Assessment Guide Comparison: LEAP/LAA2/GEE
Grades 4, 8, and 10
(Information taken from the Assessment Guide Preface for LEAP and LAA2)
Test Design
Content Area / Test ComponentsLEAP / Test Components
LAA2
ELA
(Grades 4, 8,
and 10) / 1. Writing (in response to prompt)
•Gr. 4: descriptive or
narrative
•Gr. 8: narrative or expository
(12 point rubric))
•Gr.10: expository or
Persuasive(12 point rubric)
2. Reading and Responding
•4 reading passages: 2
short/2 long
•4 to 6 MC items (1 point
each) per passage
•2 CR (short-answer) items
(2 points each) per passage
•Grades 8 and 10 only: one
extended CR item (4 points)
3. Using Information Resources
•One resource packet with 4
to 6 sources
•5 MC items and 2 CR (short-
answer) items
4. Proofreading
•Editing a short passage,
8 MCitems / 1. Writing(in response to prompt)
•Shorter response thanrequiredin LEAP/GEE (length to begrade- appropriate – see sample requirements below)
•Scored onatwo-dimensional
rubric: Composing and
Style/Audience Awareness
(8 point rubric)
2. Reading andResponding
•2shortpassages(no poetry)
•4multiple-choice items perpassage
•1constructed-response(short-answer- 2 points)itemperpassage
3. UsingInformationResources
•1 resourcepacket with approximately 4to 6 sources
•5multiple-choice items and 1 constructed-response (short answer, 2 point, item)
•Format: question isplaced adjacent tothe related resource
Proofreading
•8multiple-choice items
•Format: Eachitemis a sentence,
taken froma shortpassageor
letter,with an underlinedpart that
may ormay not containan error
followed by 4 answeroptions.
Math
(Grades 4, 8, and 10) / 1. 60 MC items (across 6 strands)
•30 non-calculator
•30 calculator
•Problem-solving context
2. Extended CR items (4 points)
•Grade 4: 3 items
Grades 8 and 10: 4 items / 42 Multiple-Choice Items(6 strands with approximately 7items per strand)
2Constructed-Response(Short-Answer)Items
Science
(Grades 4, 8, and 11) / 1. 40 MC items (across 5 strands)
•Science as Inquiry
•Physical Science
•Life Science
•Earth and Space Science
•Science and the Environment
2. 4 CR (short-answer) items (2 points)
•1 per content strand
3. Comprehensive Science Task
•3 CR (short-answer) items
(inquiry strand)
• 1 extended CR item (4 points) related tocontentstrand. / 35 Multiple-Choice Items(5 strands
with 7items per strand)
•Science asInquiry
•Physical Science
•Life Science
•EarthandSpaceScience
•Science and the Environment
2 Short-Answer Items
Social Studies
(Grades 4, 8, and 11) / 1.Grade 4: 50 MC items (across 4
strands)
2. Grade 8: 60 MC items (across 4 strands)
•Geography
•Civics
•Economics
•History
3. Extended CR item (4 points)
•4 items (1 per strand) / 32 Multiple-Choice Items(4strandswith8items perstrand)
•Geography
•Civics
•Economics
•History
2Constructed-ResponseItems
Sample Writing Requirements Taken From the LEAP AND LAA2 Assessment Guides
(Grades 4, 8, and 10)
(Information taken from the Assessment Guides for ELA: LEAP and LAA2)
LEAP 4th Grade
Students are given the following directions for writing:
1. “Read the topic in the box…and write a well-organized multi-paragraph composition of about 100-150 words.”
2. The audience is identified as a school writing contest.
3. “Your description should have at least 2 paragraphs.
4. Be sure your story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
5. Give specific details and enough information so that your readers will understand what happened.
6. Be sure to write clearly.
7. Check your writing for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. / LAA2 4th Grade
Below the topic given to the students, the students are given the following directions for writing:
1. “Your story should have at least one paragraph.
2. Be sure your story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
3. Give specific details and enough information so that your teacher will understand what happened.
4. Be sure to write clearly.
5. Check your writing for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.”
LEAP 8TH Grade
Students are given the following directions for writing:
1.” Read the topic in the box below and write a well-organized multi-paragraph composition of about 150-200 words.”
2. The audience is identified as the teacher.
3. “In your story, give specific details and enough information so that your teacher will understand what happened.
