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5-8 Grade Level Illinois Alternative Assessment Program Scoring Rubric ITEM: Where Do All the People Live This item points out that population densities vary greatly from place to place on earth. Students are asked to provide five reasonable generalizations that account for the uneven distribution of people around the globe. The generalizations should demonstrate that the student understands, to some degree, the physical and human geography of earth and its people. They should not reflect an egocentric or parochial view. Generalizations should be capable of being grouped under one or more of five major headings--economic, cultural, physical, political, and historical. Level Four Performance Performance at Level Four demonstrates a well-developed knowledge of the human and physical geography of earth, including the various places and regions. The five generalizations given are accurate and relevant, and cover all of the five major headings listed above. For example, one student response at this level mentions a climate that is not too hot or too cold, areas with developed transportation facilities that make them accessible, plains where crops and animals can be grown, areas where employment is available, and the need for social contact and interaction with other people. Often the Level Four response mentions that people want to live near their relatives and with their own cultural groups. In general, the Level Four response goes beyond the more obvious physical reasons, such as the need for relatively level land and favorable climate, and provides evidence of an understanding of the human factor in population location, e.g., the desire to live near where one is born and raised. Responses are well organized in list form, using complete sentences. Level Three Performance At Level Three performance, most responses are accurate and related to the question, but may contain only three or four valid reasons. In some cases, one reason may be restated and elaborated, while others are mentioned only briefly, e.g., one response elaborates, at length, the importance of a moderate climate, but only briefly mentions transportation as an important factor. Some reasons may reflect perspectives and values of specific groups, such as the more affluent in technologically advanced societies, e.g., "...people live in a place where there are beautiful scenery", "...people live where they can enjoy themselves with different types of entertainment." Generally, reasons given do not reflect the depth of understanding of the human and physical factors influencing population distribution that is evident in the Level Four response, e.g., "...people live where they can work." Responses are well organized in list form using complete sentences. Level Two Performance This level performance is characterized by brief responses and a majority of invalid reasons, usually providing no more than two valid reasons for the distribution of people on earth. Often responses are not elaborated enough to clarify intended meaning, e.g., "...people live where they live because they want to live there." Responses do not reveal in-depth knowledge of human and physical factors influencing the location of people. Valid responses tend to center on more obvious reasons, such as those relating to jobs and the physical landscape. Often parochial responses that reflect narrow perspectives are given, e.g., "...people live in the country because they want to get away from the city", "...where there's good schooling for their kids." Some Level Two responses show little understanding of the causes of population distribution on earth, e.g., "In general, people live so uneven because of a major business that might draw people to that area." Generally, responses are organized in complete sentences. Level One Performance The response at this level, if one is provided at all, often is brief and frequently misses the point altogether, e.g., "In general, people live on streets and need food to stay healthy like us." Often responses stray off into other topics, e.g., "I think we should never take things for granted, than all the things we have already." Sometimes the Level One response in unintelligible and devoid of meaning, e.g., "In general, people live less people to look after people some are mean and some art mean." Responses at this level reflect an inability to communicate, making it difficult to determine if any knowledge of the subject exists. Organization of responses is lacking.