STATE WRITING ASSESSMENT:
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There will be a total of six unique test forms. Test forms will be written for the following grades/bands:
•Grade 3
•Grades 4-5
•Grades 6-7
•Grades 8
•Grades 9-10
•Grade 11
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All students in Grades 3-11 will read two written texts, otherwise known as stimulus passages.No multimedia texts will be included.
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•Like last year, written texts will include social studies or science topics in order to demonstrate the possible range of informational reading. Text prompts will not require backgroundinformation. Scoring will not privilege prior knowledge about the topic.
•Texts will be chosen for a variety of factors, including quality, style, and subject matter, and willbe reviewed by teachers for sensitivity. All texts will be authentic passages from previouslypublished sources or well-known authors.
•All texts will be appropriately complex for the given grade/band as determined by the staircase of complexity in Tennessee’s English Language Arts/Literacy standards (in the case of a grade band such as 4-5, texts will be aligned to the middle of the complexity range between the two grades). Text complexity will be determined using quantitative and qualitative factors.
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Students in Grades 3-5 will read two texts and write one essay:
•One prose constructed response essay about both texts. The essay will be eitherinformational/explanatory or opinion.
Students in Grades 6-11 will read two texts and write two essays:
•The first prose constructed response essay will be about the first text and will be informational/explanatory.
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All students in grades 3-5 will have a 90 minute time limit. Teachers may institute a break of 5–15 minutes, at their discretion. All students in grades 6-11 will have a 120 minute time limit. Teachers may institute a break of 5–30 minutes, at their discretion. These time limits must be observed.
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