NAEP Reading
Grade 4
Sample Assessment Block
Literary Text
Paired Passage
West Virginia Department of Education
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
West Virginia Board of Education
2011-2012
L. Wade Linger Jr., President
Gayle C. Manchin, Vice President
Robert W. Dunlevy, Secretary
Michael I. Green, Member
Priscilla M. Haden, Member
Burma Hatfield, Member
Lowell E. Johnson, Member
Jenny N. Phillips, Member
William M. White, Member
Brian E. Noland, Ex Officio
Chancellor
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
James L. Skidmore, Ex Officio
Chancellor
West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education
Jorea M. Marple, Ex Officio
State Superintendent of Schools
West Virginia Department of Education
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Table of Contents
Sample Assessment...................................................................................................................... 3
Framework Overview................................................................................................................ 12
Individual Item Analysis............................................................................................................ 14
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
This is a released block of from the NAEP 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP’s expectation is for students to complete these questions in 25 minutes.
2| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
NUTTING
By Barbara Greenwood
Willy found a sunny spot
on the porch and settled down
to peel the freshly roasted chestnuts. "Just
what I need to make a nice turkey stuffing," Ma had said
when Willy arrived home with them a few days back. He
was glad she hadn't asked where he'd found the chestnuts.
It was a story he wasn't anxious to tell...
Willy had taken a shortcut through the forest, hoping to
practice some tracking skills. Be sure to mark your trail,
Pa always said, so he'd been slicing curls of bark from tree
trunks. The fresh blazes glowed white in the gloom of the
forest. No fear of missing those on the way back, Willy
thought, folding down the blade of his jackknife.
He had just started to search the ground for animal
tracks when a squirrel bounded across his path. For a
frozen moment it stared up at him, and Willy noticed
its bulging cheeks. "I'll bet you've got a cache of nuts
somewhere, you little rascal."
The squirrel darted away, and Willy ran after it. Deeper
and deeper he plunged into the forest, his eyes on the
flicker of tail before him. Then, with a sudden leap, the
squirrel scampered up a tree and vanished. Willy collapsed
against the tree trunk, panting. Lost him!
Peering around, he felt the darkness of the forest press
down on him. No white blazes pointed the way back.
With a stab of alarm he realized he'd completely forgotten
Pa's warning. What will I do? Willy slumped onto a large
gnarled root. Shout? No use. Too far from home. Perhaps
someone will come along. He listened hard. Nothing but
eerie silence. Don't panic, he told himself. Don't panic.
But he'd heard about people being lost in the woods for
days, sometimes even...forever.
A rustle of leaves made him glance around. The
squirrel! They stared at each other, unblinking, for a
second. Then, with a flip of its tail, the squirrel
3| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
disappeared under a twisted root.
"I'll bet that's your hiding place." Willy was about to
thrust his hand into the hole when he thought about the
squirrel's sharp teeth. Instead he picked up a short stick.
No angry scolding followed his probing, so he reached in.
It was a cache of beechnuts. He could feel their three-sided
shapes. And what was that? Something bigger. He drew
out a handful. There, among the small, shiny beechnuts
was one big chestnut. If there's one, there must be more.
He felt around again. Yes, more big ones. Just what Ma
needs for the turkey stuffing. Then he remembered—
home. How was he going to find his way home?
There must be a way out. He peered into the darkness,
hoping for any sign of the way he had come. Nothing.
No—wait. A memory tugged at the back of his mind—just
before the squirrel disappeared, his hand had brushed
against smooth bark. Most of these trees had rough bark.
But what if... Searching carefully, Willy spotted a
smooth-barked tree. Underneath it on the forest floor
were scuffled leaves. And there! Leading away was a line
of scuffs. Leaves crunched by feet. Were these his own
footprints? Yes! He could follow them back to the path.
"Hooray!" Willy shouted. Then he remembered the
nuts. I'll come back for them. But, no, on second thought
he didn't really want to come here again.
He pulled off his shirt, shivering in the chilly October
air. It would make a good carrying sack. He'd run to keep
himself warm.
