An SAQ, or Short Answer Question, is a type of assessment used in Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (US History) exams. The SAQ rubric is a set of guidelines used to evaluate student responses to SAQs. The purpose of the rubric is to provide a clear and consistent method for grading student responses, ensuring that all responses are evaluated fairly and accurately.
The AP US History SAQ rubric consists of four main criteria: accuracy, contextualization, synthesis, and writing. Each criterion is worth a certain number of points, and the total number of points possible for an SAQ is 8.
Accuracy refers to the extent to which a student's response accurately reflects the historical content and context of the question. A student's response should be based on factual information and should not contain any errors or misunderstandings.
Contextualization refers to a student's ability to place the historical event or development in its proper historical context. This means that a student's response should not only be accurate, but should also explain how the event or development fits into the larger historical narrative.
Synthesis refers to a student's ability to draw connections between different historical events or developments. This means that a student's response should not only describe a single event or development, but should also explain how it relates to other events or developments in history.
Writing refers to the quality of a student's written response. This includes the organization of the response, the clarity of the writing, and the use of historical terminology.
In order to earn a high score on an SAQ, a student's response should demonstrate a strong understanding of the historical content and context of the question, be able to place the event or development in its proper historical context, be able to draw connections between different historical events or developments, and be well-written and clearly organized.
Overall, the AP US History SAQ rubric is an important tool for evaluating student responses to SAQs. By using the rubric, teachers and graders can ensure that all responses are evaluated fairly and accurately, helping students to better understand the historical content and improve their skills in historical analysis.