Q and A – Grades 3 – 5 Mathematics Tests (2008)

Global clarification

Q: At times, a student will show two or more separate bodies of work, one which is incorrect and one which is correct or appropriate, but doesn’t cross out either body or work. Which body of work do we evaluate?
A: If both correct and incorrect procedures are demonstrated within a ‘Show your work’ item, evaluate only the body of work leading to the answer on the answer line. This body of work includes all work associated with the procedure leading to the final answer, including any check on the final answer.

Q3-26-1: If the student provides an answer to a subtraction problem that is larger than the original number, can the student receive credit?
A3-26-1: No, if the only task being evaluated is a subtraction procedure, providing an answer that is larger than the original number is unreasonable and insufficient to demonstrate even a limited understanding of the mathematical concepts embodied in the task.

Q4-38-1: Why is it incorrect in Part B if the student accurately describes the pattern shown? It seems similar to the explanation in Item 43.
A4-38-1: In Part B of Item 38, students are asked to provide a “rule.” A rule represents the relationship between the two columns in the table such as “multiply Elena’s amount by 3 to find her father’s amount.” In Item 43, the student is asked to describe how they identified the “pattern,” which can be expressed as a relationship within only one column of the table, as opposed to only a relationship between the two columns in the table.

Q4-43-1: Why is it acceptable for students to describe a pattern in Item 43 but not in Item 38?
A4-43-1: Please view the Q & A for Item 38.

Q4-47-1: Is the annotation for Practice Set 83a-b trying to provide guidance for a different scenario? The “days” column also contains an error other than an incorrect column heading. Please clarify.
A4-47-1: Yes, the annotation is attempting to provide guidance for a scenario in which the column heading of “Days” is correct along with all of the appropriate days underneath the heading. In such a scenario, partial credit would be awarded.

Grade 5 Consistency Assurance Set (CAS) – CAS 2 (p. 3 of the CAS) should be an SP 2. The explanation contains an incorrect mathematical statement.

Q5-28 -1: If a student does not provide a response for Darren’s pattern, how many correct numbers from Rosa’s pattern are necessary to demonstrate a limited understanding?
A5-28-1: All four numbers in Rosa’s pattern must be correct to demonstrate a limited understanding.

Q5-30-1: In Practice Set 17, why is full credit not awarded for showing 80 = 4/5?
A5-30-1: The show your work area in this response does not provide a final conversion procedure bridging the percent value to the correct fraction. Because of this omission, the student does not receive full credit.

Q5-31-1: Why is the term “halving” acceptable in Practice Set 23 but not acceptable in Guide Paper #5 (Vol. 1, pg. 46)?
A5-31-1: Halving implies a division into equal parts, but not necessarily equal and symmetrical parts. A student can receive credit for using the term halving if both correct figures are identified, demonstrating an understanding that the equal parts are symmetrical. If the correct figures are not identified, we cannot assume that the student understands that the equal parts must also be symmetrical.

Q5-32-1: Why isn’t “most flat” acceptable in Guide Paper #3 (Vol. 1, pg. 57)?
A5-32-1: Since we are dealing with straight line segments, technically, all of the line segments are flat and not curved. The preferred terminology would be “most level” or any other accurate terminology indicating the least change in slope.

Q5-32-2: If a student interprets the question in Part B as asking for a two-hour time interval, can credit be given?
A5-32-2: The student can receive credit for an appropriate two-hour time interval. Please refer to the complete and correct or exemplar response. Although both of the two-hour time intervals within the complete and correct are not technically equal to each other (as can be seen when making the graph much larger), the visibility tolerance for reading the graph allows for both answers.

Q5-33-1: Does the student receive credit for measuring the line segment in inches versus centimeters?
A5-33-1: If a student makes the conceptual flaw of measuring in inches in Part A, instead of in centimeters, both line segments in Part B must have the corresponding correct measurements in inches (within tolerance of plus or minus 1/8 of an inch) in order to receive a score point of one.

Q5-33-2: If a student has only one line segment correct in Part B based on the measurements in Part A, can they receive partial credit?
A5-33-2: One correct line segment on its own is not sufficient for a score point of 1.