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Goal 2 Geometry, Measurement, And Reasoning

Expectation 2.2 The student will apply geometric properties and relationships to solve problems using tools and technology when appropriate.

Indicator 2.2.1 The student will identify and/or verify congruent and similar figures and/or apply equality or proportionality of their corresponding parts.

Assessment Limits:

  • Students will demonstrate geometric reasoning and justify conclusions. Although the focus is on geometric theory, answers to some items may include a numeric answer.
  • Corresponding measurements include length, angle measure, perimeter, circumference, area, volume, surface area and lateral area.

Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Item - Released in 2003

The legs of an ironing board are congruent and bisect each other.

Note: The figure is not drawn to scale.

Complete the following in the answer box below, and/or on a piece of paper.
  • Prove that the ironing board is parallel to the floor.
     
  • Use mathematics to justify that ABCD is a rectangle.
     

The following 8 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 demonstrates minimal understanding and analysis of the problem. While this student recognizes that congruent alternate interior angles prove parallel lines, the stated angles are congruent, but without any proof. The student also asserts, and clarifies by the diagram markings, "angleE is a vertical angle" which could be both a correct step and a justification for an appropriate triangle proof. However, with only the indicated angles, there is no evidence of a triangle strategy. No attempt to justify a rectangle is present.


Anchor Paper #2

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #2: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response demonstrates minimal understanding and analysis of the problem. Although the strategy AAS (angle-angle-side) is flawed, the student has some understanding that proving the triangles are congruent could be used to prove parallel lines. After establishing isosceles triangles with congruent sides and a congruent vertex angle, the statement "Angle A is congruent to angle C" can be asserted, but the student lacks any support for this strategy. The unsupported statements "A rectangle has 4 parallel sides" and "AB is parallel to DC, AD is parallel to BC" convey some understanding of the properties of rectangles. "The diagonals intersect and are congruent" provides justification for a rectangle.


Anchor Paper #3

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #3: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem. The student attempts to prove parallel lines by proving congruent triangles and using congruent alternate interior angles. The justifications are flawed. While the student does not state what congruent pairs of sides were used in the SAS (side-angle-side) proof, the diagram markings make this clear. The student does not justify a rectangle. "ABCD is a rectangle because all of the angles are the same" fails to identify the referenced angles, and the only marked congruent angles in the diagram are angleBEA and angleDEC.


Anchor Paper #4

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #4: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem. The student employs an appropriate SAS (side-angle-side) strategy to prove congruent triangles. An error occurs in the statement "DB  is congruent to BE," but this is considered minor due to the diagram markings. The student then incorrectly attempts to establish parallel lines by congruent corresponding sides rather than by congruent alternate interior angles. The attempt to justify a rectangle is incomplete. "ABCD is a rectangle because AB  is congruent to DC" and "point A is the same distance from point D, and point B is the same distance from point C, since AC  is congruent to DB" provide only partial justification of a rectangle.


Anchor Paper #5

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #5: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response demonstrates clear understanding and analysis of the problem. In the SAS (side-angle-side) proof, the student should have provided the justification of CPCTC (congruent parts of congruent triangles are congruent) for "angleDCE must be  is congruent to to angleBAE." Instead, the response states that the angles are congruent "because they (the triangles) are congruent." In establishing the second set of parallel lines, the student omits the parts utilized for proving the second pairs of triangles congruent by SAS (side-angle-side). However, the strategy is clearly evident from the first SAS proof. The student gives an incomplete justification "opposite sides are parallel."


Anchor Paper #6

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response demonstrates clear understanding and analysis of the problem. The student shows clear evidence of an appropriate strategy to prove parallel lines, but the proof has errors. While the student attempts to reorder the steps in the SAS (side-angle-side) proof, the congruent corresponding angles should be given after the triangles are proven congruent. The correct justification for "angleA  is congruent to angleC" and "angleD  is congruent to angleB" should be CPCTC (congruent parts of congruent triangles are congruent), and the justification for "AB // DC" should be the converse of alternate interior angles theorem. The justifications are switched for these two steps. Justification for a rectangle ("ABCD is a rectangle because the diagonals are congruent to each other. The diagonals also bisect each other.") is given.


Anchor Paper #7

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #7: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response demonstrates complete understanding and analysis of the problem. The student successfully proves parallel lines. All statements needed in the SAS (side-angle-side) proof have correct justification, and the student correctly proves parallel lines by the converse of alternate interior angles theorem. The statement "AC and BD are the diagonals of ABCD. Since these two bisect each other…the two diagonals are also congruent" provides full justification for a rectangle.


Anchor Paper #8

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #8: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response demonstrates complete understanding and analysis of the problem. All the information proving the ironing board is parallel to the floor and defining a rectangle is clearly and logically presented. The student uses an indirect proof ("The ironing board is parallel to the floor because if ABCD is a rectangle, it must be parallel to the floor. In order to be a rectangle, you must have two sets of parallel sides.") to assert parallel lines. The response then establishes a rectangle ("ABCD is a rectangle because it has two bisecting and congruent diagonals.") from the given information.


Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Rubric

Print: Scoring Rubric (pdf)
Score 4

The response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that leads to a correct solution in the context of the problem. The representations are correct. The explanation and/or justification is logically sound, clearly presented, fully developed, supports the solution, and does not contain significant mathematical errors. The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score 3

The response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that may or may not lead to a correct solution. The representations are essentially correct. The explanation and/or justification is generally well developed, feasible, and supports the solution. The response demonstrates a clear understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score 2

The response indicates an incomplete application of a reasonable strategy that may or may not lead to a correct solution. The representations are fundamentally correct. The explanation and/or justification supports the solution and is plausible, although it may not be well developed or complete. The response demonstrates a conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score 1

The response indicates little or no application of a reasonable strategy. It may or may not have the correct answer. The representations are incomplete or missing. The explanation and/or justification reveals serious flaws in reasoning. The explanation and/or justification may be incomplete or missing. The response demonstrates a minimal understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score 0

The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant. There may be no response, or the response may state, “I don't know.”

Explanation refers to the student using the language of mathematics to communicate how the student arrived at the solution.

Justification refers to the student using mathematical principles to support the reasoning used to solve the problem or to demonstrate that the solution is correct. This could include the appropriate definitions, postulates and theorems.

Essentially correct representations may contain a few minor errors such as missing labels, reversed axes, or scales that are not uniform.

Fundamentally correct representations may contain several minor errors such as missing labels, reversed axes, or scales that are not uniform.

Last Revised 8/16/00

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Resources for 2.2.1:
Skill Statements | PUBLIC RELEASE ITEMS | Lesson Plans |