The Exam

Three Hours I. 100 multiple choice questions ( 90 min.) II. 4 Free Response Questions ( 90 min.) Breadth and knowledge of content (60%) Critical-thinking & application of concepts and problems

The Exam Students may not use calculators There are no formula sheets provided Students should be able to use exponents, set up problems using expanded notation that shows all of their work Conversion factors are provided in the question

The Exam Multiple Choice - always includes five answer choices - analysis of data and diagrams - draws on interrelatedness of topics - can give combinations of options - varying levels of difficulty, tend to be of medium difficulty Are designed to test student knowledge in that haphazard guessing will not improve score One-fourth of questions answered incorrectly subtracted from correctly answered questions

The Exam Free Response Questions Three types: 1 Data Set question 1 Document-based question 2 Synthesis and evaluation questions

The Exam Data Set Questions Response is based on a data table or data from a graph May include some kind of multi-step calculation based on the data May require student to construct a graph based on data given Includes a discussion or analysis that draws on related concepts EX: page 19

The Exam Document-Based Questions Includes a narrative that provides a basis for the response Students may cite from the document but must defend their argument with their own analysis and demonstrate knowledge of the interrelated concepts Ex: pg. 16

The Exam Synthesis and Evaluation Questions Designed to bring together various interrelated aspects of an environmental topic May include calculations May require a student to analyze a problem in depth and give a possible solution Ex: pg. 17, 18

Success on FRQs Interpreting exactly what the question asks for is key to answering fully Students need to be coached in comprehending the questions and writing good, concise answers that fully demonstrate their knowledge See handout See pg World

Scoring FRQs – the Reading 2009, 60,000 exams, 180 readers High school and college instructors - must have at least three years experience teaching APES - balance of public and private school teachers - urban, rural settings - 40% high school, 60% college instructors

Scoring FRQs – the Reading Quality Control - Table leaders - Question leaders Creating a rubric Multiple choice section is correlated to FRQs

Scoring FRQs – the Reading Students are anonymous No marks can be made on tests by readers Meetings each morning to discuss rubrics and maintain consistency of scoring Experienced readers are paired with new readers