New Jersey GEPA Language Arts Literacy Assessment Tutorial
Sample Prompts
WRITING SITUATION:
Many school districts in your area have recently adopted a not so new educational concept. Kindergarten through 8th grade schools are back. Kindergarten students will attend school with students all the way up to the 8th grade. Statistics have shown that the students who attend middle schools do not do as well on standardized tests as schools that have students from grades Kindergarten-8. In addition, studies say K-8 schools have less discipline problems, and academic achievement is higher. Your school is interested in making changes and including kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students to your building. What is your opinion about this controversial issue?
DIRECTIONS FOR WRITING:
Your school newspaper will publish essays that express the opinion of middle level learners. Write an essay to be published in the editorial section of your school newspaper that contains your opinion of a possible K to 8 change. Do you think a K to 8 school will be beneficial to the learner, or do you think that changing your school will create too many problems? State your opinion, and be specific so that you convince your audience that your thoughts are valid. Support your thoughts with facts, anecdotes and examples.
Use this space for prewriting