He'd cleared the squirrel's hole right down to the
bottom and was tying the shirt sleeves together to close
the sack when a thought struck him. Opening the bulging
shirt, he scooped out a handful of beechnuts and dropped
them back into the hole.
"There," he said, in the general direction of the squirrel.
"Now you can enjoy your harvest dinner, too."
4| Page
From A Pioneer Thanksgiving, written by Barbara Greenwood and illustrated by Heather Collins.
Text © 1999 Barbara Greenwood.
Illustrations © 1999 Heather Collins. Used by permission of Kids Can Press Ltd., Toronto.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Treed
By Judith Viorst*
Description of Poem
The speaker of the poem writes a humorous description of her experience climbing the tallest tree in
her backyard. She explains that it is easy to climb up the tree, but it is very hard to climb down.
* Permission to put the text of the poem on the website was not granted by the copyright holder. The
full text can be found in SAD UNDERWEAR AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS, © 1995 by Judith
Viorst. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's
Publishing Division.
5| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
1.
Why does Willy take a shortcut through the forest?
A. He wants to get home before dark.
B. He is chasing some squirrels.
C. He wants to work on his tracking skills.
D. He is in a hurry to climb a tree.
2.
How does Willy mark his path through the forest?
A. By leaving a trail of nuts
B. By cutting the bark of tree trunks
C. By painting lines on trees
D. By making piles of leaves
6| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
3.
7| Page
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
4.
What kind of person is Willy? Support your answer with information from the story.
5.
What is the speaker in the poem describing?
A. What it is like to live in a tree
B. Reasons for climbing up a tree
C. What things look like from a tree
D. Fear of climbing back down a tree
8| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
6.
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story and the poem to support your answer.
9| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
7. Do you think the poem is meant to be serious or funny? Use an example from the poem to explain your answer.
8.
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word "Very" at the end of the poem.
10| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
9.
On page 3, the author of the story says that Willy hears only "eerie silence." This means that Willy
A. finds the silence strange and frightening
B. believes the silence will go away soon
C. wonders what causes the silence
D. feels alone in the silence
10. On page 4, the author of the story says that Willy "cleared the squirrel's hole right down to the bottom." This means that Willy
A. dug deep into the hole
B. looked into the hole as far as he could
C. poked a stick in the hole
D. took all of the nuts from the hole
11| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
NAEP Reading Framework Overview Information
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses reading comprehension in English at grade 4,
8, and 12. Reading assessment uses two distinct types of text: literary text and informational text.
Literary text
• fiction
• literary nonfiction
• poetry
Informational text
• exposition
• argumentation and persuasive text
• procedural text and documents
The percentage of passages varies by grade level with literary text decreasing from grade 4 to grade 12 while
informational text increases from grade 4 to grade 12, as shown in the table below
Grade
Literary
Informational
4
50
50
8
45
55
12
30
70
Passage lengths vary by grade level and are determined by the specifications in the NAEP Reading Framework.
Grade
4
8
12
Passage Length
200-800
400-1000
500-1500
NAEP Reading Assessment in conducted using three specific item types: multiple choice, short constructed
response and extended constructed response. The percentage of time anticipated to be spent on each item type
varies by grade level, as shown in the table below.
12| Page
Grade
Multiple Choice
Short Constructed
Response
Extended Constructed
Response
4
8
12
50
40
40
40
45
45
10
15
15
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Cognitive Targets
Specific to Informational Text
Specific to Literary Text
Both Literary and
Informational Text
Locate/Recall
13| Page
Integrate/Interpret
Critique/Evaluate
Identify textually explicit
information and make
simple inferences within
and across texts, such as:
• Definitions
• Facts
• Supporting details
Make complex inferences within
and across texts to describe
problem and solution, cause and
effect:
• Compare or connect ideas,
problems, or situations.
• Determine unstated
assumptions in an argument.
• Describe how an author used
literary devices and text
features.
Consider text(s) critically to:
• Judge author’s craft and
technique.
