE IT ALSO AND SAID THEIR STUDENTS NEEDED IT AT FIRST ALSO.

10. How am I doing in ACEing my reading quizzes
3…I explained my answer…I added more.
2…I could cite evidence to support my answer.
1…I answered the question and got it right.
0…I didn’t get the correct answer.
Quiz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11. SHORT ANSWER RESPONSES
*You may receive a total of
3 points per answer
*Use the ACE strategy….A-Answer the question
C-Cite evidence from the text
E-Expand your answer
Assignment
Date A C E My
Score
Peer
Evaluator Score
Teacher Score

12. A C E ACE-ing Open-ended responses HS Literature Example Learner level
Workbook page 7
HS Literature Example
Learner level
ACE-ing Open-ended responses
Assignment
Date A C E My
Score
Peer
Evaluator
Teacher Score
QUIZ
Facilitator Notes:
The slide illustrates a page from a HS literature student’s data notebook. Students score their own daily assignments and having peers score their assignments also. The weekly quiz lets them know how they were really doing. In essence, they are now able to triangulate their learning data.

13. ________________________________________ ACE Score-___
I answered the question…………………….___yes ___no
I supported my answer from the text…..___yes___no
I expanded my answer……………………………….___yes___no
Name____________________
STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION OR PEER SCORING GUIDE
ACE Score-___
I answered the question……………………………___yes___no
I supported my answer from the text…..___yes___no
I expanded my answer……………………………….___yes___no
Name____________________
________________________________________

14. A C E Answer The Question What kind of girl was Goldilocks? Cite
Workbook page 9
ACE Anchor Paper
Primary
What kind of girl was Goldilocks?
Answer
The
Question
Goldilocks was a very naughty little girl.
Cite
Evidence
From
the Story
I know she was naughty because she broke into the Bears’ house, ate their food and broke their chairs. That’s illegal and you could go to jail if you get caught.
Expand
Your
I bet Goldilocks' mom is going to be mad at her when she gets home. She might get sent to time out. I have been naughty a few times. Sometimes I get caught and sometimes I get away with it. A C
Facilitator Notes:
The slide provides an example of a primary anchor paper for ACE.
Middle and high school teachers have used this exact example to get their student started on what ACE looks like and have found it very helpful even for their older kids.
It is important to emphasize that teachers will have their own class examples of effective papers after they start using this with their students. E

15. NM Standards-based rubric for Grades 4-9 Writing Prompt 4 points
Conventions
Language skills successfully support meaning; few if any errors in subject/verb agreement, modifiers, punctuation, capitals, or spelling
Language skills support the meaning; several errors in some or all of:
subject/ verb agreement, modifiers, punctuation, capitals, spelling
Mistakes in grammar, mechanics & usage render writing incomprehensible
Ideas
Organization
Addresses prompt
Stays fully on topic
Includes relevant information
Provides main ideas & specific, elaborated details that move beyond the obvious
Includes inviting intro, logical arrangement of ideas, & satisfying conclusions
Maintains a clear order with transitions between ideas.
Mostly address prompt
Stays mostly focused
Includes mostly relevant info
Has main idea, but details are general, obvious or brief
Includes intro, arrangement of ideas & conclusion; ideas may wander or be predictable
Provides some connection between ideas with few transitions
Addresses some of the prompt
Addresses a broad topic or focuses on a trivial point
Provides sketchy information that may be list-like
Begins or ends abruptly; arrangement of ideas is stilted or occasionally random
Rarely uses transitions
Addresses few parts of prompt
Severely digresses from topic
Includes much irrelevant information
No main ideas or does not support them; details may be repetitious
Begins abruptly with no intro or conclusion; there is little or no attempt to establish order
Does not connect ideas
Shows no evidence of purposeful organization
Is incoherent
Voice
Word Choice
Vocabulary
Sentence Structure
Presentation
Engaging
Accurate, precise vocabulary that is appropriate for audience & purpose
Contains active/precise verbs
May use imagery, figurative or striking language
Fluent, easy to read
Effective sentence variety
Readable, neat, nearly error free
Occasionally engaging
Accurate but general word choice appropriate for audience/purpose
Use of precise and general words
Familiar vocabulary w/ some striking language
Generally fluent with occasional choppiness
Some variety of sentence beginnings, structures and length
Mostly readable & neat
Somewhat bland
General words that may include occasional errors in usage
Few active verbs, but most are imprecise or colorless (is, did, go)
Familiar vocabulary & phrases
Variety of sentence beginnings, structure, or length but rambling or choppy
Readable, but somewhat sloppy
Bland
Inaccurate or repetitive words choice that is occasionally inappropriate for audience and purpose
Passive, colorless, or imprecise verbs
Vague language or frequent cliches
Incomplete or rambling
Simple, repetitive sentence beginning, structures and lengths or many sentences combined needlessly
Some unreadable parts
Isolated words, phrases or random sentences
Some teachers ask about scoring writing to a prompt and so I emphasize that ACE is a tool for scoring “open-ended” short answer and extended response questions. It does NOT replace their other writing rubrics. In “writing to a prompt” teachers should be using their “writing” rubrics…6-traits etc. that include the complete writing process. This is the 6-traits rubric used by PED in NM to score the writing prompt on the SBA. I emphasize here that their school writing rubrics school at the very least be aligned with this one. If you’re not in New Mexico, you still might show this and ask the participants if they know what rubric their state uses to score student’s writing to a prompt. I give groups time to discuss this as a table and report on “ah-ha’s”.
**Evidence of planning
(list, web, outline)
…1 point awarded
No evidence of
planning
…0 points awarded

