Writing (p.
14)
Writing is a complex and recursive process in which students draw
upon their speaking, listening, reading, and viewing experiences
to think, learn, communicate, and create. Students taking
the ESPA, GEPA, and the HSPA will be expected to write for a variety
of purposes and audiences. In each situation, specific writing
prompts will establish the task, identify the audience, and relate
to topics introduced in other sections of the assessment unit.
In addition to composing, eighth- and eleventh- grade students
will also be expected to revise and edit a written work.
The ESPA will introduce two writing tasks; the GEPA and HSPA
will present four different writing activities: three writing
tasks and a revising/editing activity. In the final section
of the three tests, students will complete a writing project
in which they solve problems by making decisions, forming opinions,
and applying what they have read. The criteria for assessing
each written response are set by the respective scoring rubrics:
Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric, Revising/Editing Scoring
Guide, and the Extending Understanding Scoring Rubric.
Students will:
- respond clearly and appropriately to a given prompt.
- select a focus and appropriate details to support it.
- organize the response to include an introduction, appropriate
transitions, and a conclusion.
- use elaboration to engage the audience.
- use varied sentence structure and word choice.
- use conventions of print and literary forms (as defined
in Macro 3.3, Appendix A).
- use language appropriate to the audience.
- revise and edit a passage for content/organization, usage,
sentence construction, and mechanics.
- synthesize information from a variety of sources in a written
response.
Notes:
1. ESPA will provide two writing tasks. The first one asks
students to speculate and the second to explain. GEPA and HSPA
will present three writing tasks. The first asks students
to speculate, the second to analyze, and the third to persuade.
2. For the GEPA and HSPA ONLY: The revising/editing activity
will be open-ended (hands- on) and will contain no multiple-choice
questions.
Writing Prompts for the New Assessments
| 1st prompt (speculate) |
Fixed task based on a picture |
Picture-linked prompts have a set wording
appropriate to the grade levels. |
| 2nd prompt (analyze/explain) |
Task derived from a poem |
Poem-linked prompts ask students to explore
the central idea or theme and to relate the theme o their
experience and/or understanding. The prompts use such words
as explain and analyze.
The prompts should be developed in three steps:
(1) A statement of the central idea or
theme.
(2) A statement that helps student to
focus, followed by a question.
(3) A direction to write that includes
the words explain and analyze, followed by a direction to
include details, facts, examples, and other support to develop
the analysis. |
3rd prompt (persuade)
[This prompt will not appear on the fourth-grade assessment.] |
Task eliciting students' point of view
or opinion of a controversy |
Persuasive prompts present controversies
arising in either interpersonal, school/community, or societal
contexts.
. Interpersonal controversies arise when two or more individuals
disagree about
choices/decisions, behaviors, ideas.
. School/community controversies arise when two or more
groups of people disagree about
rules, behaviors, procedures, conditions (e.g., litter),
ideas.
. Societal controversies arise when people disagree about
laws, trends, conditions, ideas.
Persuasive prompts ask students to respond, offering their
opinion(s) in a persuasive letter or essay format. The audience
for the letters and essays may be an individual - friend,
relative, neighbor, teacher, principal, or representative
of an organization - or members of an identified organization,
such as the student council, PTA, etc. Persuasive prompts
are structured in two sections with a total of three paragraphs:
Situation
. The first paragraph sets up the topic or context
of the controversy, which always arises from disagreement
between two or more people, [approximately 5 to 6
sentences]
. The second paragraph outlines the reason for
writing (the audience and purpose). [2 to 3 sentences]
Directions for Writing
. The third paragraph directs students to write
a response, focuses students on the topic of controversy,
and provides direction regarding their use of details,
facts, examples, and other support for students' opinion.
[2 to 3 sentences] |
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