WASL phrase of the day: ‘Fewer constructed response items’

In recent years, the WASL has been criticized as too expensive. The costs ballooned after the state created the test for many reasons, policymakers say, including increased demand on the testing industry through federal No Child Left Behind standards, increased add-ons, etc.

But cutting the cost of the WASL is tricky: It’s expensive to craft, administer, rate and distribute statewide, customized assessment tests.

In Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn’s ideas for re-doing the WASL, you’ll see this phrase time and again: “Fewer constructed response items.”

“Constructed response items” are basically story problems that require students to write out their answers, not just fill in a bubble. But they don’t just exist in the writing or reading section of the test. Math, science, reading and writing all require some constructed response items.

Why?
The concept is that constructed response items show a student’s level of understanding. Maybe their logic for a math question is on the right track, but their answer is incorrect. Or maybe the opposite. Either way, the questions are graded on a sliding scale by teachers in a different state.

Reading, analyzing and grading those answers takes significantly more time than computer-graded bubble answers — not to mention the time it takes during testing for students to construct all those responses. That makes constructed response answers costly and time-consuming.

By reducing the number of those type of questions, Dorn is hoping to reduce the cost of the test. But some WASL fans would point out that it will also reduce the ability of the test to assess comprehension and processing.

Tags: education, WASL