16. Answer the problem! Compute your work! Explain how you got
Introducing the ACE Strategy
for Math…
Answer the problem!
Compute your work!
Explain how you got
your answer!
Facilitator Notes:

17. ACE Strategy A…Anotar la respuesta C…Computar su trabajo
E…Explicar como resolvio
el problema
For Math

18. 0 points EMERGING 1 point NEARING PROFICIENT 2 points 3 points
NMSBA RUBRIC FOR OPEN-ENDED ITEMS IN MATH
Answer
Compute
Explain
0 points
*Gives an incorrect response with no work shown.
*Offers no mathematical understanding of the problem.
*Does not address the problem.
EMERGING
1 point
*Offers a correct solution to the problem with no supporting evidence, detail or explanation.
*Contains numerous errors in computation and reasoning that detract from the overall quality of the response.
*Provides vague interpretation to the solution/explanation, indicating little or no mathematical understanding of the task or concept.
NEARING
PROFICIENT
2 points
*Offers a partially correct answer that may contain flaws, indicating an incomplete understanding of the task or concept.
*May show faulty reasoning leading to weak answers or conclusions.
*May demonstrate a poor understanding of relevant mathematical procedure or concepts.
*May demonstrate unclear communication in writing or diagrams.
3 points
*Offers a generally correct solution, but contains minor flaws in reasoning or computation.
*Gives evidence that an appropriate problem-solving strategy was selected and implemented but may contain minor errors that detract from the overall quality of the response.
*Is clearly focused and well-organized but neglects some aspect of the complete solution.
*Lacks significant detail to convey thorough understanding of the task.
ADVANCED
4 points
*Offers a correct solution that is well supported by well-developed, accurate explanations.
*Gives evidence that an appropriate problem-solving strategy was implemented, but may contain minor errors that DO NOT detract from the overall quality of the response
*Is clearly organized and focused and shows a mathematical understanding of the task or concept.
*Contains sufficient explanation to convey thorough understanding of the problem.
I did this training for many months and for many schools before I found this rubric on the PED website. Before I got this, schools were using ACE in math just like in reading…awarding 1 point for each part…answer, compute, explain. Most math teachers embraced its simplicity and were happy to have something to score their open-ended questions. HOWEVER, I emphasize now that this is the rubric used by the state of NM to score those questions on the SBA and that schools should be using this to score their student work. I then point out that ACE can be used as a way for students to “organize” their answers and I’ll show examples later on how to do that. I point out here that the columns do align with ACE…the first devoted to the answer, the second to the computation or strategy used and the third to the written explanation of the student work.
If you are not in NM, you might ask your schools if they have a math rubric to use. If not, they could get started using ACE with the 3-point system like reading. It might again be a segue for teachers to start seeking out what their state uses to score open-ended math questions. I used this training in Presidio, Texas and although their state test is all multiple choice, the teachers still embraced the use of ACE enthusiastically.

