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The CAT·4 Constructed Response Tasks complement and add another dimension to our CAT·4 multiple choice tests. These tasks focus on writing and reading skills. There are a variety of tasks from which to choose, each task targeting a different genre, skill, and/or objective. Constructed Response Tasks offer educators a comprehensive profile of student achievement.
| Levels and Tests | L10 | L11 | L12 | L13 | L14 | L15 | L16 | L17 | L18 | L19 | L20-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response to Text | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Writing | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Dictation | - | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total Testing Time | 50 | 50 | 50 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Levels and Tests | L10 | L11 | L12 | L13 | L14 | L15 | L16 | L17 | L18 | L19 | L20-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response to Text | - | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Writing | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Dictation | - | 20 | 20 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total Tasks | 31 | 31 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 |
Prior to beginning any of the tasks, it is a good idea to familiarize your students to the formatting of the worksheets so that their time may be used in the most purposeful way. This will help students formulate ideas and understand the basic task.
There is a planning portion of each task. This may be used by students to organize their thoughts before beginning the actual task. Teachers may suggest to their students a variety of strategies that have been previously introduced in class, such as brainstorming webs, concept maps or using the 5W’s. Teachers will want to point out the important criteria before their students begin the task.
Our Constructed Response Rubrics use the same categories as our Criterion-referenced scoring from the CAT·4 Multiple Choice test. Student writing is assessed as:
The Exemplars and Rationales demonstrate the Low, Competent, and Proficient categories of scoring. As well, the exemplars with rationales help properly assess the work of students who straddle these categories.
The Test Direction Manuals are necessary to administer the Constructed Response Tasks. These manuals guide teachers to identify student preparedness for testing, to ensure that students understand the task and to provide specific dialogue for teachers that will enable a smooth testing process. The Test Direction Manuals also provide suggested time allowances for each task.
The Scoring Manual was created as a trio of Assessment tools for easy scoring and consistent results. The Scoring manual will allow you to assess and score either writing tasks or reading responses. In the Writing Tasks, content and content management are evaluated, to create a composite score. In Reading Tasks, the composite score is comprised of ideas and support of ideas.
