School Improvement in Maryland
Public Release Item Scoring Information Return

Goal 1 Political Systems

Expectation 1.2 The student will evaluate how the United States government has maintained a balance between protecting rights and maintaining order.

Indicator 1.2.1 The student will analyze the impact of landmark Supreme Court decisions on governmental powers, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in our changing society.

Assessment Limits:

  • Cases included: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, Tinker v. Des Moines Board of Education, and New Jersey v. T.L.O.
  • Other cases that address the same issues could be used, but information about these cases will be provided in the item.

Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Item - Released in 2005

Look at the chart below.

  • Describe how the Fourteenth Amendment was the basis for these Supreme Court rulings.
     
  • Was additional Supreme Court action necessary after the Brown decision? Explain why or why not.
     
  • Explain how these decisions affect public education today.
     
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.
     
Write your answer on the lines in the answer box below.

The following 7 Anchor Papers represent a range of score points and are used in conjunction with the rubrics to assess student responses.

Anchor Paper #1

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #1: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response is related to the question and shows only minimal knowledge. An appropriate, relevant idea is given (everyone is learning in an equal environment), along with a few skeletal fragments (all dealt with either segregation or integration; broke the law by segregating); however, these ideas are unconnected and incomplete.


Anchor Paper #2

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #2: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response addresses the question, particularly in regard to the Brown v. Board of Education decision, but shows only minimal knowledge of the content. Although fragmented ideas are included (because of the color of her skin; that way we are in school together; all races are equal), these ideas are vague, incomplete, and repetitive.


Anchor Paper #3

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #3: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of the Fourteenth Amendment’s impact and the subsequent Supreme Court rulings. Several unsupported key ideas (protects all individuals and ensures equality; court cases protect that amendment; necessary because... states refused to obey) are given.


Anchor Paper #4

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #4: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of the Fourteenth Amendment’s impact and the subsequent Supreme Court rulings. The relevant example (if Plessy v. Ferguson was never overturned, then blacks and whites and all other ethnic groups would be forced to attend separate schools) gives some support to other, more basic ideas (looked to the words of the Fourteenth Amendment; every person is equal; decisions make it possible for everyone to go to school together and get the same education).


Anchor Paper #5

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #5: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment’s impact and the subsequent Supreme Court rulings. The student explains how the Court has interpreted and reinforced its interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment over time (over the past fifty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has tried to change American ideology; went from having separate schools for African Americans to having to integrate schools). Accurate, supported concepts are utilized to analyze these changes (does not happen overnight; had to be convinced that they could freely join ‘white schools;’ Southern states especially). Demonstrating an appropriate application of higher order thinking skills, the student provides an evaluation of the impact (lifted a burden off of the African American society; these cases do not just end at the school walls).


Anchor Paper #6

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment’s impact and the subsequent Supreme Court rulings. Using a strong, accurate knowledge base, the student supports and builds towards an evaluative conclusion (without all of these decisions, public education would most likely still be segregated; our country wouldn’t be the free and equal place it is today). This evaluation demonstrates both higher order thinking and some understanding of the complexities of the question.


Anchor Paper #7

image of student response
image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #7: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This insightful response shows understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment’s impact and the subsequent Supreme Court rulings. By contrasting the benefits of public education as it exists today (allows…schools to have a very wide and large diversity of students who experience each others’ cultures and learn about each other) with the drawbacks of how it might have been without such rulings, the student provides a powerful comparative analysis and strong evidence of higher order thinking.


Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Rubric
Print: Scoring Rubric (pdf)
Score 4

This response shows understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is insightful, integrates knowledge, and demonstrates powerful application.

  • The application shows powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills.
  • Concepts are accurate and well supported.
  • There are no misconceptions.
  • The response is comprehensive.
Score 3

This response shows some understanding of the content, question, and/or problem. The response includes appropriate application that demonstrates evidence of higher order thinking skills.

  • The application shows some evidence of higher order thinking skills.
  • Concepts are accurate and supported.
  • There are no interfering misconceptions.
  • The response may not develop all parts equally.
Score 2

This response shows knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is acceptable with some key ideas. The response shows little or no evidence of application.

  • The response includes some basic ideas.
  • The response provides little or no support.
  • There are minimal misconceptions.
Score 1

This response shows minimal knowledge of the content, question, and/or problem. The response is related to the question, but it is inadequate.

  • The response includes incomplete or fragmented ideas or knowledge.
  • There may be significant misconceptions.
Score 0

The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant. There may be no response.

Knowledge and Understanding indicate the degree to which the response reflects a grasp of the content, question, and/or problem presented in the stimulus. The response indicates mastery that progresses from knowledge to understanding.

Last Revised June 2001
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