• Evaluate the author’s
perspective or point of
view within or across texts.
• Take different perspectives
in relation to a text.
Identify textually explicit
information within and
across texts, such as:
• Character traits
• Sequence of events or
actions
• Setting
• Identify figurative
language
Make complex inferences within
and across texts to
• Infer mood or tone.
• Integrate ideas to determine
theme.
• Identify or interpret a
character’s motivations or
decisions.
• Examine relations between
them and setting or characters.
• Explain how rhythm, rhyme,
or form in poetry contributes
to meaning.
Consider text(s) critically to:
• Evaluate the role of literary
devices in conveying
meaning.
• Determine the degree to
which literary devices
enhance a literary work.
• Evaluate a character’s
motivations and decisions.
• Analyze the point of view
used by the author.
Identify textually explicit
information within and
across texts, such as:
• Topic sentence or main
idea
• Author’s purpose
• Causal relations
• Locate specific
information in text or
graphic
Make complex inferences within
and across texts to:
• Summarize major ideas.
• Draw conclusions and provide
supporting information.
• Find evidence in support of an
argument.
• Distinguish facts from
opinions.
• Determine the importance of
information within and across
text.
Consider text(s) critically to:
• Analyze the presentation of
information.
• Evaluate the way the
author selects language to
influence readers.
• Evaluate the strength and
quality of evidence used by
the author to support his or
her position.
• Determine the quality of
counterarguments within
and across texts.
• Judge the coherence,
logic, or credibility of an
argument.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Individual Item Analysis
For each question in the sample block related to the paired passages, the story “Nutting” by Barbara Greenwood
and the poem “Treed” by Judith Viorst, the cognitive target is given. In addition the percentage of students
selecting each answer choice for multiple choice or scoring at each score point are indicated for public school
students in West Virginia and the nation. The correct multiple choice answer is indicated with an asterisk. In
order for a question to be considered “omitted,” the student did not answer the question but answered a question
or questions after it.
1.Locate/Recall
A
B
C*
D
Omitted
West Virginia
27%
13%
55%
4%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
25%
14%
58%
3%
Rounds to Zero
Why does Willy take a shortcut through the forest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
He wants to get home before dark.
He is chasing some squirrels.
He wants to work on his tracking skills.
He is in a hurry to climb a tree.
2.Locate/Recall
A
B*
C
D
Omitted
West Virginia
22%
63%
2%
13%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
19%
59%
4%
18%
1%
How does Willy mark his path through the forest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
14| Page
By leaving a trail of nuts
By cutting the bark of tree trunks
By painting lines on trees
By making piles of leaves
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
3.Integrate/Interpret
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
20%
56%
22%
3%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
21%
56%
23%
1%
Rounds to Zero
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level explain why Willy becomes lost.
• He forgets to mark his path while following a squirrel.
• He does not follow his father’s advice.
Partial Comprehension
a) Responses at this level explain an action related to Willy becoming lost but not the reason why he becomes lost.
• He follows a squirrel into the forest.
OR
b) Responses describe conditions in the forest that lead to Willy’s getting lost.
• The forest was dark.
• There were so many trees in the forest.
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply repeat the question.
15| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Full Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
Exemplar 2
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses provide relevant details from the story to explain why Willy gets lost in the forest. The first response has several details from the story; the second has one.
16| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
Exemplar 2
Explain why Willy gets lost in the forest.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses provide details from the story that relate to Willy’s getting lost in the forest, but neither explains
why Willy got lost. The first response provides an action related to why Willy got lost, but then just states that he
got lost. The second response describes conditions in the forest.
17| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
4.Integrate/Interpret
West Virginia
National Public
Little or No Comprehension
13%
17%
Partial Comprehension
53%
42%
Full Comprehension
30%
39%
Omitted
4%
3%
Off Task
1%
Rounds to Zero
What kind of person is Willy? Support your answer with information from the story.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level describe the kind of person Willy is and provide information from the story as support
•
• • • Willy is brave. He gets over his panic about being lost in the woods and searches for the smooth-barked tree.
