Brief Constructed Responses (BCRs)
A BCR, or Brief Constructed Response, is one of several tools teachers use to assess their students' reading comprehension. This tool specifically targets a students' ability to communicate their comprehension through written answers. On the Maryland State Assessment, students starting in third grade must show their mastery of reading by responding to BCRs.

Click here to see a PowerPoint from Beall Elementary School, explaining BCRs more fully.

Click here for a rubric used to score BCRs for the Maryland State Assessment.

To prepare for the Maryland State Assessment, classes at Oakland Terrace completed activities across the grade levels to become familiar with many of the words that are found on the MSA, such as describe, explain, analyze, and summarize. To make the activity appropriate for all grade levels and more motivating to students (and not just dull test prep!), songs familiar to many of the children were chosen as the texts. Students from Kindergarten through 5th grade participated, and responses that scored a 3, or advanced, according to the state rubric were read over the loud speaker, posted at tables in the cafeteria for students to read and discuss, and shown right here on the website. In the process, a discussion was started among teachers and across grade levels to discuss ways to teach reading strategies that translate into students showing advanced mastery of reading objectives.

The first text, or song, chosen was On Top of Spaghetti.



Students were asked to respond to a BCR about cause and effect, which is appropriate for all of the grades.

	Second Graders must show their reading comprehension with written responses as they learn strategies to improve their comprehension of the text. This second grader provided an extension in his response, explaining what would have happened if the meatball had never rolled under the tree.
	This third grader provides a clear extension to her basic grasp of the text, identifying the sneeze as the cause of a chain of events in the song.
	Brandon shows his understanding of cause and effect by explaining that without the sneeze, none of the events would have happened.
	Jose identifies the sneeze as the start of a "domino effect."
	Nazrawit provides examples from the text that illustrate the effects the sneeze had. She then provides an extension by explaining that without the sneeze, the events would not have occured.

Ms. Miller's Kindergarten class participated by identifying information the author left out of the directions. As a class, they came up with four suggestions for the author. Ms. Miller altered the original BCR, but still had her students thinking critically about the text.
Brianna identified particular parts of the directions that were unclear. Students learn that when they are reading critically, they need to identify parts of procedural texts that need clarification.
Natnaiel identifies confusing wording in the text that could confuse the reader.