NJDOE Home Families Students Educators Community

» Assessment & Evaluation Home «

New Jersey Alternate Proficiency Assessment
Performance Level Descriptors
Language Arts Literacy

(February 2009)

Grade 6 LAL

Partially Proficient

Students performing at the partially proficient level generally require prompting to demonstrate emerging knowledge and skills in comprehension and response to text; inquiry and research; writing as a process; and writing forms, audiences, and purposes with an inconsistent level of performance using modified and supported materials.

Partially proficient students are emerging in:

  • Identifying literary genres
  • Identifying similarities between text and real life
  • Identifying and give examples of cultural bias
  • Answering questions from given information
  • Identifying graphic sources in text
  • Matching details and main ideas
  • Identifying appropriate adjectives, verbs and adverbs to complete a sentence
  • Revise writing for word choice, punctuation, and/or spelling.
  • Matching words to the appropriate audience and purpose
  • Identifying simple narrative elements      

Proficient

Students performing at the proficient level may require prompting to demonstrate basic knowledge and skills in comprehension and response to text; inquiry and research; writing as a process; and writing forms, audiences, and purposes with a moderate level of performance using modified and supported materials.

Proficient students typically:

  • Identify elements and characteristics of a literary genre
  • Make connections between story elements and self
  • Match elements in text to historical events or cultures
  • Draw conclusions when given information from two different texts
  • Identify relationships between text and a graphic source
  • Summarize an informational text in writing or by completing a graphic organizer
  • Write descriptive sentences and justify word choices
  • Revise writing for word choice, punctuation and/or spelling.
  • Revise writing to include compound or complex sentences.
  • Demonstrate understanding of simple narrative elements and techniques through writing, describing, sorting or using a graphic organizer.
  • Identify and use words appropriately for a variety of purposes and audiences in simple text

Advanced Proficient

Students performing at the advanced proficient level generally demonstrate knowledge and skills in comprehension and response to text; inquiry and research; writing as a process; and writing forms, audiences, and purposes independently with a high level of performance using modified and supported materials.

Advanced proficient students typically:

  • Identify elements and characteristics of multiple literary genres
  • Compare and contrast story elements across texts
  • Compare and contrast points of view from two texts about different cultures or time periods
  • Draw conclusions from multiple sources, including graphics and texts
  • Write an informational essay
  • Write a descriptive paragraph using details and sensory vocabulary
  • Revise writing for correct word choice, sentence construction, clarity and spelling
  • Revise writing to include compound and complex sentences.
  • Demonstrate understanding of narrative elements and techniques through writing
  • Select and use appropriate words based on audience and purpose