NAEP Reading
Grade 8
Sample Assessment Block
Literary Text
Poetry
West Virginia Department of Education
NAEP Reading - Grade 8
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 8
Table of Contents
Sample Assessment...................................................................................................................... 3
Framework Overview................................................................................................................ 12
Individual Item Analysis............................................................................................................ 14
NAEP Reading - Grade 8
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 8
ALLIGATOR POEM
by Mary Oliver
I knelt down
at the edge of the water,
and if the white birds standing
in the tops of the trees whistled any warning
I didn’t understand,
I drank up to the very moment it came
crashing toward me,
its tail flailing
like a bundle of swords,
slashing the grass,
and the inside of its cradle-shaped mouth
gaping,
and rimmed with teeth—
and that’s how I almost died
of foolishness
in beautiful Florida.
But I didn’t.
I leaped aside, and fell,
and it streamed past me, crushing everything in its path
as it swept down to the water
and threw itself in,
and, in the end,
this isn’t a poem about foolishness
but about how I rose from the ground
and saw the world as if for the second time,
the way it really is.
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 8
The water, that circle of shattered glass,
healed itself with a slow whisper
and lay back
with the back-lit light of polished steel,
and the birds, in the endless waterfalls of the trees,
shook open the snowy pleats of their wings, and drifted away
while, for a keepsake, and to steady myself,
I reached out,
I picked the wild flowers from the grass around me—
blue stars
and blood-red trumpets
on long green stems—
for hours in my trembling hands they glittered
like fire.
.
From New and Selected Poem
by mary Oliver
Copyright © 1992 by Mary Oliver
Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press, Boston
4| 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 8
1.
What does the poem mainly describe?
A. A personal experience
B. An unusual dream
C. The danger of alligators
D. Traveling in Florida
2.
What is the speaker doing at the beginning of the poem?
A. Watching the birds
B. Wading in a stream
C. Drinking the water
D. Picking wildflowers
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 8
3.
The following lines are from the poem:
I drank up to the very moment it came
crashing toward me,
its tail flailing
like a bundle of swords,
slashing the grass,
and the inside of its cradle-shaped mouth
gaping,
and rimmed with teeth—
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the allligator.
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 8
4.
After the alligator has gone, the speaker says:
The water, that circle of shattered glass,
healed itself with a slow whisper
and lay back
with the back-lit light of polished steel,
and the birds, in the endless waterfalls of the trees,
shook open the snowy pleats of their wings, and drifted away
Explain what these lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
5.
On page 3, the speaker says,”and, in the end, this isn’t a poem about foolishness.”
What is the purpose of these lines in relation to the rest of the poem?
A. To signal a turning point in the poem
B. To emphasize the speaker’s confusion
C. To focus the reader on the first part of the poem
D. To show the speaker was embarrassed
7| 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 8
6. Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
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 8
7.
9| Page
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
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 8
8.
Explain how “Alligator Poem” could be seen as both a good title and a bad title for the poem. Support your answer with reference to what happens in the poem.
9. The speaker’s description of flowers at the end of the poem is mainly meant to emphasize that the speaker
A. believes nature is unpredictable
B. does not understand what is happening
C. is reliving a frightening experience
D. is seeing the world with a new intensity
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 8
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 8
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 8
Individual Item Analysis
For each question in the sample block related to the poem “Alligator Poem” by Mary Oliver, 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.Integrate/Interpret
West Virginia
75%
6%
10%
7%
1%
A*
B
C
D
Omitted
National Public
79%
5%
11%
5%
Rounds to Zero
What does the poem mainly describe?
A. A personal experience
B. An unusual dream
C. The danger of alligators
D. Traveling in Florida
2.Locate/Recall
A
B
C*
D
Omitted
West Virginia
29%
4%
65%
Rounds to Zero
2%
National Public
25%
8%
65%
1%
Rounds to Zero
What is the speaker doing at the beginning of the poem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
14| Page
Watching the birds
Wading in a stream
Drinking the water
Picking wildflowers
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 8
3.Integrate/Interpret
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
26%
53%
19%
1%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
21%
48%
29%
1%
Rounds to Zero
The following lines are from the poem:
I drank up to the very moment it came
crashing toward me,
its tail flailing
like a bundle of swords,
slashing the grass,
and the inside of its cradle-shaped mouth
gaping,
and rimmed with teeth—.
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the alligator.
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 8
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level choose an image from the lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience
with the alligator. Such responses may relate the image chosen to the speaker’s feelings or to the overall experience
with the alligator.