19. 0 points EMERGING 1 point NEARING PROFICIENT 2 points PROFICIENT
NMSBA RUBRIC FOR OPEN-ENDED ITEMS IN MATH
KID
LANGUAGE
Answer
Compute
Explain
0 points
*My answer was wrong.
*I didn’t show my work.
*I didn’t understand how to do the problem.
*I didn’t write anything.
EMERGING
1 point
*I may have gotten the right answer, but didn’t show my work or explain anything.
*I made some mistakes and my reasoning wasn’t very clear and didn’t make much sense.
*I didn’t really understand the problem completely and couldn’t explain how I got my answer very well.
NEARING PROFICIENT
2 points
*My answer may have been partly correct showing that I only understand part of the problem and how to get the answer.
*My reasoning isn’t exactly clear and my answer is weak.
*I didn’t understand how to get the answer to this problem very well.
*I could only explain a little bit about the problem.
*My writing doesn’t communicate how I got my answer very well.
PROFICIENT
3 points
*My answer is correct and my computation shows I mostly understood how to get the answer.
*My strategy for getting the answer was logical.
*I may have made mistakes, but they were minor and didn’t detract from the quality of my work.
*My work is clear and focused but I may have left out a part of the explanation of my work.
*I could have included more detail in my answer.
ADVANCED
4 points
*My answer is correct and clearly supported by detailed explanations.
*I used a great strategy.
*I used high-level reasoning.
*I used math rules to get my answer and explained them.
*My work and explanation is clearly organized, focused and shows a mathematical
understanding of the task or concept.
*I explained ALL the steps for how I got my answer.
This is the same rubric in kid-friendly language. Even most high school teachers agree that their kids need this kind of language.

20. Has enough details to show you understood the problem.
Learner-Friendly 4-Point Math Rubric
Workbook page 11
Your
ADVANCED
answer
Has enough details to show you understood the problem.
Is organized and complete.
Completely explains your ideas and math thinking.
Has a correct answer.
PROFICIENT answer
Has some details to show you understood the problem
Is mostly organized
Explains your ideas and math thinking
Has a correct answer
NEARING PROFICIENT answer
Doesn’t have enough details to show you understood the problem.
Is unorganized and unclear.
Doesn’t clearly explain your ideas or math thinking.
Has an answer that’s almost right.
EMERGING
I only wrote the right answer with no computation or explanation….or…
I made lots of mistakes.
I just didn’t understand the problem.
Facilitator Notes:
This math rubric uses the same language and point system that the NM Standards Based Assessment rubric uses. The ACE approach reflects the important elements of the math rubric. Most elementary and even some secondary teachers feel that this rubric is aligned as well as user-friendly and gives enough info for their students to use.
Your
Shows no details.
Doesn’t make sense.
Has no explanation of ideas or math thinking.
Has a wrong answer.

21. 2 1 RUBRIC USED TO SCORE THE NMSBA…Short Answer Math
offers a correct solution and is well-supported by well-developed and accurate explanations.
gives evidence that an appropriate problem-solving strategy was selected and implemented, but may contain minor errors that do not detract from the overall quality of the student response.
is clearly organized and focused, and shows a mathematical understanding of the task or concept.
contains sufficient work to convey thorough understanding of the problem. 1
offers a correct solution with no supporting evidence or explanation.
offers a partially correct answer to the problem.
may contain flaws indicating an incomplete understanding of the task or concept.
may show faulty reasoning leading to weak answers or conclusions.
may demonstrate unclear communication in writing or diagrams.
may demonstrate a poor understanding or relevant mathematical procedure or concepts.
gives an incorrect response with no work shown.
offers no mathematical understanding of the problem.
does not address the problem.