Willy is resourceful because he is able to think back to the smooth-barked tree and then he finds his footsteps.
Willy is not very careful. He chases the squirrel through the forest.
Willy is a good person. He gives nuts back to the squirrel.
Partial Comprehension
a) Responses at this level describe something Willy does but do not describe the kind of person Willy is.
• Willy took a shortcut to practice his tracking skills.
OR
b) Responses describe the kind of person Willy is but do not provide information from the story as support.
• He is very brave.
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply repeat the question.
18| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Full Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
What kind of person is Willy? Support your answer with information from the story.
Exemplar 2
What kind of person is Willy? Support your answer with information from the story.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses accurately describe what kind of person Willy is and support the answer using information from
the story. The first response describes Willy as “genorous” because he collected chestnuts for his mother and left
some for the squirrel. The second response describes Willy as “adventureas” because he took a short cut through
the woods.
19| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
What kind of person is Willy? Support your answer with information from the story.
Exemplar 2
Using information from the article, explain what pollination is and how it happens.
Scorer Comments:
The first response describes something that Willy does in the story but does not describe the kind of person Willy
is. The second response describes the kind of person Willy is but does not provide information from the story.
20| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
5. Integrate/Interpret
A
B
C
D*
Omitted
West Virginia
15%
17%
8%
58%
2%
National Public
13%
13%
7%
67%
1%
What is the speaker in the poem describing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
What it is like to live in a tree
Reasons for climbing up a tree
What things look like from a tree
Fear of climbing back down a tree
6. Integrate/Interpret
Unsatisfactory
Partial
Essential
Extensive
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
37%
36%
14%
7%
6%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
29%
40%
12%
14%
4%
Rounds to Zero
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both
the story and the poem to support your answer.
21| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Extensive
Responses at this level compare the character in the story to the character in the poem and use information from both the
story and the poem about each of their situations to support the comparison.
• Willy and the speaker in the poem are different because Willy is brave because he went into the forest and the
speaker is acting like she or he is scared because the poem speaker is saying, I’ll be in this tree until I’m one hundred and three.
Essential
a) Responses at this level compare the character in the story to the character in the poem and use information from either the
story or the poem to support the comparison.
• Willy is similar to the speaker because the speaker wrote about fear and panic while Willy was scared and frightened because he forgot to leave bark trails. • Willy and the speaker are adventurous. Willy wandered into the forest alone.
OR
b) Responses provide text-based information about either the speaker or Willy.
Partial
a) responses at this level describe what the characters say or do in both texts but compare only their situations, not the
characters.
• Will and the speaker are alike because at first the speaker and Willy both got lost and couldn’t fix the problem. The speaker and Willy are different because Willy found his way home and the speaker was till stuck in the tree.
• Willy goes into the forest and the speaker goes up in a tree.
Unsatisfactory
Responses at this level may make a comparison of the characters based on irrelevant details; may compare details or actions
from both texts that are irrelevant to a comparison of the characters; may provide personal opinions about one or both
characters; or may just talk about setting rather than character.
• • • • • 22| Page
Willy and the poet are the same because they are both talking about the outdoors and trees.
They both involve a tree and they both involve kids.
A speaker is a poem maker and Willy is the person in the poem.
They are both talking about trees and you have to be careful climbing a tree because you can fall or get stuck very easily.
Both take place in a forest.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Extensive- Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
23| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Exemplar 2
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses compare Willy and the speaker of the poem, but explain the comparison using information from
only the story or only the poem. The first response compares Willy to the speaker in the poem using relevant
information only from the story. The second response explains how Willy and the speaker in the poem are
different but does not use information from either the story or the poem.
24| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Essential- Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
Exemplar 2
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses use information from the story and also from the poem to support a comparison about Willy and
the speaker of the poem. The first response explains one way that Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar;
the second response explains one way that the speaker in the poem and Willy are different.
25| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Partial - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
Exemplar 2
Explain one way Willy and the speaker in the poem are similar or different. Use information from both the story
and the poem to support your answer.