• From the lines, the reader can tell that the speaker was scared of the alligator. “Crashing toward me,” “like a
bundle of swords,” and the description of the tooth-filled mouth, tell the reader about the fretful dangers the scary
alligator possessed.
• “Crashing toward me.” This says that the alligator came quickly at him and how scared the speaker was.
She says the alligator had a mouth gaping and rimmed with teeth, which means the alligator was trying to attack
the speaker.
• The description of the “cradle-shaped mouth gaping and rimmed with teeth” shows how up close the speaker
was with the alligator.
• She says the alligator was “crashing towards me,” with its mouth full of scary teeth, which shows the speaker
had a bad experience with the alligator.
Partial Comprehension
a) Responses at this level focus only on the alligator. Such responses may choose an image and explain what it
means on its own, or they may simply describe the alligator and provide no image.
•
•
•
•
•
“Its tail flailing like a bundle of swords” shows that the alligator was in no pleasant mood.
“Mouth gaping and rimmed with teeth” shows how vicious the alligator was. “Its tail flailing like a bundle of swords” shows that the alligator’s tail was full of spines.
[An interpretation of the simile in the line.]
The alligator was mean.
The alligator was vicious.
OR
b) Responses explain the speaker’s experience or a lesson to be learned from the lines but do not choose an image
to go along with this explanation.
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant and/or unexplained details or personal opinions or may simply repeat
the question. Or, responses choose an image, but the explanation merely repeats or rewords the lines chosen.
• The speaker was drinking the water but stopped and got up.
• The speaker was watching the alligator down by the stream.
• “The inside of its cradle-shaped mouth rimmed with teeth” shows the alligator’s mouth was full of teeth. [This
response is not an interpretation of the comparison presented in the line (“cradle-shaped”)—it merely shows that
the student understands that the word “rimmed” indicates that there are a lot of teeth in the alligator’s mouth.]
• Cradle shaped mouth gaping shows the alligator’s mouth was wide open. [“Wide open” merely shows that the
student understands the meaning of the word “gaping.”]
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 8
Full Comprehension - Student Response
The following lines are from the poem:
I drank up to the very moment it came
crashing toward me,
its tail flailing
like a bundle of swords,
slashing the grass,
and the inside of its cradle-shaped mouth
gaping,
and rimmed with teeth—.
Exemplar 1
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the alligator.
Exemplar 2
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the alligator.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses provide an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with
the alligator. The first response uses two images that show the proximity of the alligator. The second response uses
an image to explain how bad the experience was.
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 8
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the alligator.
Exemplar 2
Choose an image from these lines and explain what it shows about the speaker’s experience with the alligator.
Scorer Comments:
The first response provides an image and explains what it means but makes no connection to the speaker’s
experience. The second response explains the speaker’s experience but does not choose an image to support this
explanation.
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 8
4. Integrate/Interpret
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
37%
32%
29%
1%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
31%
32%
35%
2%
Rounds to Zero
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level explain what the lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
•
•
•
The lines show that the speaker sees nature as healing itself after the alligator’s attack. It shows the speaker sees nature as calming down and recovering.
The speaker at this point thinks nature is very beautiful, with the birds leaving the trees and the water looking calm and peaceful.
Partical Comprehension
a) Responses at this level explain what the lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the
poem, but the explanation is general.
• The speaker sees that nature is calm and peaceful. [Though nature is calm and peaceful in this part of the poem, the speaker’s realization is more specifically that nature has become calm and peaceful following a state of agitation—that nature is recovering.]
OR
b) Responses provide an interpretation of the lines but do not explain what they show about how the speaker
views nature at this point in the poem.
•
•
The lines are showing that the water was just smooth like polished steel and the birds just floated up out of the
trees.
The lines show that the water returned to the way it had been before. [This response does not get to the more general idea of nature returning to the way it had been before.]
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply repeat the question. Or,
responses may repeat lines from the poem without explaining them.
• She’s describing what the water looks like.
• It’s showing you how the water healed itself and how the birds drifted away.
19| Page
“Nature is calm” is scored a 2 because it oversimplifies what is happening in the lines. However, “Nature is calming down” is scored a 3 because it is another way of saying that nature is healing or repairing itself, which does accurately represent the lines.
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 8
Full Comprehension - Student Response
After the alligator has gone, the speaker says:
The water, that circle of shattered glass,
healed itself with a slow whisper
and lay back
with the back-lit light of polished steel,
and the birds, in the endless waterfalls of the trees,
shook open the snowy pleats of their wings, and drifted away
Exemplar 1
Explain what these lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
Exemplar 2
Explain what these lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses use these lines to explain how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem. The first response
focuses on nature healing itself. The second response focuses on the speaker’s appreciation of nature’s beauty.
