2002-2003 PRACTICE MATERIALS
New Jersey Department of Education
HSPA/SRA LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY
Performance Assessment Task (PAT)

Please call Miza Fletcher (609-633-7180) in the Office of Assessment and Research. She will fax a copy of the passage to you. Please note that we are not able to post the passage on the Internet. Text # SRA-N-006.

Plummer has bought a new and expensive clarinet. He strokes it "as though it were King Arthur's sword, giving magical powers to whoever possessed it." Identify what Plummer thinks the instrument will do for him. Explain why an expensive new clarinet will not bring him what he wants. Provide specific information from the story to support your response. Mr. Helmholtz tells Plummer, "Part of the growing-up process is finding out what we can do well and what we can't do well." Identify why Mr. Helmholtz says this to Plummer. Explain how this statement helps you to understand the theme of this story. Provide specific information from the story to support your response. All people must learn to adapt to each other in order to have a successful relationship. In this story, Mr. Helmholtz and Plummer learn this lesson. Identify what each of these characters gives up in order to stop being hostile. Explain why this helps each of them to "grow up." Provide specific information from the story to support your response. Materials/Resources: Access to a word processor or computer, if desired. Tape recorder or camcorder if student makes an oral presentation. Techniques for PAT Scoring: See Reading Item-Specific Rubric for this PAT.