Study Guide

Field 037: Journalism
Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

The following materials contain:

Test Directions for the Constructed-Response Assignment

This section of the test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You are to prepare a written response of approximately 300–600 words on the assigned topic. You should use your time to plan, write, review, and edit your response to the assignment.

Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response.

As a whole, your response must demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge and skills of the field. In your response to the assignment, you are expected to demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the content area through your ability to apply your knowledge and skills rather than merely to recite factual information.

Your response to the assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

PURPOSE: the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE: accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
SUPPORT: quality and relevance of supporting details
RATIONALE: soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

The constructed-response assignment is intended to assess subject matter knowledge and skills, not writing ability. However, your response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of the scoring criteria. Your response should be written for an audience of educators in this field. The final version of your response should conform to the conventions of edited American English. Your written response must be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work.

Be sure to write about the assigned topic. You may not use any reference materials during the test. Remember to review what you have written and make any changes you think will improve your response.

Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

Subarea II
Written Communication in Journalism
Use the information below to respond to the assignment that follows.

Imagine you are the faculty adviser for a high school newspaper. One of the reporters has submitted the story below for review.

[1] 1Dialogue, Understanding, Expression (D.U.E.) is a program recently established by Greenville High School librarian Alice Evers to offer students a means of expressing their feelings about what is happening in the world around them. 2It is something Ms. Evers has been thinking about for some time. 3Two months ago she received permission from school authorities to put her plans into effect. 4If what has been done so far is any indication, the program seems likely to be a huge success.
[2] 5Ms. Evers has been a librarian at Greenville High for the past eighteen years. 6During that time she has been involved in many projects—most of which have been well received by the broader school community.
[3] 7The program's first major project involved the work of local artist Louise Washington who has been painting portraits of people from diverse cultures for more than two decades. 8Most of the subjects of her paintings are people from our region, who have affected her in one way or another. 9Each portrait has a story that Ms. Washington relates during showings of her exhibit. 10Students in the program were so impressed by Ms. Washington's work, that they are now creating a book containing their responses to it.
[4] 11So far, attendance at D.U.E. meetings has been quite good. 12Everybody hopes things get even better in the future. 13A major aim of the D.U.E. program is to give students an opportunity to talk freely about whatever might be on their mind. 14This could be personal problems, recent developments in school or community, or national and international events.
[5] 15A number of guests have been invited to talk to the group in the next few months. 16They include Holocaust survivors, military personnel, local politicians, and university professors.

Using your knowledge of written communication in journalism, prepare a response in which you:

Sample Strong Response to the Constructed-Response Assignment

Please note: The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. Use of the exact words and phrases presented in this sample response will result in a score of "U" (Unscorable) due to lack of original work.

A major strength of this story is the comprehensive but concise overview that it provides of the program. Reading it, one learns about the program itself, who set it in motion (Ms. Evers), what its founder hopes to accomplish (to provide a place where students can express their feelings about the world around them), who is participating in it (students and various guests), and how the program has already influenced student participants (prompting them to create a book). In paragraph three, the reporter's discussion of Louise Washington's work and the students' response to it is particularly well developed.

There are, however, two areas which need improvement: 1) organization, and 2) supporting detail. The organization of the story is not clear, which interferes with a smooth flow of ideas. For example, paragraph two includes information that is relevant to the story, but the paragraph's placement obstructs the story's pattern of development. The information in this paragraph should either be deleted or placed elsewhere in the story.

Paragraph four demonstrates additional organizational problems that also obstruct the flow of ideas in the story. A more serious problem is the internal organization of this paragraph. The paragraph contains two main ideas: program successes to date and the aim of the program. The first of these ideas might be placed at or near the end of the story; the second at or near the beginning.

Strategies to improve organization include outlining, editing, and setting a draft aside and revisiting it a few days later. Outlining helps writers identify logical connections among ideas by providing an overview of the main topics to be addressed in a story. With all the main points right there on a single sheet, it is easier for a writer to determine the most effective arrangement of ideas for a story. Having another person edit the story can also help. Organizational problems that are not apparent to the writer are often perfectly clear to other readers who are able to view the writing with greater detachment. These problems will frequently be just as apparent to the writers themselves if they put a draft aside for a few days before preparing a finished copy of the story.

The second area in which improvement is needed concerns documentation and use of specific details to support the main ideas. In terms of documentation, the story would be stronger if it contained quotations from major program participants. At the very least, readers should hear what Ms. Evers what has to say; additional quotations from Louise Washington and one or more student participants would be even better. In addition to adding credibility to the story by making it clear that it is based on something more than the reporter's opinions, quotations bring a story to life by conveying information through the words of actual participants.

The story would also benefit from more specific detail (e.g., "Ms. Evers started planning the D.U.E. about six months ago, after years of hearing students express confusion about what was happening in the world around them."). While adding this detail, the reporter should revise or delete vague or colloquial language (e.g., "It is something Ms. Evers has been thinking about" in sentence two; "quite good" in sentence eleven; "Everybody hopes things get even better" in sentence twelve). Although the best strategy for implementing these changes is to take careful notes when conducting interviews or observing an event, the reporter might also consider keeping a journal——a good way of developing the habit of careful observation.

Performance Characteristics

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the constructed-response assignment.

Characteristics that guide the scoring of responses
Purpose The extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
Subject Matter Knowledge The accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
Support The quality and relevance of supporting details
Rationale The soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

Scoring Scale

Scores will be assigned to each response to the constructed-response assignment according to the following scoring scale.

Score Scale with description for each score point.
Score Point Score Point Description
4  start bold The "4" response reflects a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.
  • There is a substantial, accurate, and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects an ably reasoned, comprehensive understanding of the topic.
3  start bold The "3" response reflects a general knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.
  • There is a generally accurate and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence generally supports the discussion; there are some relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a general understanding of the topic.
2  start bold The "2" response reflects a partial knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.
  • There is a limited, possibly inaccurate or inappropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a limited, poorly reasoned understanding of the topic.
1  start bold The "1" response reflects little or no knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.
  • There is little or no appropriate or accurate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence, if present, is weak; there are few or no relevant examples.
  • The response reflects little or no reasoning about or understanding of the topic.
U The response is unscorable because it is illegible, not written to the assigned topic, written in a language other than English, or lacking a sufficient amount of original work to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.