TL;DR
The rest of this post delves into the scoring mechanics of the Regents Exam, but I want to try something else:
[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F05%2Fela-exam-matrix-01.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=500px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]
I put together a scoring matrix that lines up total points for Parts 2-3 and total points for Part 1 and indicates the final exam score. No weighted raw scores here, and no breakdown of the math — just a look at how many multiple-choice answers need to be correct for a combined writing score to get you over a particular threshold.
The green section indicates distinction, or 85+; the yellow is for passing scores below 85; and the red covers a group of scores that are within striking range of 65.
For reference, here is a similar matrix for the writing sections:
This shows the weighted raw scores for the writing portions of the test. The numbers in the matrix form the left column of the final exam score PDF.
Gaming the Regents Exam
As we enter the last three weeks of the year, our test prep shifts into a kind of endgame. Here, that means crunching the numbers to see what points you can afford to lose on each part of the Regents Exam. You each have a target goal. Whatever that goal is, the multiple-choice section — the three reading passages and 24 questions on Part 1 — will most directly determine whether you succeed or not.
First, though: It takes close reading, critical thinking, and effective writing to do well on any high-stakes English exam. It is rarely, if ever, a test of content. The preparation for these tests starts, therefore, years before you sit to take them. Every essay, text, and discussion contributes to your prep. Skills are built over time, and a comprehensive test of those skills requires that time to tell us anything meaningful. There’s a reason this is the only Regents Exam that is not technically attached to a course (i.e., it has been taken in the past by sophomores, is sometimes taken by seniors, and could theoretically be taken by very advanced freshmen).
What we’re doing here is separating the gamesmanship of all high-stakes tests from the skill-building required. Like all tests, the Regents Exam is about gaining as many points as possible. You’ve prepped for the skills part of the test since you were in middle school. It helps now to consider the numbers game.
Click for an essay on high-stakes test and grade-abated gamesmanship.
Case Study: January 2018
Almost all of this is available online:
What we need from that site is the equation for generating what is called a weighted raw score, which will then be converted by the state into a score out of 100 points. Let’s call the weighted raw score X.
There are three parts to the Regents Exam. Each one generates a raw score, based either on the number of questions answered correctly (Part 1) or the scores given according to a rubric (Part 2 and Part 3). We can give each of those scores a variable, too:
- Part 1: Total MC Score = A
- Part 2: Essay Score = B
- Part 3: Short Response Score = C
The formula for determining a student’s weighted raw score: A + 4B + 2C = X. Here is the chart for converting that weighted raw score to a scale score out of 100 points:
We can call the 100-point score Y. What we can do now is determine what you’d need, given a particular score on Part 1, to hit the more meaningful thresholds:
- When X ≥ 31, Y ≥ 65
- When X ≥ 38, Y ≥ 80
- When X ≥ 45, Y ≥ 90
This lets us run some interesting scenarios. Perfect scores on the writing would yield a score of 66 without Part 1, for instance, which means a student could get zero points there and still pass. That speaks to the importance of the writing sections. It’s the multiple-choice, however, that allows the most gamesmanship. Consider:
- You can practice the multiple-choice on your own, because the answers are available online; no one needs to score your work for you.
- When multiple-choice is assigned through Castle Learning, you get explanations automatically, which means you can focus on metacognition and repetition.
- It is often difficult to improve an essay from a 4 to a 5; the bell curve puts most responses in the 3-4 range.
- It is similarly difficult to improve the Part 3 response from a 3 to a 4; the bell curve puts most responses in the 2-3 range.
It is much easier to practice more multiple-choice, work metacognitively through that practice, and pick up a few more points on Part 1. And with that in mind, we can work off of middle scores on the writing section to determine what you’d need on Part 1 to earn a target score.
By the Numbers
Part 2: 3 | Part 3: 2
Together, those writing responses would earn the student 16 points. We need another 15 points to pass, which means the student could miss nine (9) multiple-choice questions and still get there. The rest of the numbers, where A is still the total multiple-choice score for Part 1 and Y is the overall converted score:
- When A ≥ 15, Y ≥ 65
- When A ≥ 22, Y ≥ 80
The student would need to miss only two questions on Part 1 to eke out an 80, but 15+ correct is more than possible. The questions are unevenly distributed, so that only four or five will ever be attached to the poem, whereas most exams have ten each per longer prose passage.
More importantly, writing responses that earn a 3 and 2, respectively, would be considered failing. See the rubrics here and here. This is, for most students, the starting point for writing, and many students can expect to do slightly better. For proof, consider the sample essay from Part 2 embedded below. According to the state’s scoring guides, this essay “us[es] some language that is inappropriate or imprecise,” “exhibit[s] frequent errors” that “make comprehension difficult.”
In other words, this sample essay is riddled with errors, and it still gives the student a chance to pass with only 15+ correct responses on Part 1.
[pdfjs-viewer url=”http%3A%2F%2Fsisypheanhigh.com%2Fmalachite%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F05%2FELA-Part-2-Level-3C.pdf” viewer_width=100% viewer_height=500px fullscreen=true download=true print=true]
Part 2: 3.5 | Part 3: 2.5
What happens if the student’s two writing responses go up by just 0.5 points each? That barely brings the writing halfway up the rubric, but it earns the student 19 points for Part 1. Now we need only 12 more points to pass, which means the student could get 50% of the multiple-choice section incorrect and still get there. The rest of the numbers, where A is again the total multiple-choice score for Part 1 and Y is the overall converted score:
- When A ≥ 12, Y ≥ 65
- When A ≥ 19, Y ≥ 80
- When A ≥ 22, Y ≥ 85
Again, this is with much weaker responses for Part 2 and Part 3. Getting 15 right on Part 1 would now yield a 72, well above passing. 19 correct is a relatively high bar, but it’s more than possible, and it starts yielding overall scores in the 80s.
Part 2: 4 | Part 3: 3
These writing scores are in the upper-half of the rubrics. They reflect adequate work — nothing stylish or particularly well developed, just adequate. Now, the student earns 22 points for Part 1, which means we need only nine more points to pass. The student could miss 15 multiple-choice questions and still get there. The rest of the numbers, where A is still the total multiple-choice score for Part 1 and Y is the overall converted score:
- When A ≥ 12, Y ≥ 70
- When A ≥ 16, Y ≥ 80
- When A ≥ 19, Y ≥ 85
- When A ≥ 23, Y ≥ 90
Yes, it would take a nearly perfect score to inch above a 90 overall, but a 90 is not everyone’s goal. An 80 requires this student to get only half of the questions right on Part 1. That’s well within reach. And more effective writing boosts the overall score quickly, as you’d expect.
Part 2: 5 | Part 3: 3
For instance, one more point on Part 2 earns the student 26 points for both writing sections. It takes only five more points to pass, with the following numbers now possible:
- When A ≥ 12, Y ≥ 80
- When A ≥ 19, Y ≥ 90
- When A ≥ 23, Y ≥ 95
It takes skill and focus to earn a high score, which is only natural. The encouraging thing ought to be that there are many paths to success, and each of you can use these last few weeks to practice until you are confident of your path.
Ask questions in the comment section.