22. RUBRIC USED TO SCORE THE NMSBA…Short Answer Math2
My answer is correct and supported by well-developed EXPLANATIONS in writing!!
I showed that I used an appropriate problem-solving strategy.
My answer is organized an focused.
I have shown enough work to make it clear that I understand how to work this problem. 1
I got the correct answer, but showed no work or explanation….OR…. my answer was only partially correct.
My work shows that I may not know “exactly” how to work this problem.
My reasons for choosing this strategy to solve the problem didn’t quite make sense.
My diagrams and/or written explanations are incomplete or not clear.
My answer is wrong.
I didn’t show any work.
I had no idea how to work this problem
KID LANGUAGE

23. E… I droo the cowS and chix and then
PRIMARY MATH EXAMPLE
Rubric Score
4-Advanced
How many legs do two cows and 3 chickens have?
A….14 C…
= 14
This is a primary example that shows how ACE is used to organize the answer, but the NMSBA rubric is used to score it. (It is fun to have a secondary teacher read the explanation..they sometimes struggle and primary teachers love it!) We usually have a discussion here about how this student had to start with the C and how he explains that in his answer. It actually shows two ways to get the answer.
This is a good place to have primary teachers discuss the need to support test -prep even at a young age as well as teaching their students to “demonstrate” and explain that they understand the mathematical process being used.
You can also demonstrate here that if the student had come up with the answer of 13, they still would have been awarded at least 2 points because of their computation and written explanation.
I did this training at Tucumcari Middle School and worked with their 8th grade teachers in the morning. One teacher quickly made an overhead of this slide, went to her classes in the afternoon and showed it to them. She then had them use the kid-friendly math rubric to score the problem. This is how she introduced ACE to her classes. She said they loved it and quickly grasped the concept.
E… I droo the cowS and chix and then
I cownted all the lags. And then I
mad the ekwshun. Thas how I got
my ansur.

24. ACE…..your math questions
NMSBA Rubric
Score ____
Standard:_______________________Benchmark:_____________________
Question:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Answer:
Computation:
Explanation:_______________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________

25. “MATH” PROBLEM SOLVING GRAPH
Advanced 4
Proficient 3
Nearing 2
Emerging 1
Activity 5 6 7 8 9 10
GOAL

26. PLAN DO ACT STUDY ACE IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR READING ___My plan worked
___I need a new plan
STUDY

27. ACE Improvement Plan
Name_____________ Date____________
Subject____________
PLAN:_________________________________________
DO:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STUDY:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___My plan worked!
___I need another improvement plan!

28. 2 3 4 1 ACE-ing Open-ended Math responses SECONDARY Example
Learner level
ACE-ing Open-ended Math responses
Assignment 2 3 4 My
Score
Peer
Evaluator
Teacher Score 1
Facilitator Notes:
The slide illustrates a page from a HS literature student’s data notebook. Students score their own daily assignments and having peers score their assignments also. The weekly quiz lets them know how they were really doing. In essence, they are now able to triangulate their learning data.

29. EFFECTIVELY expand our extended- response questions in reading
Strategies we’ve learned to help us
EFFECTIVELY expand our extended-
response questions in reading
*Describe a personal connection that you can
make to the passage.
*State an opinion about the passage
*Make a prediction about what you think might happen
next
*Make a comparison about two characters in the passage
*Make an inference a bout something you read in the
passage
*Point out a cause/effect situation in the passage.
*Make a conclusion about the passage
How one teacher charted for the kids so that they could choose the best way to expand their answer.

30. EFFECTIVELY answer our constructed- response questions in math
Strategies we’ve learned to help us
EFFECTIVELY answer our constructed-
response questions in math
*Draw a diagram that shows exactly HOW we figured
out the problem.
*Make sure we WRITE out an explanation of what we
were thinking by our illustration.
*If we used manipulatives, make a PICTURE of what we
did to figure out the answer.
*Write “something” on the lines for E.
*Compute our work carefully in order to lessen mistakes
*Use the ACE template so that the answer is organized.
*Show and explain “every” step in solving the problem.