Released Item from the NAEP 2007 Writing Assessment
The Prompt: Describe what a backpack is and how it functions. 


Open the envelope labeled E that you have been given. Take out the letter from Rina and read it. Rina, who wrote the letter, is coming to a school in America for the first time and needs to know what a backpack is.

Write a letter back to Rina. In your letter, include a clear description of a backpack and explain in detail what she should keep in it. Remember, the more information Rina has, the better prepared
she’ll be to start eighth grade.
Results:  Idaho vs. the Nation
The Scoring Guide
Score & Description
  Excellent Response
  • Develops and shapes information with well-chosen details across the response.
• Is well organized with strong transitions.
• Sustains variety in sentence structure and exhibits good word choice.
• Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation are few and do not interfere with understanding.
  Skillful Response
  • Develops and shapes information with details in parts of the response.
• Is clearly organized, but may lack some transitions and/or have occasional lapses in continuity.
• Exhibits some variety in sentence structure and some good word choices.
• Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.
  Sufficient Response
 

• Develops information with some details.
• Organized with ideas that are generally related, but has few or no transitions.
• Exhibits control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure, but sentences and word choice may be simple and unvaried.
• Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not interfere with understanding.

  Uneven Response
 

May be characterized by one or more of the following:
• Presents some clear information, but is list-like, undeveloped, or repetitive OR offers no more than a well-written beginning.
• Is unevenly organized; the response may be disjointed.
• Exhibits uneven control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; may have some inaccurate word choices.
• Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation sometimes interfere with understanding.

  Insufficient Response
 

May be characterized by one or more of the following:
• Presents fragmented information OR may be very repetitive OR may be very undeveloped.
• Is very disorganized; thoughts are tenuously connected OR the response is too brief to detect organization.
• Minimal control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may often be inaccurate.
• Errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation interfere with understanding in much of the response.
  Unsatisfactory Response
 

May be characterized by one or more of the following:
• Attempts to respond to prompt, but provides little or no coherent information; may only paraphrase the prompt.
• Has no apparent organization OR consists of a single statement.
• Minimal or no control over sentence boundaries and sentence structure; word choice may be inaccurate in much or all of the response.
• A multiplicity of errors in grammar or usage (such as missing words or incorrect word use or word order), spelling, and punctuation severely impedes understanding across the response.

Sample Student Responses

Excellent Response (Advanced)

Skillful Response  (Proficient)

Sufficient Response (Basic)

 

This item and all of the items that NAEP has released for writing and the other assessments (reading, mathematics, etc.) since 1990 are available to the public through the NAEP Questions Tool on the web at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls/  
 

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