Scorer Comments:
The first response describes what happens to Willy and the speaker in the poem, but it does not compare the two
characters. The second response gives text-based information about Willy, but does not refer to the speaker in
the poem.
26| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
7. Critique/Evaluate
West Virginia
48%
47%
4%
1%
Unacceptable
Acceptable
Omitted
Off Task
National Public
41%
55%
3%
Rounds to Zero
Do you think the poem is meant to be serious or funny? Use an example from the poem to explain your
answer.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Acceptable
Responses at this level indicate whether the poem is meant to be serious or funny and explain the answer using an example
from the poem.
•
•
•
•
The poem is serious because the speaker is scared. She says,
“I clung in the dark to the bark.”
The poem is funny because the speaker says she’ll still be up there when she’s 103.
The poem is funny and serious. The speaker is stuck up in the tree, but then she says to send her a present by a bird. She knows that won’t happen.
It’s serious because she’s stuck up in the tree.
Unacceptable
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply indicate whether the poem was meant
to be serious or funny without any reference to the poem.
• She or he was serious about the topic.
• Kinda funny and kinda serious.
27| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Acceptable - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Do you think the poem is meant to be serious or funny? Use an example from the poem to explain your answer.
Exemplar 2
Do you think the poem is meant to be serious or funny? Use an example from the poem to explain your answer.
Scorer Comments:
The first response explains why the poem is meant to be funny using an example from the poem. The second
response uses specific examples from the poem to show why the poem is meant to be both serious and funny.
28| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
8. Critique/Evaluate
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
37%
44%
13%
5%
1%
National Public
35%
51%
10%
4%
Rounds to Zero
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word “Very” at the end of the poem.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level give an explanation for the repetition of the word “Very” that suggests some understanding
of poetic craft (e.g., visual effect, emphasis, humor).
•
•
•
•
To make the poem seem like a tall tree.
To make it funny.
To emphasize how totally hard it is to come down.
To show that it is hard to come down from a tree.
Partial Comprehension
Responses at this level give an explanation that is limited to the literal interpretation of content.
•
•
•
•
Because it is hard to come down.
To explain how tall the tree is.
Because it is very very very hard to climb down, but easy to go up.
It’s scary to come down.
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level offer unsupported, vague explanations that do not indicate any understanding of poetic
craft.
• To make it more interesting.
• To make it exciting.
Or, they provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply repeat the question or lines from the poem.
• Because up is easy, down is hard.
NOTE: “Show” is acceptable as a 4th-grade way of saying “emphasize” (3 level).
29| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Full Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word “Very” at the end of the poem.
Exemplar 2
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word “Very” at the end of the poem.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses suggest that the repetition is used to create humorous effect on the reader and to emphasize the
speaker’s dilemma.
30| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word “Very” at the end of the poem.
Exemplar 2
Explain why the speaker in the poem repeats the word “Very” at the end of the poem.
Scorer Comments:
Responses at this level give an explanation that is limited to the literal interpretation of content.
31| Page
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading - Grade 4
9.. Integrate/Interpret
A*
B
C
D
Omitted
West Virginia
45%
6%
13%
36%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
49%
7%
10%
34%
Rounds to Zero
On page 3, the author of the story says that Willy hears only “eerie silence.” This means that Willy
A.
B.
C.
D.
finds the silence strange and frightening
believes the silence will go away soon
wonders what causes the silence
feels alone in the silence
10.. Integrate/Interpret
A
B
C
D*
Omitted
West Virginia
22%
7%
9%
62%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
22%
7%
8%
64%
Rounds to Zero
On page 4, the author of the story says that Willy “cleared the squirrel’s hole right down to the bottom.”
This means that Willy
A.
B.
C.
D.
32| Page
dug deep into the hole
looked into the hole as far as he could
poked a stick in the hole
took all of the nuts from the hole
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics,
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.
NAEP Reading
Grade 4
Jorea M. Marple, Ed.D.
State Superintendent of School
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