4. Be sure to write clearly and to check your story for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. (The teacher is the audience.) / LAA2 8th Grade
Students are given the following directions for writing:
1. “Read the topic in the box below and write a well-organized composition of at least two paragraphs….”
2. “Give specific details and enough information so that your readers will understand what happened.
3. “Be sure to write clearly and check your story for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.”
(The audience selected is a Teen Magazine.)
LEAP 10TH Grade
Students are given the following directions for writing a multi-paragraph composition:
1. “Read the topic in the box below and write a well-organized multi-paragraph composition of about 250-300 words.”
2. After reading the prompt, “Now write an essay explaining to your English teacher…” “Give specific details and support those details with clear examples and evidence. Explainwhy you think this….”
3. “Remember that your audience is your English teacher. Use appropriate language and explain your ideas clearly.
4. Be sure to write clearly and check your composition for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. / LAA2 10th Grade
Note: this LAA2 guide was written for 10th gr. GEE. Students are given the following directions for writing a 2 paragraph composition:
1. After reading the prompt, ” Now write a letter to the school newspaper supporting your friend for class president.
2. “Express your position clearly so that the students of your school will know exactly what you think.
3. “Be sure to include specific reasons why this person should be class president, and support those reasons with clear examples and evidence. Persuade students to vote for your candidate.”
Samples for Math, Science, and Social Studies Taken From the LEAP AND LAA2 Assessment Guides
4thGrade
(Information taken from the Assessment Guides: LEAP and LAA2)
LEAP / LAA2
MATH
Thetablebelowrepresents thenumberofpeoplewhosawamovieatthe RitzTheaterlastweek.Usethistabletoanswerquestion5.
Day / People
Sunday / 294
Monday / 200
Tuesday / 187
Wednesday / 218
Thursday / 245
Friday / 300
Saturday / 326
If each movie theater ticket costs $7.50, what steps would you take to find out how much money the movie theater made in ticket sales from Friday and Saturday?
A.Add 300 and 326, then multiply the sum by $7.50
B.Add 300 + 326 + $7.50
C.Multiply300by$7.50threetimesandadd$326
D.Divide 300 by $7.50 and add $326 / MATH
Marie’s mother made a cake. She put the cake in the oven at 9:45 AM. The cake took 40 minutes to bake, 30 minutes to cool, and 35 minutes to decorate.
A. How many minutes in all did it take Marie’s mother to bake, cool, and decorate the cake? Show your work.
B. What time was Marie’s mother finished decorating the cake? Show your work.
SCIENCE
Usethegraphbelowtoanswerquestion25,partsAand B.
The graph above shows the owl populationinalargeforestedareaovera
20-yearperiod.Thegraphalsoshowsthe acres of forest that were cleared for lumber over thesametimeperiod.
A. Why did the owl population change?
B. Whatcouldhavebeendonetopreventthechangeinthe owlpopulation? / SCIENCE
Use the sign to answer the following questions.
(The picture/symbol for “recycling” is inserted under the prompt.)
This sign is seen on materials such as glass, paper, plastic, and metals.
A. What is recycling?
B. Why is it important to recycle materials?
SOCIAL STUDIES
Use the picture and information below to answer the question.
Kennedy Elementary school is deciding whether students should vote for the club president and vice-president or whether the teachers and principal should choose the club president and vice president.
A. Describe one reason it might be best to have students vote for the person they want to be club president and vice-president.
B. Describe one reason it might be best to have the school principal and teacherschoose the club president and vice-president.
C. Describe one reason it is good for a student to serve as a leader of his or her school club.
D. Voting and serving in the school club are two ways students make their school a better place. Describe one other way students can help make their school a better place. / SOCIAL STUDIES
Use the picture and information below to answer the question.
Kennedy Elementary school is deciding whether students should vote for the club president and vice-president or whether the teachers and principal should choose the club president and vice president.
A. Describe one reason it might be best to have students vote for the person they want to be club president and vice-president.
B. Describe one reason it might be best to have the school principal and teachers choose the club president and vice-president.
Samples for Math, Science, and Social Studies Taken From the LEAP AND LAA2 Assessment Guides
8thGrade
(Information taken from the Assessment Guides: LEAP and LAA2)
LEAP / LAA2
MATH
Pictured above are signs advertising salesattwostereoequipment stores.(A visual is displayed with the prompt.)
Theoriginal price of a CD playeris$110 atbothstores.
