ABSTRACT
Essays have several advantages. One of the most common reasons teachers use them is because they require students to express themselves in writing. This chapter discusses the attributes of good essay items, and provides the opportunity to practice critiquing essay items. The essay format is quite popular and has several advantages. It is especially useful, and frequently it is the most direct way, for measuring higher-level cognitive skills such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Scoring essay items can present a challenge to the classroom teacher. The chapter discusses how to score global essays and brief-response essays separately. It looks at scoring procedures that should be used with types of essays. Global essays generally present the greatest scoring challenge for teachers. The brief-response essay format requires specific information and can typically be answered by students with a one-paragraph answer.
