In 1994, I began Hampshire House Publishing Co. to print and sell a nature guide to the four western counties of the Massachusetts, "The Natural History of Western Massachusetts." With full-color photos, maps and illustrations, it was based on nature articles I wrote for the Springfield Newspapers. At the time, I was the paper's science writer. The book was illustrated by the paper's staff artist, Mike Nasuti.
The book was an instant success, reaching the best-seller list in some local bookstores. Soon after, I published its companion book, "The Natural History of Eastern Massachusetts." The two books have been used extensively in schools and can likely be found in most school libraries in the state.
However, I'm in my 70s now and have decided, as I said, to release the books as free PDFs through the website for Hampshire House Publishing, although they will continue to be available for the foreseeable future as printed books in local bookstores and online. The books were last updated in 2020.
Hopefully, schools and teachers will find a use for this free resource.
Below is a link to the publisher's website where they can be downloaded. Each PDF is located next to its book description on the home page and is available in two files sizes, the smaller of which, about 20MB, can be sent through most email systems. The larger one has the sharper visuals but is nearly 45 MB.
My situation is somewhat strange. I receive a thorough check mark with a score of "2" on my open response; that doesn't make sense. How could the open responses be thorough but receive the lowest score. Does anyone have any suggestion?
For both exams, I received the SAME EXACT ESSAY and provided the same responses. The first test, I received full credit for the essay. The second time, I received only a 2. MTEL says they do not rescore computer based tests, however, I am hoping someone out there has experience in fighting the grading of a computer based test. Obviously, two different graders felt differently about my essay, and is a biased exam.
My job is on the line for this test. I am open to contacting a lawyer if Pierson refuses to review my test results.