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 8
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain what these lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
Exemplar 2
Explain what these lines show about how the speaker views nature at this point in the poem.
Scorer Comments:
The first response focuses on the peacefulness of nature, but the explanation is general. The second response
interprets these lines but does not explain what they show about the speaker’s view of nature.
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 8
5. Critique/Evaluate
A*
B
C
D
Omitted
West Virginia
58%
19%
20%
4%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
65%
13%
17%
5%
1%
On page 3, the speaker says,”and, in the end, this isn’t a poem about foolishness.”
What is the purpose of these lines in relation to the rest of the poem?
A. To signal a turning point in the poem
B. To emphasize the speaker’s confusion
C. To focus the reader on the first part of the poem
D. To show the speaker was embarrassed
6.Integrate/Interpret
Unsatisfactory
Partial
Essential
Extensive
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
11%
58%
21%
9%
1%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
8%
56%
19%
15%
2%
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
Extensive
Responses at this level describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes
the speaker realize.
•
•
•
22| Page
The speaker is rushed at by a large alligator and after this experience she realized the intensity of the world.
An alligator almost attacks the speaker and it makes the speaker take time to focus on the beauty in nature.
The speaker has an experience where she is charged at by an alligator in Florida and this makes her realize that nature is beautiful.
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 8
Essential
a) Responses at this level describe what happens to the speaker of the poem, but the explanation of what this
experience makes the speaker realize is general. Or, the explanation may simply repeat lines from the poem
without interpreting them.
• • The speaker narrowly escapes the attack of an alligator, and because of that she starts to see everything in a different way.
The speaker is drinking water when suddenly an alligator comes straight for her. This experience makes her see the world as if for the second time.
OR
b) Responses explain what the speaker realizes in the poem but do not describe what happens to the speaker.
• The speaker realizes that nature is beautiful.
Partial
a)
Responses at this level describe what happens to the speaker of the poem but do not explain what the
experience makes the speaker realize..
• The speaker is rushed at by a horrible monster with gaping jaws and rows of teeth.
• The speaker sees an alligator.
• The speaker picks flowers.
OR
b) Responses attempt to explain what the experience makes the speaker realize, but the explanation is not text
based [such responses typically explain what the reader might have realized]. Such responses may or may not
include a description of what happens to the speaker in the poem.
•
•
•
•
The alligator was trying to kill her but she escaped death. The experience makes the speaker realize that anything can happen to anyone at any point in time.
The speaker realizes she needs to be more careful around alligators and the dangerous Floridian water.
The speaker realizes you should be thankful for each new day.
The speaker realizes she takes life for granted.
• The speaker sees the world in a new way, the way things really are.
• The speaker looks at the world in a new light.
OR
c) Responses explain what the speaker realizes, but the explanation is general. Responses do not describe what
happens to the speaker in the poem.
Unsatisfactory
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or personal opinions or may simply repeat the question.
• The speaker realizes that alligators can hurt you very badly.
• She was just dreaming.
• Nothing really happens to the speaker.
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 8
Extensive- Student Response
Exemplar 1
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
Exemplar 2
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize..
Scorer Comments:
The first response provides narrative details to describe the speaker’s experience and how it leads to her realization
about luck and appreciation of nature. The second response summarizes events in the poem to explain the speaker’s
realization about the duality of nature.
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 8
Essential Student Response
Exemplar 1
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
Exemplar 2
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
Scorer Comments:
The first response describes what happens to the speaker of the poem, but the explanation of what the speaker
realizes afterward is general. The second response explains what the speaker realizes but makes only an indirect
reference to what happens to the speaker.
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 8
Partial Student Response
Exemplar 1
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
Exemplar 2
Describe what happens to the speaker of the poem and explain what this experience makes the speaker realize.
Scorer Comments:
The first response describes what happens to the speaker of the poem but does not explain what the experience
makes her realize. The second response describes what the speaker might have realized, but the explanation is
not text-based.
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 8
7. Integrate/Interpret
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
17%
35%
48%
Rounds to Zero
Rounds to Zero
National Public
15%
27%
56%
2%
Rounds to Zero
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Full Comprehension
Responses at this level provide an opinion about whether the alligator was trying to attack the speaker and support
the opinion with reference to the poem.
• If it were trying to attack her, it would have come back again, not just gone into the water and stayed there.
• Yes. The alligator has a “gaping mouth, rimmed with teeth,” which means it was going for a big meal.
Partial Comprehension
Responses at this level provide an opinion about whether the alligator tries to attack the speaker, but the support
is related to the poem only in a general way.
