School Improvement in Maryland
Public Release Item Scoring Information Return

Goal 4 Economics

Expectation 4.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of economic principles, institutions, and processes required to formulate government policy.

Indicator 4.1.1 The student will evaluate how governments affect the answers to the basic economic questions of what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.

Assessment Limits:

  • Role of government in answering the basic economic questions in traditional, market, command and mixed economies.

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2005

The United States has a mixed economy and is able to regulate many business activities.

  • What are the benefits of government control over business activities?
     
  • Should the United States government have more control or less control over business activities? Explain your answer.
     
  • Use details and examples to support your answer.
     
Write your answer on the lines in the answer box below.

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 is related to the question and shows only minimal knowledge. Although fragments of basic ideas are presented (stop monopolies; some control over inflation), the ideas are general and incomplete (control is just right how it is right now).


Anchor Paper #2

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #2: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response is related to the question and shows only minimal knowledge. Fragments of basic ideas are provided (health regulations; dumping regulations; natural resource consumption regulation; less regulation in businesses promotes creativity); however, the ideas are skeletal and incomplete.


Anchor Paper #3

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #3: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of government regulation in a mixed economy. Basic ideas are supplied (ensure consumers’ safety; ensure that the business is not exporting or importing dangerous products; doing things to protect the citizens is one of the purposes of government).


Anchor Paper #4

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #4: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of government regulation in a mixed economy. Basic ideas (can help small companies stay on their feet and provide them with help; may keep a business from becoming all powerful and taking over everything else; lets businesses prosper without letting them gain full control) are provided with a little support (more control would take away some of our rights, and less would make some companies think they can do whatever they want).


Anchor Paper #5

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #5: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of government regulation in a mixed economy. Concepts are accurate and supported (minimum wage; work condition requirements; regulations on unions; regulations on what they can produce). Some evidence of higher order thinking skills is provided through appropriate application of analysis and evaluation (these regulations make life for a worker bearable so that they and their children are not overburdened) and historical knowledge (after Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the meat industry was loaded with regulations to protect the workers and the people eating the meat; the FDA).


Anchor Paper #6

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of government regulation in a mixed economy. The concepts are accurate and supported (helps ensure that the consumer is getting a fair deal; ensures that there will be no monopoly in a certain area; competition for consumers). Appropriate application of cause-and-effect reasoning (competition for consumers lowers prices and makes products more available; unnecessary regulation, which could prevent a new product from getting to the consumer) shows some evidence of higher order thinking skills.


Anchor Paper #7

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #7: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response shows understanding of government regulation in a mixed economy. Well supported and accurate concepts are given (preventing or fixing problems, like the Great Depression; monitoring large corporations so that CEOs and managers cannot cheat the public or the government). Powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills is demonstrated by extended and integrated application of historical knowledge (FDR and USSR examples), analysis and evaluation (now corporations have grown so large and the stock market is so complicated that trusting to laissez-faire isn’t enough; keep its current delicate hand in the economy in order to balance economic security with economic freedom), and cause-and-effect reasoning (could end a free market economy, giving the U.S. government an enormous socialist-type involvement in the public’s lives; a government with too much power in the lives of its citizens becomes a dictatorship/totalitarian regime).


Anchor Paper #8

image of student response

Score for Anchor Paper #8: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response shows understanding of government regulation in a mixed economy. Accurate concepts (power to destroy monopolies; helps to maintain competition and low prices in order to help the average citizen; our economy could quickly become a command economy) are well supported. Application of extensive analysis and evaluation (would be hardly any competition; the large company could charge prices that were too high for the average consumer; a command economy in which everyone made the same income no matter what profession; violates the peoples’ right to freedom; in allowing the people to make their own buying and selling decisions, the government allows the people the freedom to use the money they have earned) provides powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills.


Brief Constructed Response (BCR) 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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