A. Composition B. Reading Comprehension
Grade 10 English Language Arts Test
Test Structure
The grade 10 English Language Arts test was presented in the following two parts: ■ the ELA Composition test, which used a writing prompt to assess learning standards from the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework’s Composition strand ■ the ELA Reading Comprehension test, which used multiple-choice and open-response questions (items) to assess learning standards from the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework’s Language and Reading and Literature strands
A. Composition
The spring 2012 grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) Composition test and Composition Make-Up test were based on learning standards in the Composition strand of the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework (2001). The learning standards for the Composition strand appear on pages 72–83 of the Framework, which is available on the Department website at www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html. ELA Composition test results are reported under the reporting categories Composition: Topic Development and Composition: Standard English Conventions.
Test Sessions and Content Overview
The ELA Composition test included two separate test sessions, administered on the same day with a short break between sessions. During the first session, each student wrote an initial draft of a composition in response to the appropriate writing prompt on the next page. During the second session, each student revised his or her draft and submitted a final composition, which was scored in the areas of Topic Development and Standard English Conventions. The Scoring Guides for the MCAS English Language Arts Composition are available at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/student/elacomp_scoreguide.html.
Reference Materials
At least one English-language dictionary per classroom was provided for student use during ELA Composition test sessions. The use of bilingual