• No, it’s not an attack. I think the alligator was just trying to defend itself because the speaker was in its territory.
• Yes, I think the alligator was trying to attack, because the way the speaker describes it, it sounds like it was
really intense moment.
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or unsupported personal opinions or may simply repeat the
question.
• I don’t think it was trying to attack because alligators can’t see so well.
• I think the alligator thinks there’s an animal like maybe a deer and he was trying to attack that animal.
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 8
Full Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to
the poem.
Exemplar 2
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to
the poem.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses provide an opinion about whether the alligator was trying to attack the speaker and use references
to the poem as support. The first response uses relevant descriptive phrases that indicate attack. The second
response describes the action of the opening lines to support the opinion.
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 8
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to
the poem.
Exemplar 2
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to
the poem.
Scorer Comments:
The first response provides an opinion that is generally connected to what happens in the poem. The second
response provides a general reference to the alligator’s appearance but does not explain the opinion.
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 8
8. Critique/Evaluate
Little or No Comprehension
Partial Comprehension
Full Comprehension
Omitted
Off Task
West Virginia
25%
65%
9%
1%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
20%
63%
14%
3%
1%
Explain how “Alligator Poem” could be seen as both a good title and a bad title for the poem. Support your answer with reference to what happens in the poem.
Scoring Rubric
Score & Description
Extensive
a) Responses at this level explain how the title could be seen as either a good title or a bad title but not both. Such
responses may or may not include a reference to what happens in the poem.
• •
•
•
This is a good title because the poem is about an alligator who tries to attack a speaker. [A reference to what happens in the poem, but explains only how title can be seen as good.] Yes, because the poem is about an alligator. [“About an alligator” does not count as a reference to what
happens in the poem.]
I think “Alligator Poem” is a bad name for the poem because I do not think it emphasizes what is really going on
in the poem.
It’s not a very creative title.
Partial Comprehension
b) Responses explain how the title could be seen as both good and bad, but only half of the answer (or neither half) is
supported with reference to what happens in the poem
• •
Good: It’s about an alligator. Bad: It’s more about the girl. [“About an alligator” is not a reference to what
happens in the poem; “It’s more about a girl” does count as a reference.]
“Alligator Poem” can be a good title because the poem does talk about an alligator. But “Alligator Poem” can
also not be such a good title because it doesn’t draw the reader into the poem.
OR
c) Responses provide an appropriate alternate title for the poem that relates to the major events in the poem or to the theme
of the poem. Such responses may or may not explain the alternate title and/or comment on the original title. Responses that
comment on the original title may attempt to explain why it is bad, but those that do so do not contain reference to what
happens in the poem.
• The poem should be called, “The Unforgettable Drink.”
• The poem could be called, “Alligator Attack.”
• The poem should be called, “Seeing the World Anew.” The original title is not creative enough.
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 8
Little or No Comprehension
Responses at this level provide irrelevant details or unsupported personal opinions or may simply repeat the
question.
•
•
It could be seen as a good title because something good could have happened and not all alligators do bad
things. It also could have been seen as a bad title because most alligators eat people or try to and that’s what this
alligator did in this poem.
This poem was not about an alligator at all.
Full Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain how “Alligator Poem” could be seen as both a good title and a bad title for the poem. Support your
answer with reference to what happens in the poem.
Exemplar 2
Do you think the alligator was trying to attack the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with reference to
the poem.
Scorer Comments:
Both responses explain how “Alligator Poem” can be seen as both a good and bad title and refer to what happens
in the poem to support each part of the answer.
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 8
Partial Comprehension - Student Response
Exemplar 1
Explain how “Alligator Poem” could be seen as both a good title and a bad title for the poem. Support your
answer with reference to what happens in the poem
Exemplar 2
Explain how “Alligator Poem” could be seen as both a good title and a bad title for the poem. Support your
answer with reference to what happens in the poem
Scorer Comments:
The first response explains how “Alligator Poem” is a good title but does not discuss how it could be seen as a
bad title. The second response provides general statements as to how the title could be seen as both good and bad,
but neither statement is supported with references to what happens in the poem.
32| 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 8
9. Integrate/Interpret
A
B
C
D*
Omitted
West Virginia
21%
5%
15%
59%
Rounds to Zero
National Public
21%
3%
14%
61%
Rounds to Zero
The speaker’s description of flowers at the end of the poem is mainly meant to emphasize that the speaker
A. believes nature is unpredictable
B. does not understand what is happening
C. is reliving a frightening experience
D. is seeing the world with a new intensity
33| 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.
32| 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.
33| 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 8
Jorea M. Marple, Ed.D.
State Superintendent of Schools