A. Whatisthesale price oftheCDplayer atStoreA?Show yourwork.
B.Whatisthesale price oftheCDplayer atStore Bwithout the one-day special? Show your work. / MATH
Leanne goes to college in Louisiana and her family lives in New York. Last week, Leanne’s mother made four evening telephone calls to her. Listed below are the charges for each telephone call.
Charges / Minutes
$o.60 / 4
$1.50 / 10
$1.80 / 12
$4.50 / 30
A. Based on this information, what would be the charge for a 50-minute evening phone call?
B. What would be the cost (c) of an n-minute phone call to Leanne from her mother?
Write your answer in the form of an equation where c is the cost, and n is the number of minutes.
SCIENCE
- Coreyfound that when he added a certainchemicaltowater,thewaterwould heat up.
- He then performed an experiment in which he mixed different amounts of the chemical with water in a testtube and measured thetemperature ofthewater.
- The results ofhis experiment are shown in the table below.
Which of these is a valid conclusion based on the results of Corey’s experiment?
A. Adding more of the chemical will always heat the water to a greater temperature.
B. The chemical always heats the water to the same temperature.
C. the temperature of water is not affected by the amount of the chemical.
D. Adding more of the chemical will heat the water but only up to a certain temperature. / SCIENCE
SOCIAL STUDIES
Visual: A map of Louisiana with the location of natural resources marked by symbols. The map includes a key for each resource.
A. Choosetwo oftheresourcesfromthe map on page 4-55 thatare important toLouisiana’s economy and write them in the space below.
B. Foreach resource youlisted, explain the geographic factors that make itpossible fortheresource tobe produced orcollected.
C. Identifyone nonrenewable resource fromthechart.
D. Whatcan Louisiana do topreserve itsnonrenewable resources? / SOCIAL STUDIES
Visual:A map of Louisiana with the location of natural resources marked by symbols. The map includes a key for each resource.
A. Identify one non-renewable resource from the chart.
B. What can Louisiana do to preserve its nonrenewable resources?
Samples for Math, Science, and Social Studies Taken From the GEE AND LAA2 Assessment Guides
10th Grade
(Information taken from the Assessment Guides: LEAP and LAA2)
GEE / LAA2
MATH
A school banner is 6 ft. wide by 4 ft. high.
A. If the banner were 5ft. wide, how high would it have to be in order to have the same area as the first banner?
B. Give three more examples of rectangular banners that would have areas the same as the first banner but with dimensions different from both the first banner and the banner in part A. Make the width greater than the height in each example.
C. Suppose that the length of a rectangle with an area of 24 square units is unknown. Let x represent the length. Write an expression for the width in terms of x. Use this expression to write a formula for the perimeter, p, in terms of the unknown value, x. / MATH
Prices for Playhouse Theater tickets are shown in the table below. The theater charges full price for the first ticket purchased. The theater gives a discount when more than one ticket is purchased.
(A table is provided with a pattern evident.
1 ticket:$8.00; 2 tickets: 14.50; 3 tickets: $20.50; 4 tickets: 26.50)
A. If the pattern continues, what will be the total cost of 6 tickets?
B. Jose` and Suzette each plan to purchase one ticket. How much money will they save if they purchase their tickets together rather than separately? Show or explain how you found your answer.
SCIENCE
17. Suppose a change occurs in one of the molecules making up the DNA in one of the molecules in the nucleus of a cell.
A. Explain why this change could affect a protein that is made in the cytoplasm.
B. Explain one role RNA plays in making the protein. / SCIENCE
Suppose an oil tanker ran aground and broke apart near the mouth of the Mississippi River and millions of gallons of crude oil spilled out of the ship.
Describe two effects this would likely have on the ecosystems in the surrounding environment.
Effect 1:
Effect 2:
SOCIAL STUDIES
Foreign policy is the way a country can influence other countries. There are a number of different methods or actions the United States can use to implement foreign and defense policies.
A. Describe two different methods or actions that the United States can use to implement foreign and defense policies.
B. Explain when or in what circumstances each method or action identified in part A would most likely be used by the United States. / SOCIAL STUDIES
The basic economic problem that all individuals, businesses and governments must solve is
A. satisfying unlimited wants with limited resources
B. Guaranteeing that everyone has a bank account
C. making sure all resources are used
D. updating jobs to take advantage of the newest technology